If you haven't already heard as of January 2003 xhtml 1.0 was released and is now the new standard markup language based on the xml model replacing html 4.1.
Quick and easy updating, cross-browser compatibility, easy access by new devices and cost effective long-term viability. Making it easier to manage more sites while providing better services.
Over the years we have been forced to create sniff hacks to deal with browser proprietary issues and have developed a dependency on introduced unsupported proprietary tags, which in turn has created an entire World Wide Web network of websites that are obsolete. Most if not all of these issues can be attributed to the major browsers themselves. We are beginning to see a trend that suggests that the major browsers are beginning to offer more support for web standardization with the releases of their new browsers. If this trend continues it will give the designer and developer more time to concentrate on better design and development features while also providing easier access more devices.
With the release of the latest browsers offering more support for web standards it is imperative that website designers and developers embrace this concept and commit to learning how to implement these standards, and site owners and managers must be educated as to how these new standards can help their business. The revelation of web standards will not manifest itself on its own so it's up to us the designers and developers to encourage across the board support for web standardization.
The idea of separating content from presentation is not a new concept but one that makes perfect sense for today's new platforms when one considers the diversity of new introduced devices used to access virtual information. The limitations of accessible cache in hand held devices used to access online information limits presentational features. So by separating the content, which requires a minimal amount of cache from the presentational features you are providing easier access by more devices, which in turn increases your target audience base.
Using style sheets to control presentational features offers more versatility across a larger array of platforms. For example: you can create separate customized style sheets to control how a page is presented in print, on screen and evan aurally. Also consider the long-term cost effectiveness advantage gained by using style sheets. Say for example you have a 30 page website and your client suddenly decides that instead of using - 11 px Verdana for all of their content information and 18 px Verdana for all the headers they would rather use - 16 px Times Roman for the content and 18 px Arial for the headers. If the presentation of the site is controlled by a separate style sheet it would take you less than a minute to implement the desired changes across the entire site.
What about tables? Most websites on the Internet today are obsolete because they are weighed down with unnecessary depreciated tags and complicated nested tables. Using a style sheet for your presentation will eliminate the use of depreciated tags and nested tables, which in turn slims down your code allowing for faster loading pages and gives you more latitude in the creation of your presentation. Also consider the benefits of search engine optimization. By separating your content from its presentational features, eliminating nested tables and depreciated tags your providing uncluttered access for the search bots and spiders that will crawl your site, which means your individual pages are more precisely indexed according to the information you are providing.