W3C Guide

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is the main international organisation that makes rules for the web. It was started in 1994 by Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the web.

The W3C's aim is to keep the web open, easy to use and available to everyone. They write public guidelines and standards so that browsers, developers and companies build websites that work the same on different devices.

Main areas the W3C works on

1. HTML and CSS - Rules for how web pages are built and how they look.

2. Accessibility (WCAG) - Guidelines to make websites usable by people with visual, hearing, motor or thinking difficulties.

3. Security and privacy - Rules and tools to help keep users' data safe and make logins and authentication more secure.

4. Performance - Advice on making websites load faster and use less data.

Why the W3C matters

• It makes sure websites work the same in different browsers and on different devices.
• It helps make websites accessible to more people.
• It gives guidance to keep users safe and protect their privacy.
• It helps developers make reliable and fast websites.

Without W3C standards, the web would be less consistent and less fair. The W3C keeps the web useful for everyone.