The good thing about knowing a big change is coming is that you have ample time to prepare. Transitioning to HTML5 is going to take a little bit of effort, especially if you have (or will have) a big site when the changeover happens.
How can you make the transition as easy as possible? Here are a few tips.
==> Leverage PHP Includes
If there are sections of your site that you might want to change out entirely across the board, use PHP includes in those areas of your site today.
For example, let’s say you have a 500 page website. When HTML5 comes out, you want to add the “footer” tag to the footer of all the pages on your site.
Naturally, you don’t want to have to do this by hand later. Adding a tag in 500 pages could take you a whole day. That’s not to mention all the other things you’d want to change once HTML5 comes out.
Instead, replace your footer with a tag. The file contains the code you want to place on your page.
So if you put your footer code in an outside file and simply include that file, you can easily change anything you want in the file and have the changes reflected across all your pages later. It’s a fast and easy way to change all your files at a later time.
==> Code Your Site in CSS
Anything that has to do with formatting how your website looks should be done in CSS. Avoid using old tags like
When HTML5 comes out, these tags will no longer be supported. Make the transition easy on yourself by designing your pages to use HTML5 from the ground up, rather than be forced to change later down the line.
==> Flash Videos
If you’re loading your videos using custom flash, prepare yourself by getting all your original video files in one place.
HTML5 promises a much easier, much more code-friendly and much more intuitive way to embed web videos. Flash videos often cause parsing errors and can trip up search engine spiders as well.
When HTML5 comes out, switch your video loading over to the
==> Read Through All the HTML5 Changes
If you haven’t already, take the time to read through a list of all the changes in HTML5. This will help you figure out which features will make a difference to your business down the line.
The switchover from HTML4 to HTML5 can either be a smooth and easy transition, or it could be an energy-intensive overhaul of your entire site. The difference depends entirely on how well you prepare for the coming change.