The W3C Markup Validation Service - Good, Bad or Impartial?

[artdivision]

Hi guys,

it seems that now days it is almost impossible to achieve 0 (Zero) Errors when testing a site via (The W3C Markup Validation Service - https://validator.w3.org). With analytic codes, pixels and all kind of tracking and social media scripts gunning it seems to be an unachievable task.

My questions to you fellow SEO'rs out there are 2:

1. How important and to what degree of effort do you go when you technically review a site and make the decision as to what needs to be fixed and what you shouldn't bother with.

2. How do you argue your corner when explaining to your clients that its impossible to active 100% validation.

*As a note i will say that i mostly refer to Wordpress driven sites.

would love ot hear your take.

Daniel.

[EGOL]

I am my own client, so I can be as picky as a want, and I take care of the details that I feel are important.

I pay close attention to how the site is responding and rendering when I pretend that I am a visitor.  I pay even more attention when a customer or visitor writes to me with a complaint.   In my opinion, if the site is working great then all is good.    

W3C validation seems to be of jugular importance to W3C evangelists.  They will tell you that you will burn in Hell if you don't achieve it with flying colors.  People who want to sell you their services will point at any fault that can be detected.

Practical people have a different opinion.  I try to be as practical as possible.

[ATP]

I agree with Andy,

I use it as a guidance tool on any website i build. It serves a purpose, to check things are understood how they should be by a predetermined standard. But like any other automated tool it compares to set requirements that cannot always be met and cannot identify and ok these exceptions.

As long as you understand the error its pointing out and why its pointing it out, and know that despite this the code is rendering correctly and all outcomes are working as expected then there is no problem.

From an SEO stand point, aslong as google see's your site how you want it too i think it is a very very minor factor. Hell all of google returns errors of some variety.

[Andy.Drinkwater]

Hi Yiannis,

I tend to add these in as an advisory to my clients because for the most part, and unless I see something specific, the results have absolutely no effect on SEO. If they wish to act on them, it is for their developers to handle.

I don't argue my corner really - never had to. I just tell them like it is - the site is rendering fine in everything and with no issues, so fix errors if you have the time and resources.

As I said, unless I spot something that is an actual problem, then it tends to just get bypassed.

-Andy