A client recently got pretty upset because he talked to someone from an “SEO” firm who told him his rankings would never improve until he got a better review from the W3C Code Validator.  Wrong!

Don’t get caught up in all that mumbo jumbo.  Code validators, like the one at Validator.W3.org, are great if you’re a web designer whose code isn’t working, or whose main goal is to ensure that his/her websites all conform to the latest W3C standards.  And, that could be a big job because those standards change, you know.

I don’t dispute that your goal should be to have the cleanest code possible.  But, I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.  And, I’d never recommend that you accept that explanation from someone who is supposed to be increasing your ranking as to why your ranking is staying where it is or falling.

It’s an easy way out for someone to explain a shift in rankings without needing to get involved.

Saying that your site is no good unless it meets W3C standards is like saying your computer is no good unless it has the latest Intel processor in it.  We all know that our computers are obsolete just about the time they hit our desks.  And, none of us are going to go out and buy a new computer every week.

In the same light, no web designer is going to rewrite all the code for all of their websites to stay up with the standards.

After all, according to the W3C validator, Amazon.com has 1184 errors and 89 warnings.  Dell.com has 217 errors and 52 warnings.  Realtor.org has 246 errors and 132 warnings. 

And, those sites are managing to limp along and get found in search engines.  So, everybody can relax now.