Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller, explains that typos and valid HTML don’t affect rankings and suggests that similar characteristics don’t matter either.
Perceived quality indicators don’t matter
SEL writer Roger Montti picked up on what he described as an interesting conversation with John Mueller on LinkedIn. As a fellow full-time writer, I agree.
Muller said two site characteristics many publishers believed were indicative of site quality aren’t ranking factors. Montii thinks that by saying that, Mueller was also suggesting other quality indicators aren’t either.
Valid HTML and Typos
The two characteristics in question are typos (spelling errors) and valid HTML.
Mueller based his post on an analysis of the 200 most popular websites’ homepages, which revealed that only 0.5% had valid HTML.
Mueller also said that valid HTML would be a low-bar ranking factor; Roger Montii explains that Mueller might have said this because spammers can easily create a web page template using valid HTML.
Here’s the analysis John was referring to:
Valid HTML, not ranking factors
Mueller began his post by saying a commonly asked question is whether valid HTML is a ranking factor for Google Search and that validating the HTML a site produces, even its homepage, is trivial.
Mueller’s post on LinkedIn:
Proper grammar don’t matter either!
Mueller also mentions typos, saying Google doesn’t use them as a ranking factor, but that doesn’t mean you should upload content with multiple typo errors onto your homepage:
- “It’s a bit like saying professional writers produce content free of typos—that seems reasonable, right? Google also doesn’t use typos as a ranking factor, but imagine you ship multiple typos on your homepage? Eww.
As if to prove his point, if you run Mueller’s reply through a grammar checker, it contains several grammatical errors!
How to spot an actual ranking factor
Many publishers might now ask: What are actual ranking factors, and how can you identify them if valid HTML and correct grammar do not help a site’s ranking on Google Search?
Roger Montti’s advice on this is as good as it gets, so I’ll let him explain.
- Check if Google explicitly says it’s a ranking factor, and if not, then consider if, literally, any spammer can achieve that “something” that an SEO claims is a ranking factor. If it’s a trivial thing to achieve, then there’s a high likelihood it’s not a ranking factor.
Non-ranking factors are still valuable
Roger Montti finishes his analysis of Mueller’s LinkedIn conversation by saying just because something is easy to fake doesn’t mean you should stop doing it.
What Montti’s talking about here is trust.
Consider your readers; if your content contains grammatical errors, why should they believe you’re an authority on the subject?
Even worse, not checking your content on a grammar tool before publishing is lazy, and readers rarely appreciate publishers who think they aren`t worthy of the time and effort it takes to write good content.
As Montii says in his conclusion:
- “Just because something is not a ranking factor doesn’t invalidate the practice. It’s always a good practice in the long run to keep doing activities that build trust in the business or the content, regardless of whether it’s a ranking factor or not.”
Google algorithms have many ways of determining high-quality and helpful content. The September Helpful Content Update backs that up, so you should do everything possible to ensure Google Search chooses your site as a reliable source.
I especially like how Roger Montti summed up his post. Wise words many publishers could benefit from adhering to:
- “If something is good for users and helps to build trust, then it’s likely a good idea to keep doing it.”
When he is not writing content, Terry can be found on his boat in Italy or chilling in his villa in Spain.
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