Should I use markdown for my site?
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of using Markdown for websites in relation to SEO and Large Language Models.
Should you convert your website into Markdown to help Large Language Models (LLMs) understand your content better? Is "llms.txt" worth the effort for SEO? In this episode of Search Off the Record, Martin Splitt and John Mueller from the Google Search Relations team dive deep into the history of Markdown, its rise in the AI era, and whether it holds any real weight for search engine discovery. In this episode, you'll learn: The Origins of Markdown: From John Gruber and Aaron Swartz to its status as the "language of GitHub." Markdown vs. HTML: Why the "cleanliness" of Markdown is tempting for developers but potentially risky for site structure. LLMs & Markdown: Do AI crawlers actually prefer Markdown, or are they already experts at parsing HTML? The "Parallel Version" Trap: Why creating a separate text/Markdown version of your site for AI can lead to the same maintenance nightmares as dynamic rendering. Use Cases that Make Sense: When Markdown is actually superior (like developer documentation) and when it's totally unnecessary (like your shoe catalog). Key Takeaways for SEOs & Developers: Crawlers are built for the "messy" web: Google and other engines have decades of experience…
More episodes of Search Off the Record
- How to read the Indexing Report - Transcript
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- Should I use markdown for my site? - Transcript
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