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267

answers:

5

SEO issue red characters

Hi all

I'm building webstes using dreamweaver, but when I look at the source code it is red for " characters. I'm told anything appearing in red puts off Google's seo. Does anyone know why this appears in red?

For example when I view code source on the site i get the gt; in red

<a href="miss-sold-mortgages.html" class="darkblue">Find out more&gt;&gt;</a></span>
                </div>

Thanks for your help

Regards Judi

+12  A: 

I'm told anything appearing in red puts off googles seo.

That is garbage.

Does anyone know why this appears in red?

Probably because it is an entity and has been marked by the syntax highlighter so you can spot in amongst literals.

David Dorward
+1 complete garbage. @judi, can you show some of the HTML code?
Pekka
How can it be marked when its not in dreamweaver? I'm viewing the source on a website?
judi
Because Adobe doesn't have a patent on syntax highlighting.
David Dorward
+5  A: 

Google SEO aside, it's important to understand that there's a world of difference between using CSS to control the colour of text, and the syntax highlighting done by the DreamWeaver editor.

Colours seen when you are viewing the HTML source of your page in a tool like Dreamweaver have nothing to do with the colours seen when viewing your page in a browser.

All that's happening is that Dreamweaver is syntax colouring HTML escape characters in red, I am pretty sure that you have nothing to worry about.

Edit

You clarified that in fact you're not viewing the HTML source in Dreamweaver.

Are you viewing source from Firefox?

Firefox syntax colours HTML in its "source of" viewer. HTML escape codes are shown in red (Firefox 3.6, Windows). The point still stands however that this is just syntax colouring and has nothing to do with how your page gets rendered by the browser, or anything to go with Google SEO.

Richard Ev
I am not viewing these in dreamweaver though?
judi
A: 

I'm told anything appearing in red puts off googles seo

No. Just no. Google's SEO works on a text-basis, it ignores any colouring or formatting within a page.

The colour of the text in the source code is simply based on DreamWeaver's syntax highlighting - if you run and view your page in a browser, it shouldn't be this colour (assuming you aren't actually setting the colour of this to red).

Daniel May
It doesn't really ignore any color formatting but still it won't be put off just because your text is in red
DrDro
Yeah - formatting isn't weighted.
Daniel May
yeh its red when i view the source in my browser?
judi
Google does check the color formatting since it wouldn't appreciate much website with white text on a white background, or text in tiny characters...
DrDro
This is not what I'm asking though. I want to know whether google checks the source code. Codes like gt; appear as red when I view the code, not on the browser view? I'm told these put of seo?
judi
@judi refer to David Dorward's answer: it will not affect your seo
DrDro
A: 

Google will check for color on same color text and background to make sure hidden keywords aren't being used on the page. To google, white on white text is a no-no.

In Dreamweaver, syntax highlight of HTML entities does not translate into a bad 'mark' in the SEO book.

Now on the other hand, if you have key phrases in your link text that includes (>)'s, then your SEO work for the key phrase is shot because the >'s are counted as part of the key phrase.

You can probably turn red highlighting of entities off in Dreamweaver's preferences....

Kris.Mitchell
+1  A: 

This might be a bit off topic and of course no-brainer for you guys, but anyway:

Firefox highlights all open lines as red. If you have for example: meta content="text... and there is no /> at the end of the line, then Firefox makes that line appear red when you use "view page source".

Though that's not the reason for red highlight in your case.

Niko