As a business owner or marketing professional, determining the importance and level of focus to allocate between web development and SEO is not a matter of choosing one over the other.
Both of them hold equal significance and should be given equal priority. Let’s discuss the contributions each one brings.
The Importance of SEO
If you do not employ SEO, the quality of your website or products will not make a difference.
Your website will remain undiscovered and potential customers will not be able to make any purchases unless you or someone else directly shares the URL with them.
A successful SEO strategy enhances the visibility of your website to individuals who rely on search engines for finding information, resolving issues, and exploring convenient products that can improve their lives.
The Importance of Website Development
SEO focuses on assisting individuals in finding your website and enticing them to click on it whereas, web development is responsible for ensuring a positive user experience upon their arrival.
If your approach to web development is not effective and useful, the quality of your products and brand won’t make a difference.
If individuals arrive on your website and perceive it to be sluggish, poorly structured, unclear, or simply unenjoyable to navigate, they will depart and opt for one of your rival’s websites instead.
How Do Web Development and SEO Collaborate With Each Other?
SEO and web development hold the same level of significance.
Numerous elements of website creation can have a direct impact on a site’s search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is an essential component of successfully constructing and operating a website, therefore web developers must consistently consider this notion during their work.
There are numerous advantages to ensuring that SEO is prioritized right from the start of web development.
- The website will exhibit improved performance from the very first day.
- Creating a website with a focus on SEO is simpler and more effective than attempting to resolve problems later on.
- Developing a website for optimization right from the start is a more economical approach.
In the end, the achievement of your website (and the profitability of your business) does not rely on web development versus SEO; rather, it hinges on the synergy between web development and SEO.
Enhancing SEO through 7 Techniques in Web Development
After gaining a comprehensive understanding of the impact of web development on SEO and the significance of their combined use, it is now appropriate to proceed further.
Let’s examine in more detail how web development can be utilized effectively to enhance the search engine optimization (SEO) of your website.
Load Speed Should Be A Priority
Remember that search engines such as Google and Bing have the goal of providing meaningful search outcomes along with a satisfying user experience.
Furthermore, take into account that research indicates that the average individual possesses an attention span that is two seconds less than that of a goldfish.
This implies that internet users will not be patient enough to wait for a slow website to load. Your website should load within a few seconds at most, otherwise, these valuable visitors will navigate to another website.
Website Security
Website security is highly valued by both your customers and Google.
If you neglect to ensure that your website has adequate security measures, it will inevitably hurt its search engine rankings. This is because users require websites to be trustworthy before they visit or make purchases from them.
In today’s world, the security risks relating to cyberattacks, data theft, and related matters are indeed significant.
Avoid Duplicate Content
Google’s crawling bots have a limited duration for each website they visit. If your site contains duplicate content problems, there is a chance that you might be utilizing the visiting bot’s time ineffectively.
There is also a chance of confusing Google, which could result in difficulties in determining the appropriate ranking for duplicate pages. Web development teams have numerous methods to address the issue of duplicate content.
Some of the strategies to consider would be utilizing 301 redirects, making use of Google Search Console to eliminate duplicate URLs, and incorporating canonical tags.
Fix Crawling Errors
Websites that are properly maintained can sometimes encounter crawl errors. Google acknowledges this fact. However, if your website has specific types of errors or an excessive amount of errors, it can hurt your SEO.
Similar to the way site speed, security, and other crucial concerns concerning web development versus SEO are handled, an abundance of crawl errors indicates to Google’s algorithm that your website fails to provide a satisfying user experience.
If there are more errors present, the chances of a visitor encountering an error page and feeling frustrated will increase.
Just like dealing with duplicate content, web developers can rely on a few common approaches to handle crawl errors. They can utilize Google Search Console to promptly identify problematic pages and swiftly resolve any concerns.
Optimize Javascript
Google and other search engines have improved their ability to crawl JavaScript compared to the past. Nevertheless, it is advisable to ensure the accessibility of your own, taking precautionary measures.
JavaScript developers need to take into account the binding of anchor texts in web content to corresponding destination URLs. This approach transmits signals that closely resemble those produced by typical HTML, guaranteeing that each page receives appropriate recognition for its relevance and authority.
Maintain a Responsive Website Design
Mobile devices such as smartphones accounted for a remarkable 54.4 percent of total internet traffic in 2021. The numbers have increased compared to previous years and are anticipated to keep growing in the future.
Web users are no longer simply researching purchase decisions during their free time. They are now seeking solutions instantly, even when they are already on the go. This implies that you must have a mobile-friendly website with a completely responsive design in order to be able to afford it.
Once again, this aspect has a significant impact on the overall user experience and consequently influences the rankings in search engines.
Make Your Website Content Readable
Nowadays, internet users seldom dedicate their time to carefully read an entire blog post or web content.
They skim through content in order to find the information they require, hence the more convenient you make it for them to do so, the more advantageous it is. To enhance smooth readability, maintain website designs that are uncluttered and devoid of unnecessary elements.
Do not include long paragraphs of text in your content. Rather, use headings and subheadings to arrange longer pieces of content into smaller, easier-to-understand sections. Items such as white space, graphics, videos, choosing the right font, and others can all impact how easy and enjoyable your content is to read and understand.
Final Thoughts
It is essential to comprehend the comparison between web development and SEO, as well as their collaborative dynamics, in order to adopt a comprehensive digital marketing strategy.
Nevertheless, it is crucial to have high-quality website content in ample quantity. Content has always held a dominant position in search engine result pages (SERPs) and has been instrumental in transforming brands into formidable entities. This significance of content remains unchanged even in the present era.
