“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”
-- Pablo Picasso

In the dynamic landscape of the Web, the only constant is change. Trying to keep up with the changes is a full-time job, but there are some aspects of the Web that are going to be with us for a long time, and right now that is HTML5. Why? Because HTML5 is changing the way we build the Web as well as how we interact with it. In order to help you to leave your father’s Internet behind, here are five reasons why you should join the Web revolution known as HTML5.

1. HTML5 Strengthens SEO

Converting your site to HTML5 is a forward-thinking way to increase page rankings with search engines by demonstrating that you take your content seriously. Search engines love and thrive on the dedication to rich, well-formed content. Examples of the new semantic tags that you should be using for this are: header/footer/section/ article/aside. Structuring your content with these tags makes it easier to find in Web searches and more relevant to what your users are seeking. Your content should be the place where your target audience visits.

2. HTML5 is Mobile

Imagine a world where you only have to code a site once and it displays properly on your phone, tablet and desktop. Why build separate customized desktop/mobile websites when it’s unnecessary? The power of HTML5 is that it’s highly compatible with mobile browsers. If it isn’t working today, the next version of the browser will surely support the cutting-edge features of HTML5. Nearly 33% of Facebook posts are created on mobile devices, and all of the leading websites are mobile-friendly, so shouldn’t your site be as well? In fact, you may be reading this on your mobile device right now!

3. HTML5 is a Better User Experience

HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript allow you to create a user experience that’s incredibly responsive. Fancy interactions and the HTML5 platform are a marriage made in heaven. Just a few of the experiences users can engage in today via HTML5 include: image scaling, rotation upon mouse hovers, notifying users about errors in real time and assisting local customers to find your business via geo-location. People already expect the Web to be energizing and interactive – now’s the time to enhance your site with flourishes that didn’t exist just a few years ago.

4. HTML5 is User-Generated Content

With the growth of social networking sites, buttons for Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn and many more are ubiquitous. In fact, led by Facebook and Twitter, global time spent on social media sites is up 82% year over year. Users generate live branded content on the fly through these simple, yet effective, tools that enable you to gather and display their content in a variety of ways. Fresh content brings relevancy and credibility to your site, which in turn leads to more users. Who doesn’t want returning users, especially those that are directly engaged with your brand?

5. HTML5 is Here Now

HTML5 is so popular now in the tech community that Facebook is even encouraging developers to utilize HTML5 in building the future of the Web. Further, the pace of browser updates is amazing: Chrome and Firefox are updating every couple of months, offering enhanced HTML5 features and capabilities with each new release. I can hear you saying, “But my metrics show a large percentage of my users are using an older browser version.” With a little bit of JavaScript magic, we can provide these users with many of the dynamic facets of HTML5 that are compatible with yesterday’s browsers. HTML5 is a win-win for everyone.

The future is now for HTML5. If you’re still not sure, many of the big players are currently using HTML5 with no plans turn back. Perhaps you've heard of some of these companies: Google, Apple, Facebook, Yahoo and a whole host of others. With large corporate backing, HTML5 isn’t going away. So for your next redesign, refresh your markup too – your users will thank you.

Join the HTML5 Web revolution today!

Travis Sheppard is VP of Technology and a Partner at BGT Partners, a global interactive marketing agency named a 2010 and 2011 (#2) Ad Age Best Place to Work in the U.S.