Articles on PSD-to-HTML services
PSD-to-HTML Conversion Services - A New Fad or a New Market Need?
"Which of the PSD-to-HTML providers do you work with?" 5 years ago this question
had no sense because... there were no such companies. But now markup coding services
are sought-after and growing fast. Is it just a new fad or a real market need?
The idea of these services is quite simple. Using Adobe Photoshop or other software packages,
graphic and web designers create digital images -- files with *.PSD, etc extensions.
To convert them into a webpage template or WordPress theme, you need to develop
HTML code. Markup coding companies are those who provide such a transformation.
But the emergence of PSD-to-HTML services is
not accidental.
A while ago we all celebrated the 20-th anniversary of the Web. Media actively discussed
achievements and outlook of the Internet. The appearance of design-to-HTML coding
as a separate service also illustrates that the Web is becoming more mature. Really,
specialization of labor and tendency to standards compliance are features of established
industries only.
The own niche in the web development process
Each of the web development jobs -- design, HTML/CSS coding, and back end programming
in PHP, Java, etc -- plays its own important role and requires its own specific
skills and aptitude.
I like the analogy with music creation: composers (in case of Web -- designers)
express their ideas in images. Then the music (websites) is written down by means
of musical notation (HTML and CSS), arranged for different types of orchestras (browsers),
and complied with recommendations of musicians' associations (WWW Consortium) and
music critics (search engines). Of course, quality instruments, sound equipment,
and stage effects are a must (databases, chats, widgets, etc).
If each job is done properly, the website may get its "Grammy Award", i.e. a lot
of traffic and place #1 in SERPs (search engine results pages).
Web standards, compatibility, and accessibility
PSD-to-HTML providers' advertisements often say that a resulting markup will be
"cross-browser compatible, W3C valid, SEO semantic, and hand-coded." Why is it emphasized?
1. Cross-browser compatibility
Users are free in their choice which of the PC or mobile devices, operating systems
or browsers to utilize. Browser producers are also free in which way to treat a
webpage. To ensure correct website appearance in different environments and make
it accessible to wider audience, browser-specific code is added to a website markup.
2. W3C compliance
W3C is World Wide Web Consortium
which develops and approves the main Web guidelines, specifications, and tools,
including HTML and CSS. When a site meets W3C standards, it is like a Web Quality
Certificate. As a first step in evaluating website validity, you can use W3C sites
validator.w3.org
and jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/.
3. Semantic coding
HTML and CSS allow getting the same webpage appearance in different ways. Semantic
coding implies that you mark up your website taking into account content meaning
and HTML tag semantics: e.g., main headlines -- with the help of h1 tag ("heading1")
and so forth. Typically a semantic-coded site is more search engine friendly; search
engines "understand" it better and rank it higher.
The role of semantic coding has been increasingly growing. Experts state that the
coming Web will be completely semantic and provide more correct retrieving and processing
data both by computers and human beings.
4. Hand- or automatically coded markup?
In many cases handcrafted HTML/CSS markups are better than those produced by specialized
software. One of the reasons is a lot of semantic niceties which are difficult to
code automatically. It is like software packages for design or programming -- they
help very much and quicken the process essentially but they don't substitute designers
or programmers completely.
What is the difference between PSD-to-HTML and PSD-to-XHTML services?
XHTML (eXtensible
HTML) is the successor and modern extension of HTML and is recommended by W3C as
a main markup language for today's Web. XHTML/CSS makes a webpage markup more compact
and flexible, table-less, and with clear content and design separation.
But there is a sound marketing/SEO aspect too: "PSD to HTML" and "PSD to XHTML"
are often used as synonyms in providers' marketing materials. In fact, slicing companies
usually offer a wide range of services, including conversion of designs into HTML/CSS/JS
code, WordPress themes or templates for content management systems (CMS), and so
forth.
The competition forces providers to develop HTML/CSS code in line with the latest
web trends. PSD-to-HTML services help to make web development faster and easier,
allowing designers and back-end programmers to concentrate on their specific tasks.
Who benefit from that? I think all the Web community.
March 27, 2009
About The Author
Natalia Savchenko is a proficient web designer and the CEO of HTMLcut.com, the leading
PSD to HTML conversion provider.
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Read also other articles:
1. How to convert PSD
to HTML - The best option
2. 20+ Benefits of PSD-to-HTML/CSS
conversion services
3. How to get the most
out of PSD-to-HTML/CSS slicing services
4. Introduction to PSD
to HTML Services: Consumer Guide (e-book)
... or just try our PSD to HTML services
