SEO CheckList

There have been many speculations and theories on whether web site validation actually helps search engine optimization. Frankly, I never believed it one bit. I have a web site which ranks third for its niche and it’s not validated. Well, who knows, maybe if I do take lengths to validate it, I’d rank first. However, I find it funny that Google isn’t validated and so are many big-wig web sites. Don’t believe me? Check them out. Go to W3C Markup Validation Service, input any URL into the text box and check if the web site is W3C compliant. Back to topic, does web site validation really work for SEO?

Validation — What’s That?

Let’s start with the basics. What is validation? In a nutshell, validation is running a check on a web page to ensure that the markup language used (HTML or XHTML) was perfectly written. This means that a validated page fully complies with the standards set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

What Is The Use of Being Validated?

Despite my earlier statement, being validated has its uses. For one, it ensures your web pages show up correctly, or as you intended them to look like. Validating helps you determine codes which have been left open or anything similar. Also, validating helps ensure your web site shows properly in any type of Web browser. Consequently, because it ensures the mark-up language is perfect, it helps curb the instances when spiders stop indexing pages because a certain code blocked them for doing so.

So, Does Web Site Validation Really Work for SEO?

As I said, I don’t think so. It has no direct effect in your web site’s search engine optimization. However, your web site being perfectly indexable and it showing up properly for all types of browsers meant you’re reaching a wide audience, and hence, the possibility of getting backlinks is high.