Does HTML and Other Code Compliance Matter to GoogleBot

One of the most debated issues in search engine optimization discussion groups, such as in Google's Webmaster forums, is the whole question revolving around HTML and other code compliance.

Some SEO people insist that compliant code doesn't make a difference in overall search engine rankings. Nevertheless, this is not entirely true. Here is part of the discussion from the Google forums featuring my answer first and the original comment.

	seo_guy	View profile	More options Aug 10, 4:10 pm

From: seo_guy

Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:10:05 -0700 (PDT)

Local: Sun, Aug 10 2008 4:10 pm

Subject: Re: Will compliant HTMl increase your rankings?

I've actually found over time that making your code as compliant as
possible will help rankings. Furthermore, the less Javascript and
other programming code you have on your pages (vs. actual relevant
content) makes a difference as well. Google's own guidelines say so.
Just b/c Google's pages don't necessarily comply, does not mean you
shouldn't strive for compliance. It is a good holistic approach to
your web site and improves user experience and is cross platform
friendly.

Therefore, while the point that validating your code doesn't help
overall rankings is noted, and to some extent true (depending on your
site's other SEO considerations), the fact is that the more robust and
crawl-friendly you make your site, the better overall search results
you will reap in the long run.

GoogleBot is getting more sophisticated and picky as the number of web
pages grow every day, so having compliant code that will still be in
good shape a year or two from now is a smart strategy.

Phil
SEO/Analytics Specialist/Consultant
webguru08@gmail.com

The above is an official response to the following comment:

	Gissit	View profile	More options Aug 8, 5:39 am

From: Gissit

Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2008 05:39:48 -0700 (PDT)

Local: Fri, Aug 8 2008 5:39 am

Subject: Re: Will compliant HTMl increase your rankings?

and why would w3c compliance matter for google results? Does it make
the site any more compelling? does it make it any more popular? does
it make it any more useful?

No! So why would it make a site rank any better. Anyone that has told
you that it will improve your ranking if you make your site compliant
is simply wrong.

IF your markup is so messy that a bot cannot read it then it will make
a difference, but not because it complies, only because it is now
readable. Try validating any of google's own pages. Google used to use
as little markup as possible on their home page to speed it up, the
overhead of compliant code made it a negative factor for them.