ike most web developers, current page you are on is valid
I've heard a lot about the html. It shows a green check when
importance of valid html the page is valid, an exclamation
recently. I've read about how it point when there are warnings,
makes it easier for people with and a red x when there are
disabilities to access your site, serious errors.
how it's more stable for
browsers, and how it will make I decided to use Yahoo! Buzz
your site easier to be indexed by Index to determine the top 5 most
the search engines. searched terms for the day, which
happened to be "World Cup 2006",
So when I set out to design my "WWE", "FIFA", "Shakira", and
most recent site, I made sure "Paris Hilton". I then searched
that I validated each and every each term in the big three search
page of the site. But then I got engines (Google, Yahoo!, and MSN)
to thinking - while it may make and checked the top 10 results
my site easier to index, does for each with the validator. That
that mean that it will improve my gave me 150 of the most important
search engine rankings? How many data points on the web for that
of the top sites have valid html? day.
To get a feel for how much value The results were particularly
the search engines place on being shocking to me - only 7 of the
html validated, I decided to do a 150 resulting pages had valid
little experiment. I started by html (4.7%). 97 of the 150 had
downloading the handy Firefox warnings (64.7%) while 46 of the
HTML Validator Extension 150 received the red x (30.7%).
(http://users.skynet.be/mgueury/m The results were pretty much
ozilla/) that shows in the corner independent of search engine or
of the browser whether or not the term. Google had only 4 out of 50
results validate (8%), MSN had 3 validate, it had 6 errors!
of 50 (6%), and Yahoo! had none.
The term with the most valid In perusing the web I also
results was "Paris Hilton" which noticed that immensely popular
turned up 3 of the 7 valid pages. sites like ESPN.com, IMDB, and
Now I realize that this isn't a MySpace don't validate. So what
completely exhaustive study, but is one to conclude from all of
it at least shows that valid html this?
doesn't seem to be much of a
factor for the top searches on It's reasonable to conclude that
the top search engines. at this time valid html isn't
going to help you improve your
Even more surprising was that search position. If it has any
none of the three search engines impact on results, it is minimal
home pages validated! How compared to other factors. The
important is valid html if other reasons to use valid html
Google, Yahoo!, and MSN don't are strong and I would still
even practice it themselves? It recommend all developers begin
should be noted, however, that validating their sites; just
MSN's results page was valid don't expect that doing it will
html. Yahoo's homepage had 154 catapult you up the search
warnings, MSN's had 65, and rankings right now.
Google's had 22. Google's search
results page not only didn't
About the Author:
Adam McFarland owns iPrioritize - to-do lists that can be edited at any time from any place in the world. Email, print, check from your mobile phone, subscribe via RSS, and share with others.
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