Clean code. Every web developer out there knows the importance of it, but are we doing a good job of explaining this to our non-techy clients? Here's a quick primer that can help clients understand the "foreign language" of code and its purpose.

What exactly does "clean code" mean?
Clean code is exactly what it sounds like. The code needs to be free of spelling errors, properly formatted, and contain the correct tags, without any unnecessary tags added. Aside from being an organized and on-top-of-it coder, developers can also utilize HTML validators to check for errors others might have missed.

When and why do we care about clean code?

1. SEO - When a client comes to us with a project related to SEO, the first thing we do is look at the code. Search engine "spiders" crawl the Internet gathering data that results in search engine rankings. Data that is easy for the spiders to find and read results in higher rankings -- and that can be the difference between being the first company a consumer finds or the last. The spiders that visit your (or any) site are looking for a few key things: keyword-filled text, keyword density, H1 tags and other stuff you don't really need to know about unless you're in trenches building it. Conversely, the spiders get turned off when they see other things: keyword stuffing, frames, lots of JavaScript and so on. For the most part, these spiders want to see the good stuff at the top of the HTML code.
2. Faster loading time - We've all been to a site that takes forever to load, causing us to give up and go someplace else. A slowly loading page is more than an annoyance -- it can result in lost business. Clean code allows a page to load quickly, letting users find what they need on your site... and keeping them away from the competition.
3. Easier maintenance - If your code is a disorganized mess, whoever has the unfortunate task of updating your site will have to spend valuable time wading through it all. This will end up costing you time and money. It's better to organize code the right way the first time around to avoid lengthy and expensive updates due to messiness. This way any coder who works on your site in the future will clearly and quickly be able to find their way around, resulting in a faster update for you.

It's important to note that not all coding errors or fixes are visible on the live site -- that can be tough for a client to understand. Often times fixing messy code will result in the site looking exactly the same to a user, yet the back end is organized in a way that improves the site.