Use the <aside> element for ads.

W3C.org says: "The aside element represents a section of a page that consists of content that is tangentially related to the content around the aside element, and which could be considered separate from that content." *

Anyone who speaks English knows what the word "aside" means and anyone should be able to more or less understand what the aside element does without having read a word on the subject. Or so I thought.

W3C is a forum for those who, among other things, are creating HTML5. They make no pretense of writing for a broad audience, nor should they – still, does their language have to be quite so tortuous?

They go on to say: "The element can be used for typographical effects like pull quotes or sidebars, for advertising, for groups of nav elements, and for other content that is considered separate from the main content of the page." *

That's a little better. I don't remember ever using "pull quotes", "sidebars" or "groups of nav elements" and I doubt I ever will. You never know, but I doubt it. On the other hand where to put advertising is a real, everyday problem I and tens of thousands of other web designers do have.

For better SEO I want to be able to separate ads from content – to, if you will, "put them aside". The search engines should know what I think is and isn't significant. The aside element gives me the means to do just that ...doesn't it?

I realise HTML5 is a work in progress and that those establishing the new standards have yet to finalize what elements such as aside do. However I do question how such twisted and tangled argot gets anybody anywhere.

"Anyone who thinks clearly can write clearly, about anything." William Zinsser, On Writing Well **

If someone from W3C ever reads this please buy Zinsser's book and read it. Meanwhile the rest of us will just have to forge ahead as best we can. Unfortunately there is a lot more of the same where that came from.

So for now I'm going to use the aside element for ads and hope for the best. I suggest you do so as well.