Firstly, Dreamweaver will not invalidate the code in an of itself as long as the doctype is specified in the code at the top of the page.
As you're coding, DreamWeaver automatically uses the appropriate coding practice according to the doctype specified. For example, in a "XHTML 1.0 Transitional" document, if you type "<br" and ">", DreamWeaver automatically inserts a space and the slash before closing the tag. " />"
What's more, (in code view) as soon as you click "Commands/Apply Source Formatting", it automatically highlights errors to alert you that there are validation problems. Whether or not, having seen the errors highlighted, the user chooses to find the problems and resolve them is another matter.
SEO is about more than just validated CSS or HTML
You need to look at the big picture here. Which is more important? Having a site that passes CSS/HTML validation or having a site that generates revenue? There are thousands upon thousands of sites that generate huge sums of money, enjoy massive amounts of traffic and have never once passed validation.
Although I appreciate where you take pride in a job well done, a few errors are certainly not the end of the world and won't in and of themselves cause the site to suffer in the SERPs. Consider the fact that validated code has not really helped the site rank highly thus far. If the firm that's been hired can substantiate their claims of
SEO brilliance and expertise, I'd say let them give it a shot. It's not your money that's being spent.
If you're the designer/developer and feel a certain attachment to the site in question, why not tackle the
SEO yourself? You'll find tons of expert assistance and proven techniques around here!
If you're certain the
SEO professional lacks the experience or skillset to get this done right, here's a tool you can use to find a qualified local
SEO Expert:
Respond Yellow Pages Directory
Search for "
SEO" and enter "US Virgin Islands" as the state.
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