Search Engine Optimization and Web Standards

Most Webmasters have never consider web standards when optimizing their websites for the search engines. To date, it is true that the most search engines are forgiving. However, no one can guarantee that the search engines will continue to overlook crappy codes. Having a well-formed and validated website will not only help the bots in indexing but also reduce the chances of errors when loading in the users' browsers.

Designing a new website in Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) has always been recommended by the WorldWide Web Consortium (W3C). Not only does CSS generate lesser codes when compared to the conventional table designs but it also allows the users to download a page much faster.

Having less codes is encouraged in Search Engine Optimization context as it enables the bots to index a page faster and safer. Safer in the sense that the lesser the codes we have, the lower the chances that the page will generate errors. As we never know what will the bots react when an error is encountered in a page, so it is highly encouraged to keep the codes clean and compact, most importantly, valid.

As the search engine bots favors simple and content rich website, having a clean site with fast downloading time is highly recommended. Most websites have made a mistake by creating massive and flashing sites that takes forever to download. This is pretty bad as the bots may ignore the rest of the content when it times out.

Another advantage of having a valid website is the portability. With the usage of CSS, a website can be viewed in various media platforms such as cell phones or other mobile devices. We wold not want to optimize a site that can only be viewed on a computer screen.

CSS also enable the designers to have precise control over the page's design. Many new features are simply impossible to be implemented using the conventional table designs such as the line-height property. In addition, it allows the designers to change the appearance of certain elements by only changing the CSS file. This in turns, save us more time to carry out other search engine optimization tasks for the website.

To conclude, having a website that has been validated is highly recommended in a long run. Well-formed websites will also generate properly in the user's browsers. Most importantly, the search engine bots will have an easier time indexing the page.

KC TAN is a SEO consultant with several years of related experiences. KC owns the popular free CSS Templates and CSS Layout site. He also recommends the Big Web Links Directory which is a highly promoted web directory that sorts listings by bid amount (top 10 shown on homepage).