What is the single most important part of your web site? A: The HTML code used to display the pages.

HTML- short for Hypertext Markup Language, is the predominant markup language for the creation of web pages. It provides a means to describe the structure of text-based information in a document — by denoting certain text as headings, paragraphs, lists, and so on — and to supplement that text with interactive forms, embedded images, and other objects. HTML is written in the form of labels (known as tags), surrounded by less-than (<) and greater-than signs (>).

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Improper code can impact your web site in a number of ways. The most visible problem is that your site may not display properly across a wide range of web browsers, as discussed in the cross-browser compatibility section.

Perhaps more important, bad code will reduce your Google PageRank and perhaps even limit the amount of traffic to your site due to poor natural ranking placement in the search engines.

Standards for HTML coding are developed by The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). By following the specifications developed by W3C, you assure a better experience for customers and prospects visiting your web site. Your also increase the potential to get your fair share of the free web traffic that is out there looking for your products or services.

Not sure if your website is up to standards? You can use the following tools at www.w3.org to check your site:HTML Validator

CSS Validator