How's my (x)html?

[Graft-Creative]

Not really a site review, but any comments on my coding would be appreciated. The site is: http://www.gworks-webdesign-search-engine-optimization.co.uk/

My attempts to re-code it as valid xhtml: http://foxhill-bank.org.uk/gworks/

just the css to do now to get it looking like the original.

[hemebond]

Well, with just a cursory glance, I can see you have a lot of h1's and h2's. You not creating a good hierarchy. h1 should be used for the site title. h2 for the current section, and h3 and higher for sections within the page.

[Graft-Creative]

Thanks Hemebond,

Thing is, the news items in the left column need header tags, however, not at the same level of importance as the headers in the right hand column. Are header tags semantically correct only in a nested context? i.e:

<h1></h1>
<h2></h2>
<h3></h3>

and so on? Or is it ok to use header tags as I have,to denote importance, rather than hierachy?

[chilipie]

Probably a bit of both. It makes sense to have h1 (main title) at the top of each page, obviously, but I think after that it probably doesn't matter where the following h2 and h3 tags if they are in order of importance.

[mcdougals4all]

Coding your page so the headings are in the correct order will help in several areas including accessiblity and being search engine friendly.

But you should really only being using h1 once, and if necessary, you can position the h2, h3 elements with css to reflect your old layout.

Here's a good explanation, see the section about headings...
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/xhtml-web-design-beginners-2/10

[tsguitar2004]

As I look at how the content falls on the unstyled page, my attention is drawn to things that look like they should be sidebar content, not your aim or services, items that seem far more important that sidebar stuff. I don't get to the top level content until halfway down the page. I'm looking for H1 stuff at the top of the page and don't find it. I don't like that.

Also, in general it's a good idea to name areas of your site according to purpose, not layout. What if, someday, you want to move that "left_column" to the right? Or if the "middle_column" becomes horizontal header content?

Finally, is there a reason your right_column is contained inside the middle_column? You don't end the middle_column DIV until the bottom of the page.

Thems's is my thoughts... (purposefully colloquial farewell)
-ts

[Graft-Creative]

As always, thanks for your constructive comments and criticisms. How many other forums could one post an unstyled page on, and get a such useful response :)

So I guess the main content columns would be better described as: 'newsfeed' 'articles' and 'manifesto' or 'aims' that kinda makes sense?

Headers; yep I struggle with em sometimes, such a simple concept apparently.

Thinking of your pages as documents, with appearance taken care of via CSS certainly makes sense, though the html tags <h1> thru to <h6> don't seem to have any forebears in traditional media such as books etc. Heading>subheading>strapline. But 6 levels of headings?

[AaronW]

The 6 levels of headings is fixed in XHTML 2.0 I believe. Uses <section> and <h> instead I think? Basically eliminates the numbers and just lets you create hierarchy by nesting them :)

[bradyj]

The 6 levels of headings is fixed in XHTML 2.0 I believe. Uses <section> and <h> instead I think? Basically eliminates the numbers and just lets you create hierarchy by nesting them :)

Yep:) and the image tag goes away for good!

[Graft-Creative]

From a layout point of view, <h> & <section> sounds good, and more meaningful. That would allow you to have differnet levels of heirerarchy in each seperate page division, rather that a 'top down' way of doing it?