Markup is like good writing, as Bia mentioned in her post. After reading \ books and articles about writing well, I realized that effective writing is simple and concrete. It contains the core ideas. It is short and leaves out unnecessary words or information. Good writing goes by the rules. It practices good grammar and it’s clean. Markup has its own type of grammar and rules. It’s all about organization and good semantics.
The article “Why Does Clean Markup Matter in Web Design?” is useful as I dive into writing HTML for my first website. As I mentioned in my first post, I’m a fan of lists. So to bring together what I’m learning so far, I’ve compiled tips to remember as I type out my HTML.
Some Tips for Clean & Clutter Free Code
- Don’t include inline CSS to save time. In the end, keeping HTML and CSS separate is more efficient.
- Name classes and ids something memorable and something that makes sense.
- Delete extra empty divs.
- Use a class you’ve already made if possible instead of creating a new one.
- Indent your code to make it easier to read different sections.
- Insert comments to yourself or other people to make going through your code easier.
- Order your markup in a logical way. For example, begin your code with the header or other important information and end with the footer.
- Just like in writing a paper, proof-read to make sure tags are closed and everything is in place.
These things ultimately make a difference when making efficient and accessible websites. Clean markup is a foundation, which saves money and time. It’s a foundation based on organization. Staying organized is crucial in many parts of life and website design and markup is no exception.