I’ve been working in the SEO industry for many years now (of course, I’m not going to tell how many but I’d say that when I first started, I was adding links to link directories…. You can have an idea now ;-)).
In all my years of experience things have changed a lot, the way we do search engine optimisation has changed and evolved in many different ways. But the relationship between SEOs and developers, has remained and is often challenging.
The most challenging is that first meeting with a team we have never worked with before and the understanding of SEO is overall low. I need to say that, as everything in life, I have also worked with fantastic developers that have collaborated with SEOs and we have built a respectful and professional relationships; in some cases, we have even become good friends and partners (Hi Miguel, Jean and Adam!).
But today, I want to talk about how we, developers and SEOs, can improve the ways we work together.
I totally get that if you build a website, with all the work and effort that involves, having someone pinpointing all the things that are missing and that could be improved, in front of the client, is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Today, in this space I’d like to talk about how our roles, the SEO and developer roles, are not enemies but part of a team that complements each other.
The challenges of building a website
What are the challenges of building a website?
Building a website is often a bumpy process. It presents numerous challenges. Ranging from defining a clear strategy and user experience to navigating technical complexities; ensuring security and performance, and effectively marketing the final product in a competitive online landscape.
It requires careful planning, skilled execution across multiple disciplines, and ongoing maintenance to remain relevant and successful.
Overall, many teams are involved: the client, designers, developers, SEOs, copywriters, marketing teams, etc. as you can imagine, agreeing in things can take a long time and different opinions are often the reason why the delivery date gets pushed repeatedly.
Bringing the SEO team in a late stage when building a website
Why is the SEO team brought into the new website project once the website has been built?
The SEO team in some cases is part of the project from the beginning, but more often than not, we are brought in once the website has been built.
Once the website project has been completed, SEOs go and start tearing the website apart. Just after developers thought they were over it, we (SEO geniuses) stir things up. This often leads to uncomfortable conversations between developers, SEO teams, and the client.
Maybe if SEOs were involved from the beginning, it would not only affect the relationship between developers and SEOs, but the client would also save time and money.
In the ideal world, SEOs should be brought up into the project at the beginning for many different reasons, which I’ll cover in a different post in more detail.
For now, some of the benefits of bringing your SEO team BEFORE you build your website would be:
- To make better strategic decisions like the site structure for example
- To ensure the website has enough space for content within the design
- To choose the right SEO-friendly development code
- To avoid launching a website with errors (404, 301, slow page speed, etc.)
- Etc.
But the most important one is because the development teams and the SEO teams will work together from the beginning, without having to face difficult situations once the website seems ‘completed’.
The role of the developer vs the role of the SEO team
I think this section is much needed, not only for the development team but also for the clients to understand that what the developer has done is totally correct (not always, but often though!). The SEO team is optimising the website that the developer has built.
The developer’s role in website building is primarily focused on the technical implementation and functionality of the site.
They write the code (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, backend languages), build the structure, integrate databases, ensure the site works across different browsers and devices, and handle performance and security aspects.
The SEO team’s role, on the other hand, is centred around optimising the website for search engines to improve its visibility and organic traffic. This involves keyword research, content strategy, technical SEO audits (ensuring crawlability and indexability) and ongoing performance analysis and recommendations.
In summary, what are the roles of developers vs. the SEO team?
- Developers build how the website functions and looks.
- The SEO team guides what content the website should have and how it should be structured and optimised to be found by search engines and users.
In the ideal world, both teams should work closely together throughout the entire website building process to ensure SEO best practices are integrated from the ground up, leading to a more successful and search-engine-friendly website.
Tips to improve the relationship between the developers and the SEO team
What can we do to improve the relationship between developers and the SEO team?
1. Education and understanding
The SEO team should take the time to explain the “why” behind SEO requests to developers. Instead of just saying “implement this”, explain the impact and reason behind the recommendation.
Likewise, the development team should be open to learning about SEO principles. Understand that SEO isn’t just about keywords; it’s about making the website discoverable and user-friendly, which aligns with good development practices.
2. Involve each other early and often
Get the SEO team involved at the planning and design stages of new features or website builds. If SEOs provide the requirements upfront, so developers can build them in from the start, rather than as an afterthought.
The development team, should share technical constraints and timelines early in the process. This allows the SEO team to adjust strategies and expectations accordingly.
3. Communication is the key
Clear and consistent communication is key for many things in life, and to build a good relationship between SEOs and developers too.
Establishing clear communication channels and protocols is a must. We often use project management tools to track everyone’s tasks and progress.
Speak each other’s language. Avoid overly technical jargon from either side. If technical terms are necessary, explain them clearly.
Document SEO requirements thoroughly and provide clear specifications for implementation.
4. Understand each other’s priorities and constraints
We all have different priorities. Developers often have tight deadlines and multiple projects. Prioritising requests based on impact and business value will facilitate things. We need to be mindful of the effort required for implementation.
The development team should also understand that SEO is crucial for the website’s success and can have a significant impact on traffic and revenue. Please treat SEO tasks with appropriate importance.
Remember that both teams are working towards the same overall goal: a successful and high-performing website.
5. Be willing to compromise
Sometimes, there might be technical limitations or design preferences that conflict with ideal SEO practices. Be open to finding solutions that balance both needs.
This for me is one of the most important ones and, as mentioned above, communication is key!
Dear developers, your contributions are essential to our work, and we greatly appreciate your efforts. Rather than seeing our roles as separate, we believe that by collaborating closely, we can achieve even greater success for our clients.