Code Compliancy affects SEO

What does Code Compliancy have to do with SEO? Surely the only thing that matters for SEO is the relevancy of the content?

Well, not exactly.

Search Engine Robots can't read, or at least they can't evaluate what they read the way a human does, so they operate less on what is being said than what is being repeated in the words of the web page and how well those repeated words or phrases relate to the title and data surrounding the webpage. Coding standards and compliancy with those standards makes the job of the search engine robots a little easier, thus guaranteeing the sites placement higher in the SERPs.

While the exact algorithm for most search engines is unknown it is a safe bet that sites with quality coding are actually favoured by search engines for less practical reasons than the above, it is probable that this higher placement is designed to encourage webmasters to keep to standards and produce sites that are universally accessible.  While for a novice to the internet this requirement may be daunting and feel a little unfair it is not insurmountable, especially if your SEO strategy is designed by an expert, especially if they maintain it for you as well!