As the whole world is growing digitally, there are many strategies that digital marketers have adopted to make the most of the same. One of the things that every business today requires is a well-maintained website.
As much as businesses use web development services, for the target audience to find the website on search engines, SEO services are necessary. So, web development and SEO both play an equally important role in the success of a website, and they complement each other.
Every web developer responsible can help leverage website optimization with a basic understanding of SEO. In this blog, let us understand the few things that a web developer needs to know about SEO so that your business website levels up.
SEO For Web Developers
Here are some of the SEO best practices that web developers must adhere to…
Loading speed
Speed matters a lot in 2022 and beyond. No one will wait for more than 2 seconds for a website to lead. Websites that load faster have lesser bounce rates which will help in ranking higher on SERPs.
Websites can be optimized in many ways for faster loading times, like compressing Javascript or CSS files, minimizing other external scripts, avoiding redirects, and choosing the right plugins and extensions.
Faster loading times can boost the user experience as well. Therefore, web developers should understand the optimization of the website for better performance, conversions, and traffic.
Redirects
Maintaining websites is not restricted to adding new and more content but involves updation of old content, URL updation, etc. This will require the implementation of redirects. Knowing the most commonly used redirects – 301 and 302 redirects – can help web developers in following SEO best practices.
Users of a website are transferred from one URL or webpage to another when either of these redirects is used. A page that has successfully completed a permanent relocation to a new location is indicated by a 301 redirect. When you receive a 302 redirect, it indicates that the page you were looking for has moved to a new site but that the shift is just temporary.
Structured data
Structured data is easily understood by web developers. The more structured data you utilize, the better Google will be able to tell what’s on each page. Google can also benefit from structured data, which can help the search engine grasp what your website is trying to answer.
Because navigation written in Javascript can make it more difficult for search engines to scan your site, you should consider writing it in HTML or CSS instead.
Metadata and URL
Search engines understand the content better with metadata that includes titles, meta descriptions, and URL structure. Meta descriptions should match search queries, and while writing meta descriptions, it should relate precisely to the user’s intended search result.
URLs of websites are equally important as meta descriptions. It must be brief, concise, and definite, and hyphens must be used instead of using underscores or spaces.
Robots.txt
The purpose of the robots.txt file is to tell web crawlers how to navigate a website. It is the responsibility of a web developer to make sure that a robots.txt file doesn’t prevent web spiders from indexing your site, as this can hurt your website’s SEO.
The robots.txt file is sometimes used by developers to prevent a page from being crawled. There are occasions when a page that is projected to receive a lot of traffic does not. Robots.txt can be the issue in such situations.
Mobile-first
With more people turning to smartphones and tablets for browsing, websites need to be optimized for small screens. Moreover, Google takes into account the “mobile-first” indexing of websites. A responsive, mobile-friendly website will help you enhance your user experience and also drive more traffic.
Crawlers
For any web developer, one of the most important SEO practices is to allow crawlers to visit the pages of their site. Using a simple design will make it easier for crawlers to assess all of the pages.
An excessive amount of crawl problems notifies Google’s algorithm that your site doesn’t give a good user experience. Website visitors are more likely to become frustrated when they encounter an error page when there are more problems. Google Search Console helps you find and fix problem pages quickly.
Sitemaps
Search engines search for content differently from how humans do, so it is important that you show them how your web pages are linked. You can make use of a sitemap for this.
When the site is being indexed, the bots will go over each link to see where it leads. With a sitemap, search engines will have an easier time finding their way across your entire website. The inclusion of sitemaps is a best practice when crawling and indexing huge websites.
Security
The need for website security is increasing as there is a rise in cyber crimes, theft of data, etc. Moreover, people tend to visit websites that are more secure and trustable. If the website is not secure, the ranking on SERPs will get badly affected.
You can ensure website security by keeping the software you use updated. Other security measures include implementing a secure sockets layer (SSL). Another best practice is to scan for malware on an ongoing basis to ensure your site is safe for visitors and your SEO.
Domain check
For testing new code, troubleshooting serious issues, and comparing it to earlier site versions, a staging site is set up while the website is being developed. When preparing for a web launch, many developers make the mistake of not validating the staging site domain.
Issues such as 404 errors, failure to load images or content, etc., can be solved with a domain check. This helps web developers to enhance website performance.
Wrapping up
It is critical that web designers and SEO experts work together in order to improve the exposure of their respective websites. Web developers must have excellent communication skills and an understanding of the fundamentals of SEO to ace the vast digital market.
At Webdew, skilled web developers have proved their excellence by developing websites for clients, making sure that all the requirements are met. Making websites that not only meets business goals but also enhances the content for your target audience is what Webdew’s web professionals are after. Visit www.webdew.com for more information.
Author - Danish Wadhwa
Danish is a certified marketer having an experience of more than 6 years. He is well known for his out of the box strategies that have immensely helped his company.
