To become a web developer you need to learn many coding languages because then you will have the tools to be able to solve many problems that occur. However, in my experience, web development is not always code-based. There are many other tools in which developers can use to optimize web pages or even entire sites. In my opinion, SEO is a tool that every web developer should learn. Web developers are already either creating pages or whole websites. Creating these pages takes time and you wouldnât want to spend all of that time creating content that doesnât rank highly in search engines. Not ranking highly would mean that the content you just spent time on will only reach a limited audience. In the process of creating this content, there are many opportunities for developers to optimize what they have created for SEO thus increasing the ranking and potential for more viewers. In this blog, youâll learn more about why you should learn SEO and some simple ways to optimize your content.
Three Examples of Simple SEO Optimization
There are a few simple things that any web developer should do when creating their web pages that help with making those pages better optimized for SEO. This doesnât require learning new skills but rather making sure the pages you are creating are easily understood by search engines.
URL Structure
URL Structure is how you configure the URLâs of your website to reflect what is on the page in a simple and consistent way. These links are all created by the developer and can be optimized easily by putting a little time in to simply the link and focus on the keywords that describe the page. Optimizing these links by making them simple and by targeting specific keywords helps search engines to know when to display the link when the specific search matches the link.
For example, using a link like this: example.com/blog/id=3424614 gives no indication of what you are about to click on other than assuming it will be a blog post. On the other hand, the same link worded like this: example.com/blog/how-to-make-pie is much easier to understand and lets the user know what the post is about. In my opinion, and based on what I have seen while browsing the web, proper URL Structure is something that can be sometimes forgotten about which can make it difficult to navigate the website. When you use a simple structure it allows the user to know exactly what they should be seeing on the page before they even go to the page.
Site Speed
Site speed can be an important factor in where a page will rank and also whether or not someone will even stick around to view it. It is important to keep in mind that the images, logos or videos should take up as little storage space as possible without losing the quality of the original. Compressing images and videos can sometimes be completely forgotten about until you try to load the page and you realize the error that you made. It may be a tedious process but it creates a huge impact on site performance. Another factor is the web host you are using and the plan you have chosen. It is important to realize how large the site is and to know what you are going to need to ensure that the site isnât more demanding than the plan you chose. Site speed is just one of those things that you have to account for as you are working otherwise you will have a huge project on your hands trying to compress everything all at once.
Semantic Markup
Semantic Markup is basically coding in a way that makes it easier for search engines to understand what is on the page by using descriptive tags. Utilizing the header, navigation, section, quote, aside, article, etc. tags allows the search engine to know what exactly is on the page and how to parse the content. Creating a page that consists of only divâs is fine but it is important to note whether or not you could be using a more descriptive tag. If you can use this type of markup it will drastically help the search engines figure out the outline of the page and how the page is arranged. This type of markup can easily be handled as you are creating content which is why it makes sense for those who are developing the content to understand why they should be using descriptive tags.
The Importance of Optimizing Content
The larger the project, the more important it is to properly optimize your website to allow search engines to more easily interpret the content. However, it all comes down to what kind of content you are creating. If you are creating a website that will just be a portfolio then SEO really wonât be important. This is because no one is using a search engine to try and find your portfolio but are sent a link to view it. On the other hand, if you are creating a vehicle comparison page where your goal is to selling something then optimizing that page with SEO will help to make sure it is seen by as many eyes as possible. Although Iâm still learning SEO best practices I am aware of the simple steps that can be taken to optimize a webpage or website. Most importantly, Iâve learned that I should keep SEO optimization in mind whenever I create a page. Paying attention to the content you are creating and keeping user intent in mind is where optimizing your content makes a significant impact on whether or not someone will see or want to engage with it.
If you have any questions about the benefits of learning SEO, please contact us at Aronson Advertising today by calling us at (847) 297-1700.
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