It is important to keep HTML readable for search engines to get most of the website you are developing. Keeping HTML readable includes spending time on HTML quality and latest standards, but it will raise your website ranking and save a lot of time of work.
Get Rid of Old HTML Markup
Many of web developers fall into the trap of using elements and techniques that might have been appropriate in days gone by, but are now deprecated in favor of alternative approaches.
Old HTML markup includes <marquee> element, presentational markup like <b> and <center> tags. It is better to use CSS classes and ids so you can externalize your CSS.
It is also better to use the latest HTML content and structure elements such as <header>, <footer>, <section>, and <article> rather than nesting <div> tags. HTML today is very rich of things previously done by JavaScript.
Use Newest HTML Readable Elements
Today, search engines are smarter than before. They look for meaningful data in your website structure. So, it is recommended to use meaningful markup and styles. Be sure to resist the temptation to use <h1-6> tags. They should be used for content heading, not formatting.
Tables are not good. They can seem easy for developers, but they can make confusion over the order in which information on the page should be presented. So, it is better to avoid table-based layouts.
A search engine crawler needs clear navigation elements. It is better to use the <nav> elements to designate navigations and put rel=”nofollow” for links that shouldn’t be considered by a search engine.
In addition, don’t forget to add metadata to your website as they are read and handled more intelligently by browsers
Finally, focus on HTML rich features to present your website content and make your layout updated with latest popular HTML changes. This will give your website a better ranking in search engines and save a lot of work.
