Whats more impotrant, results or standards? 6

[1DMF]

I've been taking part in another forum dedicated to SEO.

I have found their views and principles differ from the feelings I get on TT.

Some think standards are for anal geeks, tables make no difference to SERPs and if they want to use them for layout, so what!

Others don't care too much for accessibility especially if the guidelines over rule their required design which yields results.

an example: here is an extract from one of the posts regarding the accessibility guidlines on not using colour to communicate information

you have to take into account which market segment your site is targeting. As a quick example, from my testing the female audience from a wide age spectrum (teenage to 50's) responds very well to highlighting certain words and links with color changes, if you're using the right color palette.

So even those the Accessibility Guidelines say not to do it, the Usability Guidelines for this specific market segments would say you'd be a blithering fool not to do it.

Some might even leave title attributes or other helpfull attributes / tags out of the page or blank if they don't help or contribute in any way to SEO and SERPs.

So my question is, what do you guys think, you know I respect all of you who have helped me over the years to become a better coder and craftsman at my job, to help me think outside the box, and try to meet standards as well as functionality.

But what's the bottom line: SEO, SERPs & ROI, does it really matter as long as the bills are paid?

Are standards just for the anally retentive?,is there a happy medium, and where the standards and ROI end up in a head to head, should ROI always win.

I'd really like to hear your views on this.

Regards,
1DMF.

"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!

 

[traingamer]

...where the standards and ROI end up in a head to head, should ROI always win.

Yes, ROI should win.
Most of us can make the case that, in the long-term, following standards will result in greater ROI than not following standards.

Greg
"Personally, I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught." - Winston Churchill

 

[1DMF]

Following standards goes a long way in separating good developers from bad.

but again that's a matter of perspective.

would you rather be a rich bad webmaster or a good poor webmaster.

look at google, apparently , the reason it's called google is

"Google" is spelled wrong because Sergey and Larry can't spell. They were trying to spell Googol. They kept Google anyway because someone had registered Googol.com already.

they can't spell , they can't write a simple standards compliant form, but they are god damn rich.

so I guess you could say they are good developers and good at making lots of money!

"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!

 

[Vragabond]

When we were still at the University, we would ask similar questions many times. Why get a degree if Bill Gates, Larry Ellison and the likes don't have one and they're so rich. Because these are the extremes, the exceptions. For every Bill Gates without a degree there's a million of others without a degree that are painfully poor. For every Warren Buffett with a degree there is far less others without a degree that are poor. It's statistics. On average you will be better off if you know how to spell (or program standards-compliant code), but you get filthy rich even if you can't. It's still not a deciding factor whether you become rich or not. But if you do not have a brilliant idea that will sell in millions, it's far more likely that you will be doing well if you know how to spell (or code correctly) than not.

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[monksnake]

Following standards goes a long way in separating good developers from bad.

but again that's a matter of perspective.
would you rather be a rich bad webmaster or a good poor webmaster.

It should be this way, but how much money you make doesn't define if you are good or bad at your job.


<.

 

[kaht]

but how much money you make doesn't define if you are good or bad at your job.

Uncle Rico, case and point.

-kaht

Lisa, if you don't like your job you don't strike. You just go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way. - Homer Simpson

 

[1DMF]

nice piont, Vragabond.
kaht, Who's Uncle Rico?

"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!

 

[Foamcow]

He is The Oncoming Storm.

<honk>*:O)</honk>

Tyres: Mine's a pint of the black stuff.
Mike: You can't drink a pint of Bovril.