CSS Div Layout vs. Table Layout

CSS Div Layout vs. Table Layout for SEO

[roberthilley]

I have read quite a bit about CSS based designs (four books in the past 3 days) and have some questions regarding the age old question of should I use CSS or Table based layouts FOR SEO?

With CSS layouts, I can position body copy where I want on a page but with Table based layouts, the body copy has to go, well where it is placed in the normal order of things.

A plus to CSS is how quick it loads but a downside is that not all browsers render the design the same way.

QUESTION:

Which is better for "crawlability" CSS or Tables? Also, if I have good positioning on a tables based website and I switch it over to complete CSS, do you think that the SE's would look at this as a good thing or bad, i.e. better positioning or worse?

Any answers would be very helpful ... by the way ... not interested in hidden div's :-)

Looking forward to a good discussion!

[greenleaves]

CSS based designs are generaly better for crawlability, givin that the the CSS is well written.

Will changing a site from tables to CSS better your rankings? Could, but it could also hurt. That would be taking a bet I would not take unless I am receiving hardly any traffic.

[justdave]

I would agree that CSS is generally more search engine friendly because it is cleaner code. I wouldn't guarantee that using css positioning over tables is superior, but I personally like the way it works. For the most part, CSS has become more cross-browser friendly, although there are still a lot of glitches.

[roberthilley]

Thanks for the comments ... please keep em coming!