Creating tables for webpage content can be challenging, and it’s important to do it for the right reasons. Using a table to organize wordy or dense information on your webpage can lead to several issues in maintaining the page and serving your visitors.
Tables are designed and function best for presenting numerical data. When deciding to use a table on your page, consider some of the problems that may arise:
- They can make it difficult for mobile users to view all the information without having to scroll horizontally, which may not be feasible for them.
- Tables are hard to maintain and edit unless you have knowledge of HTML, making it cumbersome for others who need to edit the page later.
- They lack flexibility in how information is displayed on the screen. Often, column sizes are fixed and challenging to adjust due to limited screen space and text size within the table.
- Tables may impede accessibility for the page, as information can be hard to read and navigate for some visitors, depending on their browsing technology.
It’s important to choose the right format for your content to ensure a positive user experience.