Will invalid HTML code generated by WordPress affect SEO efforts?
-
Hi all, I'm new to SEOmoz and SEO in general really. I run a small but well regarded freelance website and graphic design business, and until very recently had an employee who handled the SEO side of things. I'm now looking to step into this role myself and hopefully learn the in's and out's of SEO. I've no doubt there will be much to learn, but the SEOmoz tools and it's community seem excellent and helpful.
My question then is basically, if WordPress generated HTML code can have an effect on SEO, when it's reported as invalid by tools such as the W3C HTML validator?
I'm used to hand coding the majority of my websites for clients, where creating valid HTML and CSS code is something I can do with relative ease. A new client however wants to use WordPress - for ease of updating the site content themselves. The client does however consider any potential SEO implications to be a very important factor in choosing a hand coded vs. WordPress based website.
I am aware that WordPress itself is just a means of generating HTML code, and that to the search engines there is no difference between this and the hand coded websites I usually produce. However if WordPress is generating HTML that is being reported as invalid, would this make the search engines penalise the site?
On a second note, will the search engines look negatively on a WordPress site where it is being used as a standard website, and the content may not be updated as frequently, as say, a blog?
Thanks for your time, and I look forward to hearing your suggestions.
-
Thanks for the quick reply, it's much appreciated. I had guessed that it wouldn't be a major issue, but wanted to be a bit more certain before going ahead with the WordPress site for the client.
The errors certainly don't have a negative effect on the sites' layout, content, usability or load times. From what I can tell they are due to the theme making use of iframes and video embeds in a non-standard manner. The rest of the HTML is sound. As you also mentioned, it does seem to be related to the theme the client wants to use, as with other themes I can get valid HTML code output.
-
Depends on the kinds of errors being generated. I use wordpress and it does not generate errors like that for me. It may be the theme you are using.
Anyways, invalid markup plays a very minimal role in seo. The primary way it effects things is with site speed. If there are errors that may impact your site's load time then yes it can penalize you a little. But not enough where you will really see that negativity. If the rest of your site is properly optimized you would be fine. It is minor problems that compound and add up which will create a headache for you.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
SEO Title Length
Hi Everyone. I have a few pages being flagged with "Title Too Long". However, these are page 2, page 3, page 4, etc of category pages. They obviously have "| Page x of x" at the end of the title. Can these be ignored or is there a more SEO friendly way of handling this issue? Thanks. Michael
Technical SEO | | nomad_blogger0 -
Wordpress log attempt spam?
i have used wordfence on wordpress and I am getting a lot of alerts of "people" registering on my blog but then having over 20 failed login attempts. Gives the IP addresses. Anyone else had this issue and should I just block the ip addresses? How have you guys fixed the issues?
Technical SEO | | kpexpressions0 -
HTML Site for Speed
I have a few small sites and landing pages on Wordpress that I want to load a lot quicker than they do. It occurred to me that if there is not a lot of content management necessary, I should simply make the static web pages straight html instead of trying all the modifications necessary to get some Wordpress sites and themes to load quicker. I have noticed the html sites I have load lighting fast on slow hosting service. Is this a good idea, can anyone think of drawbacks to it? Security? Responsiveness? SEO? And what about taking some company's sites with blog straight html so the home page loads quick, and then using Wordpress for the blog?
Technical SEO | | phogan0 -
Will this affect the local SEO listings in Google?
So, I'm trying to list the same exact address across all local listings for a client. How "exact" do they all need to match in order for them to be optimized for the 7-pack listings? Here is an example of what I'm dealing with... 999 Cherry Ln #1 Dallas, TX 75238 - Address on Google Plus page 999 Cherry Ln Ste 1, Dallas, TX 75238 - Address on every other business listing Is this close enough or is this inconsistency really hurting this client?
Technical SEO | | wiredseo0 -
Will Google index a site with white text? Will it give it bad ratings?
Will google not rank a site bc pretty much all the copy is white (and the background is all white)? Here's the site in question: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6w24f6h5p0zaxhg/Garrison_PLAY.vs2-static.pdf https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fwudppvwy2khpau/t43NozpG3E/Garrison_PLAY.vs3.jpg thanks--if you need me to clarify more let me know TM Humphries LocalSearched.com
Technical SEO | | CloudGuys0 -
What is the most SEO friendly shopping cart for wordpress?
I'm using Thesis Theme. I know load time is important and will continue to be a bigger deal as time goes on. Any advice would be much appreciated!!
Technical SEO | | chadmorgan0 -
Switching Hosting & SEO
Hello friends, We are facing the prospect of switching to a new hosting account or company. We are currently using a third-party reseller account but are outgrowing that account. We are considering VPS and dedicated servers. However, this will mean updates for IPs and nameservers. Does anyone have experience with SEO consequences of making switch? Best practices? Tips? Obstacles? Any and all comments/advice welcome. We're trying to balance the potential SEO ramifications of making the switch with the consequences of reduced site speed.
Technical SEO | | Gyi0 -
Does a CDN affect search rankings?
I feel kind of stupid asking this, but if i use one it would speed things up quite a bit. It is for a ecommerce website, any guidance on this would be awesome!
Technical SEO | | Hyrule0