Creating and maintaining a blog on the Blogger platform provides many opportunities to express your ideas and create quality content. However, one of the key aspects of a successful blog is the use of valid template code. Valid code not only improves the performance of the site, but also contributes to its promotion in search engines. In this article, we'll look at what valid code is, why it's important, and how to ensure it in Blogger templates, including an example of how to fix the bug.
What is a valid code?
Valid code is code that complies with standards and specifications set by international organizations such as the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium). Valid code includes the proper use of HTML, CSS, and other web technologies, which ensures that web pages are displayed and function correctly.
Why is valid code important?
Browser compatibility: Valid code ensures that the site displays correctly in all modern browsers. This reduces the chances of errors and display issues, which improves the user experience.
SEO optimization: Search engines like Google prefer sites with valid code. Clean and structured code facilitates the work of search robots, which has a positive effect on the ranking of the site.
Performance: Valid code contributes to faster page loading, as it avoids redundant elements and errors. Fast page loading is important for user retention and increased conversions.
Maintainable and scalable: Valid code is easier to maintain and update. This is especially important for long-term projects where changes and additions are possible.
How do I ensure that my Blogger template is valid?
1. Using the Right Doctype and Meta Tags
Doctype identifies the version of HTML used on the page. For modern web pages, we recommend using the HTML5 Doctype:
<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <title>My Blog</title> </head> <body> <!-- Page content --> </body> </html>
2. Validate HTML code
There are many online tools for checking the validity of HTML code, such as the W3C Validator. This tool allows you to check your code for compliance with standards and identify errors.
3. Proper use of HTML elements
Each HTML element has its own purpose. Using elements for their intended purpose helps create semantically correct markup.
An example of the correct use of elements:
<header> <h1>Blog Title</h1> <nav> <ul> <li><a href="#">Home</a></li> <li><a href="#">About us</a></li> <li><a href="#">Contacts</a></li> </ul> </nav> </header> <main> <article> <h2>Article title</h2> <p>The content of the article...</p> </article> </main> <footer> <p>© 2025 My Blog</p> </footer>
4. Using CSS for styling
Styling should be done using CSS, not inline styles in HTML. This improves the structure and manageability of the code.
Example of using CSS:
<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <title>My Blog</title> <!-- Attaching a Style File --> <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css"> <style> /* Built-in styles */ body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0; padding: 0; } header { background-color: #333; color: white; padding: 1em; text-align: center; } nav ul { list-style-type: none; padding: 0; } nav ul li { display: inline; margin-right: 1em; } nav ul li a { color: white; text-decoration: none; } main { padding: 1em; } footer { background-color: #333; color: white; text-align: center; padding: 1em; position: fixed; width: 100%; bottom: 0; } </style> </head> <body> <header> <h1>Blog Title</h1> <nav> <ul> <li><a href="#">Home</a></li> <li><a href="#">About us</a></li> <li><a href="#">Contacts</a></li> </ul> </nav> </header> <main> <article> <h2>Article title</h2> <p>The content of the article...</p> </article> </main> <footer> <p>© 2025 My Blog</p> </footer> </body> </html>
In this example, CSS styles are enabled using inline styles inside the <style>
These styles are applied to various elements of the page, such as <header>, <nav>, <main>, и <footer>
5. Image and Media Optimization
The use of optimized images and multimedia elements contributes to fast page loading and improves the user experience. Make sure images are compressed and have alt attributes to improve accessibility.
Example of an optimized image:
<img src="example.jpg" alt="Image description" loading="lazy" decoding="async">
The loading='lazy' and decoding='async' attributes are used together to optimize the loading of images on a web page, and here's how they work in tandem:
loading='lazy' :
Delays the loading of the image until it becomes visible in the viewport. This helps reduce the initial page load time, especially if there are a lot of images on the page.
Used for images below the "first screen" to speed up the loading of the main content.
decoding='async' :
Tells the browser that the image should be decoded asynchronously, without blocking the page from rendering.
This means that the browser will continue to process other elements while the image is being decoded.
How they work together:
Performance optimization: At first, the image does not load at all (thanks to loading='lazy') until the user scrolls to its viewable area. Once this happens, the browser will start loading the image and decoding it asynchronously (decoding='async') to speed up its display.
Advantages of the combination:
The page load time and its display to the user are reduced.
The load on the server and browser is reduced.
The user experience is improved (especially on pages with a lot of images).
These two attributes are a great tool for improving the performance and SEO of your web page! 🚀
6. Minification and merging of files
Minifying and combining CSS and JavaScript files helps reduce the number of requests to the server and the overall weight of the page. It also contributes to faster loading times and better performance.
Error example and correction
Let's take a look at one of the common types of errors that can occur when editing a Blogger template and how to fix them.
Error example: Improper nesting of HTML tags
One of the common mistakes when editing a template is the wrong attachment of HTML tags. This error can lead to broken page structure, incorrect display of content, and accessibility issues.
Error code example
<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <title>My Blog</title> </head> <body> <header> <h1>Blog Title</h1> <nav> <ul> <li><a href="#">Home</li> <li><a href="#">About us</a></li> <li><a href="#">Contacts</a></li> </ul> </nav> </header> <main> <article> <h2>Article title</h2> <p>The content of the article...</p> <div> <p>More information...</div> </div> </article> </main> <footer> <p>© 2025 My Blog</p> </footer> </body> </html>
In the code above, there are a few errors in nesting HTML tags:
- The closing tag <a> is missing from the first item in the list <li>.
- The closing tag <div> is missing from the nested element <div>
How to fix the error?
To fix HTML tag nesting errors, you need to check the structure and correctness of the nesting of all tags.
Example of corrected code
<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <title>My Blog</title> </head> <body> <header> <h1>Blog Title</h1> <nav> <ul> <li><a href="#">Home</a></li> <li><a href="#">About us</a></li> <li><a href="#">Contacts</a></li> </ul> </nav> </header> <main> <article> <h2>Article title</h2> <p>The content of the article...</p> <div> <p>More information...</p> </div> </article> </main> <footer> <p>© 2025 My Blog</p> </footer> </body> </html>
In the corrected code:
A closing tag <a> has been added to the first item in the list <li>
Closing tag <div> added to nested element <div>
Code review and validation
After making changes, it is important to check the validity of the code. Online tools such as W3C Validator can be used to do this. These tools can help you identify other possible errors and improve your code structure.
Conclusion
Valid code for a Blogger template is not only a matter of compliance, but also an important aspect of successful blogging. It ensures the correct display and functioning of the site, improves its performance and promotes promotion in search engines. By following the guidelines above, you can create a high-quality, user-friendly blog on the Blogger platform.