Seo Forum

Search Engine Optimization => On Site Optimization => Topic started by: digitalcusp on 06-29-2014, 04:11:47

Title: W3C markup validation Errors
Post by: digitalcusp on 06-29-2014, 04:11:47
Is W3C Markup Validation is On Page SEO task? or its web developer task. I have client, he told me to do this in seo. I am little bit confuse. I thinks its developer task.  please give me your suggestion. thanks :-\
Title: Re: W3C markup validation Errors
Post by: emedianetwork on 07-02-2014, 06:04:29
W3C Markup Validation is a tool that checks the markup (HTML, XHTML, SVG, MathML, etc.) of web documents for conformance to W3C web standards. While this task is typically something a web developer would handle, it does have implications for SEO: ensuring that your website follows these standards can make it more accessible, easier for search engines to crawl, and potentially improve your site's ranking in search engine results.

Here's why:

Crawlability and Indexing: A webpage with valid and clean code is more likely to be properly crawled and indexed by search engines. This means it's more likely your pages will appear in search results when relevant.

Usability and Accessibility: W3C standards are also concerned with usability and accessibility. Ensuring that your website is accessible to all types of users (including those with disabilities) is a sign of quality, something that search engines like Google may factor into rankings.

Future-Proofing: Using standard-compliant markup can make your website more resistant to future changes in web technology, preventing potential future display issues.

Although web developers commonly handle W3C Markup Validation, SEO specialists should have a basic understanding of this, as well. They need to communicate effectively with web developers and understand the technical SEO implications.

In the context of a client asking you as an SEO specialist to handle this, it seems they want you to ensure that their website is in the most optimal state for indexing by search engines. You could either learn how to do it yourself, or coordinate with a web developer to ensure it's done properly, and then report back to your client. As per the client's requirements, it seems it's currently your responsibility to oversee and manage this aspect of their website's SEO strategy.

To elaborate more, search engine algorithms have become sophisticated enough to understand and interpret different types of content and code, but a site with cleaner and correct HTML will be more accessible and easier for search engine bots to process. Here's how W3C Validation directly and indirectly impacts SEO:

Loading Speed: Web pages with clean code are typically lighter and load faster. Site load times are an important factor for SEO, as search engines favor faster sites.

Cross-Browser Compatibility: With valid code, your website is more likely to function correctly across different browsers, preventing potential user frustration. User experience or UX is another important ranking factor.

Reduced Bounce Rates: A well-coded site that functions properly will help reduce bounce rates. If visitors have a poor experience because of technical issues (e.g., site display problems, links not working), they're more likely to leave right away. High bounce rates can negatively affect your SEO.

RSS and AMP: Blogs, news websites, and some other types of sites often use Really Simple Syndication(RSS) and Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) technologies to distribute content. To utilize these technologies correctly, the document's code must be valid.

To address this task, you can use the W3C Markup Validation Service, which is a free tool. Simply enter the URL of your client's website, and the tool will check the markup validity of web documents in HTML, XHTML, etc. If it discovers any issues with the web pages, it provides a list detailing each issue that you can share with your client or the web developer.

While W3C validation should ideally fall to web development during the initial build of the website, as an SEO expert, you should also know how to perform this task. This is due to the implications it has on search engine rankings, as noted earlier. If you're unable to perform the task, collaborate with a web developer and make sure you understand what the issues and proposed fixes are, so you can report it back to your client accurately.

Beyond the W3C Validation Service, there are additional tools and strategies that can support your efforts to optimize a site's HTML for SEO:

Google Webmaster Tools / Google Search Console: This free tool from Google provides a variety of services to help you monitor and troubleshoot your site's presence in Google Search results. You can discover if Google is having difficulty crawling or indexing your site, and learn how to resolve these issues.

Schema Markup: This is a form of microdata that makes it easier for search engines to parse and interpret the information on your webpages more effectively. Using schema markup can help improve your site's ranking in search engine results and increase click-through rates.

HTML Clean Up Tools: Several online tools can help you clean up your HTML by removing unnecessary tags, fixing broken links, etc. Cleaner HTML makes your site easier for search engines to index.

Mobile Friendly Test: Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool can help you identify issues that could be impacting your site's mobile performance, which is crucial considering Google's mobile-first indexing.

Lighthouse: An open-source tool from Google, Lighthouse conducts audits for performance, accessibility, progressive web apps, and more. It's beneficial for enhancing the quality of web pages.

It's always critical to remember that while tags and markup are important, the most crucial aspect of SEO is creating high-quality content that users will value and share. The technical aspects of SEO, including HTML optimization, should be seen as complementary to the main objective, which is delivering quality content.

If there are concerns about the site's HTML that require more advanced technical knowledge, it would be best to involve a web developer. At the end of the day, the critical thing is to have a good working relationship between the SEO and development teams, as both roles are interdependent and collectively work toward the shared goal of improving the site's visibility in search engines. You could manage the strategic approach, coordinating the SEO tactics, and report back to your client, while the developer enacts the necessary changes to the site's coding.