Search Engine Optimization and Valid HTML

Valid HTML is important - right? We are told every day in the website owner community that valid HTML code is the 'right' way to build your website. Valid HTML allows for greater accessibility, cross-browser compatability, and can even possibly help your search engine rankings.

But then again...

I decided to test whether valid HTML can actually help your rankings in Google. A lot of website owners talk about how their non-compliant websites do well in Google and how their complaint sites may not be doing as well. The implied suggestion here is that Google either simply did not care about errors in HTML, or even more extreme, that Google preferred non-compliant websites - a charge that would certainly be puzzling if it were true.

A Sneak Peak at Results - Google Preferred Invalid HTML?

The results of my test surprised me. Not only did I find that Google apparantly does not give any preference to sites with valid HTML, Google actually seemed to prefer the sites with blatant errors in their code.

Think about this - if Google does give preference to websites with errors in their HTML, then it would actually benefit you to program errors into your website (as far as the SEO is concerned). Now I am not ready to accept that as a valid conclusion, but the results are what they are. With these conclusions staring back at us, I though it necessary to publish the methodology and results, and open up the topic for discussion.

Search Engine Reputation Management

Search Engine Reputation Management (or SERM) tactics are often employed by companies and increasingly by individuals who seek to proactively shield their brands or reputations from damaging content brought to light through search engine queries. Some use these same tactics reactively, in attempts to minimize damage inflicted by inflammatory (or "flame") websites (and weblogs) launched by consumers and, as some believe, competitors.

Given the increasing popularity and development of search engines, these tactics have become more important than ever. Consumer generated media (like blogs) has amplified the public's voice, making points of view - good or bad - easily expressed. This is further explained in this front page article in the Washington Post.

Search Engine Reputation Management strategies include Search engine optimization (SEO) and Online Content Management. Because search engines are dynamic and in constant states of change and revision, it is essential that results are constantly monitored.

Social networking giant Facebook has been known to practice this form of reputation management. When they released their Polls service in Spring 2007, the popular blog TechCrunch found that it could not use competitors' names in Polls. Due largely to TechCrunch's authority in Google's algorithms, its post ranked for Facebook polls. A Facebook rep joined the comments, explained the situation and that the bugs in the old code had been updated so that it was now possible.