FAQ: Websites, SEO, and Performance

How exactly does website code contribute to Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

Search engines like Google look for keywords in webpage code. Code that has a high keyword-to-total-code ratio performs much more favorably in search engine results. How much code is written to produce a webpage is entirely in the hands of the website developer. The less code, the higher the keyword density because a greater percentage of the total code is actual customer content.

How is a webpage created?

Many people assume a webpage is created like a Word® document: open the website software, enter the data, and click Save. This is not true. Websites have to be coded - usually in HTML. They are either hand-coded by a skilled programmer, or generated by one of a multitude of available software programs used by non-programmers.

There are modern methods and old-fashioned methods of creating webpages?

Yes. A modern webpage is structured with a "tableless" or "div" layout. In addition, the styling rules (color, font, etc.) are no longer defined in the webpage code, but stored in separate files called Cascading Stylesheets (CSS).

These methods, introduced in 1996 and recommended by the W3C*, have numerous advantages over table-based layouts with imbedded styling rules: much smaller file sizes - leading to faster webpage loading, bandwidth savings, and enhanced SEO; improved accessibility (screen readers, mobile devices); and faster site maintenance.

Tables, designed to present tabular data, were used in the early days to layout entire webpages because browsers at the time lagged in supporting the new methodologies. Unfortunately, many website designers today still create websites the old way.

Why is hand-coding better?

For many reasons. Programs almost always generate redundant and unnecessary code, and often non-standard code. Since most website developers using these programs don't know HTML, they can't clean up the code - let alone optimize it. In addition, these programs often write the code for a table-based layout. For these reasons and more, program-generated code is typically bloated code.

If the software becomes obsolete, like Microsoft's FrontPage, there may be problems updating the site in the future. And if the website developer is no longer available, finding someone else who uses the same software editor may be very difficult.

In contrast, a skilled programmer thoroughly understands every single line of code. The code will be lean and clean, and mostly comprised of actual customer content.

How can I tell how a webpage was coded?

Go to the webpage and look at the code. In Internet Explorer, click View | Source. In Firefox, click View | Page Source. Then ascertain:

• What percentage of the code is actual webpage text that you recognize?
• Are there lots of <table>, <tr>, and <td> tags? If so, the webpage was structured with tables.
• Do you see words like color, border, align, font-size, and other styling words in the code? If so, styling rules are greatly increasing the amount of webpage code.
• Are there large gaps, lots of tabbing, weird text alignment, and capital letters? The page was not hand-coded.

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†Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comprises various elements that improve the visibility of a website in search engine listings. A vital contributor to SEO is the website code itself; especially the keyword-to-total code ratio (natural keyword density). Search engines also appreciate good navigation and logical filenames. An important SEO contributor not related to webpage code is the quantity and quality of naturally occurring inbound links.

*The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international community that develops standards to ensure the long-term growth of the Web. Since about 2000, the W3C has recommended "tableless" design, and storing styling rules in separate files called Cascading Stylesheets (CSS).

Business Summary: Keynote Support, Inc. is a small website design studio serving the Atlanta area and nationwide. We create elegant, thoroughly custom informational websites for small businesses and professionals. We hand-code our websites using Strict XHTML and Cascading StyleSheets (CSS). Our local area includes Peachtree City, Fayetteville, Newnan, Senoia, Brooks, Coweta County, and Fayette County. We are located in South Metro Atlanta, Gerogia.