2020 and 2021 have been years of web design experimentation to enhance users’ experience. With so many platforms offering cheap and easily assembled websites, it is a no-brainer that businesses would want to cut costs and make their own website, without ever caring too much about the background HTML code. Even though Google doesn’t keep it into its list of priorities or requirements of website quality, W3C validation errors lead to mix ups in website rankings by indirectly affecting the SEO strategies.
W3C Validation, or World Wide Web Consortium, enables people to investigate their HTML and XHTML formatting mark-ups, keeping their technical quality in check. Any W3C Validation Errors may result in slowing down the site or traffic problems while navigation.
Strictly speaking, Google does not consider these while indexing and crawling through websites to rank them. Majority of the websites that have W3C validation errors work completely fine, without any technical glitches. The trouble arises in shape of optimization difficulties and issues that can indirectly put a stress on the website’s optimum performance.
Why You Should Consider Removing W3C Validation Errors Anyway
1: Helps In Browser Compatibility
Not all browsers can read and revert to an error-inclusive HTML website code. Even though most of the advanced browsers simply overlook the issue: in modern day and age, slight coding bugs don’t pose serious technical issues. It still might manifest in unusual performance of your website- either in the decreasingly relevant traffic, stagnant visits, or even redirections in certain browsers.
2: Helps Cross Platform Compatibility
Smartphones are used to browse the internet 9 times out of 10. It makes sense that you ensure your website runs flawlessly across all digital devices- be it laptops, or smartphones, or smartwatches and more. W3C Errors might not play a huge role in one platform, but on another, they might bring out serious technical issues. This leads to a drop in your website visits as well as conversion rates.
3: Ads Compatibility
Even though Google search and crawling tools tend to ignore HTML validation errors. The same cannot be said about the ads that are put up. The crawlers pick up discrepancies in your HTML code, disrupting the ranking process for your website. And keeping you lower in their rankings.
4: Indirectly Impacts Search Engine Crawling
Search engines like Google prefer a nearly done code that the algorithm can pick up while indexing and crawling. Although Google doesn’t mind the validation errors, it still stands to fact. That these ultimately result in slow crawling speed, slow loading speed, and lower rankings.
5: Enhances User Experience
Glitches in HTML code can result to minor variations in the website landing page that can adversely affect the overall user experience. Better to get rid of them, than to take the danger of having dwindling number of audience.
Even though there is absolutely no harm in keeping a slightly faulty. HTML website, be aware that this practice might end up in your SEO’s overall performance in the long run. It is always a beneficial option to remove such errors, ensuring the smooth working of your optimization practices.