A Complete SEO Checklist for Developers

Updated on May 18th, 2021

A Complete SEO Checklist for Developers

Search Engine Optimization has totally changed the conventional ways to get a higher ranking. There is a high demand for web pages and websites that follow good SEO techniques. On the other hand, many small companies and start-ups are struggling to implement SEO in the right way which can actually benefit them. Also, SEO involves a number of techniques that are different from other web development methods. You need to give attention to even the smallest detail in order to create a successful website. This article will give you the details about an SEO checker that can be used in developing a website.

Why SEO important for Developers

SEO is highly dynamic as most of the websites use this technique to develop a website. Its influence starts right from creating a URL to creating mobile-friendly pages. SEO is important for developers as it determines where the page stands in the Google Search Console. Internet crawlers also look for online content that is SEO friendly. The readability of these websites is maintained at an average scale. So, these content when posted online gets more views and visitors. When the number of visitors per month keeps increasing, Google gradually increases the ranking of the website. This is essential to multiply lead generation, subscribers and users of the website.

Now we are clear about why to use SEO in web development. Here is an SEO Checklist for developers to focus both the on-page and external SEO factors. The three major processes in SEO implementation are technical, on page and external factors.

Technical SEO factors

Your content page should be recognized and get displayed in search results. But before that, your site must be accessible on the internet. So you must make your site get indexed among others and crawlers must connect to the site. This is achieved by following these technical SEO factors.

  1. URL structure and tags: Your URL should be short, descriptive and involve the important keywords. Using hyphens instead of underscores. It is also important to redirect all your new pages with a new link. This will land your visitors on a new page which is good for your SEO. Without redirects, the search engine can display the wrong pages. So it is good to avoid the outdated URL, developers must redirect new pages and add new URLs.
  1. Start optimizing your images: Images with large storage space can lead to long loading time. This will eventually reduce the number of visitors for your website. So reduce them into the smallest size possible and edit them.
  1. Using https: An SSL certificate is essential to keep your site secure and safe. Getting an https is also equally important. Only when both are used, your site gets a good position in the search results. To find out if all your pages have an https URL or not, you can use a crawler. Robots.txt is also one way of helping the crawlers analyze your site. This can quickly test for syntax errors and other issues. Developers can select the files and folders that need to be accessed using the Robot.txt file.
  1. Mobile friendly site: Developers must use Google AMP to develop a website that is mobile friendly also. There are a lot of specifications under this which can be followed. It is a combination of HTML, AMP JavaScript library and Google AMP cache.

On-Page SEO factors

The on-page SEO factors will include the site’s content, keywords, titles, meta descriptions, images, etc. Most people work a lot on these things and focus on must adding keywords or meta tags. This cannot work longer nowadays as search engines analyze the context of the page. The context of a page depends upon every single on-page SEO factors given here.

  1. Topic, keywords, and content: Before you start to build a context you need to know the reason to concentrate on on-page factors. Seo persons keep track of keyword research, must know the kind of language your targeted audience prefers. You can use different kinds of SEO tools to determine these basic details. The content posted may be of high quantity, but for SEO developers need to focus on quality only.
  1. Title and meta description: You need not think a lot about the title but must ensure  to maintain relevancy to the topic. Use keywords and decide the number of words as soon as the title is assigned. A meta description is something that adds context to the title tag. It must brief about the article, contain important keywords and relevant to the topic.
  1. Body copy: We know that not a single element determines the SEO, it is all based on all elements that build a context in the end. A body copy is how much you make the content readable. The keyword density should be neutral and it should have updated content all the time.

External SEO Factors

External SEO factors are included in this SEO Checklist as these are necessary too. Some may or may not use these factors as they cannot be controlled. But as a developer these are essential.

  1. Links: When a website is developed, you need to link statistics, report analysis, etc to establish your point. This gives a major boost to your SEO rankings. Citations about other brands can also make your website rank better in the search results. These back-links add credibility for your website and they actually build high-quality content.
  1. Social media: Social media influences digital marketing but it is used for SEO rankings also. Your website gets more recognition when you link your official social media sites. Also, when you are active socially you will know about the fellow developers or companies.
  1. Local searches: A number of listings are available in every locality. Some are listed on the social platforms also. It is important to note that the accurate physical address, name, and phone numbers are listed here. This surely influences your recognition in the place and your website gets more visitors.

The process of optimizing the website is not simple. As a developer, you need to be strong in technical SEO and on-page SEO. This will help you select suitable external factors.

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