In a recent episode of Google’s Search Off the Record podcast, experts discussed a surprising fact about technical SEO: many top-ranking websites don’t use valid HTML.
Despite these HTML issues, these sites continue to perform well in search results.
Search Advocate John Mueller and Developer Relations Engineer Martin Splitt cited a study by former Google webmaster Jens Meiert. The study revealed that only one homepage among the top 200 websites passed HTML validation tests.
“0.5% of the top 200 websites have valid HTML on their homepage. One site had valid HTML. That’s it.”
Mueller described these findings as “crazy,” noting that even developers were surprised by the results.
“Search engines have to deal with whatever broken HTML is out there. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it’ll still work.”
When HTML Matters
While most HTML errors are tolerated, certain technical elements, like metadata, must be correctly implemented.
“If something is written in a way that isn’t HTML compliant, then the browser will make assumptions.”
This usually works for visible content but can fail “catastrophically” for elements crucial to search engines.
Mueller emphasized:
“If [metadata] breaks, then it’s probably not going to do anything in your favor.”
SEO Beyond Technicalities
Google challenges the idea that SEO is merely a technical checklist.
“Sometimes SEO is also not so much about purely technical things that you do, but also kind of a mindset.”
Splitt added:
“Am I using the terminology that my potential customers would use? And do I have the answers to the things that they will ask?”
Naming things appropriately is a crucial SEO skill, often more important than technical precision.
Core Web Vitals & JavaScript
Core Web Vitals
Good Core Web Vitals scores don’t guarantee better rankings.
“Core Web Vitals is not the solution to everything.”
Mueller explained:
“Developers love scores… it feels like ‘oh I should like maybe go from 85 to 87 and then I will rank first,’ but there’s a lot more involved.”
JavaScript
While Google can process JavaScript, proper implementation is crucial.
“If the content that you care about is showing up in the rendered HTML, you’ll be fine generally speaking.”
Splitt advised:
“Use JavaScript responsibly and don’t use it for everything.”
Misuse can create problems for indexing and rendering, especially if assumptions are made without testing.
Key Takeaways
Technical perfection isn’t necessary for SEO success. While critical elements like metadata must function correctly, most HTML errors won’t prevent ranking.
Developers and marketers should focus on content quality and search intent alignment. Overinvesting in code validation can detract from these priorities.
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