SEOs & web developers: friends or foes?

TL;DR

SEOs and web developers are allies when they treat SEO as context-sensitive guidance for building better websites, not merely another constraint. Developers must balance browser support, responsive design, rendering choices, business needs, accessibility, and performance, while SEOs can clarify which search requirements matter most at each project stage. Read on to see how both sides can set priorities and make better technical decisions together.

Transcript

SURMA: Are SEOs just imposing more constraints? MARTIN SPLITT: Or are they trying to help you build better web projects for your users? SURMA: Do SEOs really keep up with the most recent search engine changes? MARTIN SPLITT: Or is SEO so big that they are best at helping you answer specific problems? SURMA: Isn't SEO just making your site load fast... Read More

Key Insights

• SEOs are often seen as imposing constraints, but they aim to improve web projects by guiding developers on search engine requirements.
• Developers face numerous challenges, such as browser compatibility and design choices, which can conflict with SEO guidelines.
• Understanding the context and constraints of a project is crucial for making informed decisions that balance SEO and development needs.
• SEOs can help developers prioritize tasks based on the project's goals, such as focusing on SEO for test versions to gather data.
• Good SEOs stay updated with search engine capabilities, like Google's use of an evergreen Chrome, and guide developers accordingly.
• Accessibility and performance are key aspects SEOs focus on, as they correlate with user experience and search engine rankings.
• Developers should collaborate with SEOs to ensure search engines can understand and index their content effectively.
• The web platform is vast, and developers should seek expertise in areas they are less familiar with to optimize their projects.

Questions & Answers

Q: Are SEOs and web developers friends or foes?

They can be allies because both ultimately want to create better web projects for users. Conflict arises when SEO guidance feels like one more constraint among browser support, design, business, marketing, and project-management requirements.

Q: Why can SEO feel restrictive to web developers?

Developers already choose how many browsers and versions to support, whether to support IE11, and whether to use polyfills or progressive enhancement. They must also weigh responsive design, separate mobile sites, client-side applications, server-side rendering, and static rendering, so search-engine requirements add another consideration.

Q: How should developers balance SEO with other project constraints?

They should identify all constraints and decide which ones matter most in their specific context. The discussion does not offer one definitive answer because priorities differ by project and can change across development stages.

Q: When should teams make mobile and browser-support decisions?

Martin Splitt says responsive design versus separate versions is a decision that should be made relatively early in the technology process. Choices about using or polyfilling a feature for an older browser may happen later in development.

Q: How can SEOs help teams prioritize development work?

A good SEO can assess what the team is building, how it is being built, and which search concerns deserve priority. For a test version of a landing page, the immediate goal may be determining whether a customer segment is interested before investing in a larger build.

Q: What should developers consider when choosing a rendering approach?

Developers may need to choose among a client-side single-page application, server-side rendering, or static rendering at build time. The appropriate choice depends on project constraints and on whether search engines can understand what the site is doing.

Q: Why must SEOs keep up with search-engine capabilities?

Outdated assumptions about search engines can create unnecessary restrictions for developers. SEOs should understand current search-engine capabilities so their guidance addresses real, specific problems rather than imposing obsolete constraints.

Q: How do accessibility and performance fit into SEO?

Accessibility and performance are important because they contribute to the overall user experience, not just search optimization. SEOs can help developers focus on these areas while ensuring that search engines can understand and index the content.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• SEOs and developers often have differing perspectives, but both aim to create successful web projects. SEOs guide developers on search engine requirements, while developers focus on technical aspects. Collaboration can help overcome perceived constraints and improve project outcomes.

• Web development involves balancing various factors, such as browser compatibility, design choices, and SEO guidelines. Developers must understand these constraints and make informed decisions based on their project's context and goals, with SEOs providing valuable insights.

• SEOs play a crucial role in helping developers optimize websites for search engines. By staying updated on search engine capabilities and focusing on accessibility and performance, SEOs ensure that web projects meet user needs and achieve higher search rankings.