Can Web Developers Do SEO? Here’s What Actually Matters

Ever looked at a website you built and thought, “This looks great… but why isn’t it ranking?”? You’re not alone. Thousands of web developers build clean, fast, functional sites - then wonder why traffic is flat. The answer isn’t always in the code. It’s in the SEO.

Yes, web developers can do SEO - and they’re often better at it than marketers

SEO isn’t magic. It’s not about keyword stuffing or buying backlinks. It’s about structure, speed, clarity, and accessibility. And who builds those things? Web developers. You write the HTML. You control the CSS. You optimize the JavaScript. You choose the hosting. You set up the server. If you don’t understand how SEO works, you’re leaving traffic on the table - and you’re the only person who can fix it.

Think about it: a marketer can tell you to “use more keywords.” But only you can fix the fact that your site’s H1 tags are missing, your images aren’t compressed, or your mobile menu breaks on iOS Safari. SEO isn’t a separate job. It’s part of building a website.

What SEO actually looks like in code

Most people think SEO is about blog posts and meta descriptions. But the real foundation? It’s in the HTML, the server, and the build pipeline. Here’s what matters:

• Proper HTML structure - Every page needs one H1, clear headings (H2, H3), and semantic tags like <article>, <nav>, and <main>. No more <div> everywhere.
• Fast load times - Google uses page speed as a ranking signal. If your site takes more than 2.5 seconds to load on mobile, you’re losing visitors. Compress images. Lazy-load non-critical JS. Minify CSS. Use a CDN.
• Crawlability - Can Googlebot find your pages? Check your robots.txt. Make sure you’re not blocking CSS or JS files. Use a sitemap.xml and submit it to Google Search Console.
• Mobile-first indexing - Over 60% of searches happen on phones. If your site doesn’t work well on mobile, it doesn’t work at all. Test with Chrome DevTools’ mobile simulator. Fix tap targets. Make buttons big enough.
• Structured data - Adding JSON-LD markup for products, articles, or events helps Google understand your content. It can get you rich snippets, which boost click-through rates by up to 30%.

These aren’t “SEO tasks.” These are web development tasks. You’re already doing half of them. You just didn’t know they counted.

Common mistakes web developers make (and how to fix them)

Even experienced devs mess up SEO in subtle ways. Here are the top five:

1. Using JavaScript to render critical content - If your page title, headings, or product info are loaded by React, Vue, or Angular after the page loads, Google might not see them. Use server-side rendering (SSR) or static generation. Next.js and Nuxt.js handle this automatically.
2. Missing alt text on images - Alt text isn’t just for accessibility. It’s a ranking signal. If you’re using a CMS or framework that auto-generates alt text like “image-123.jpg,” fix it. Write real descriptions: “blue running shoes on a forest trail.”
3. Not using HTTPS - Google marks HTTP sites as “not secure.” If you’re still on HTTP, switch to HTTPS. It’s free with Let’s Encrypt. No excuse.
4. Broken links - A single 404 on a high-traffic page can tank your rankings. Use a tool like Screaming Frog (free version works) to scan your site every month. Fix or redirect broken links.
5. Ignoring URL structure - /product?id=123 is a nightmare for SEO. Use clean URLs: /products/blue-running-shoes. It’s easier for users. It’s easier for search engines.

Tools you already use - now use them for SEO

You don’t need to learn a new platform. You’re already working with tools that can help:

• Chrome DevTools - Use the Lighthouse tab. Run an audit. It’ll tell you exactly what’s wrong with performance, accessibility, and SEO.
• GitHub Actions - Add a CI step that runs Lighthouse on every deploy. If your site slows down, the build fails. No more bad deploys.
• Netlify / Vercel - Both offer built-in SEO checks, automatic sitemaps, and CDN caching. Use them.
• Google Search Console - Sign up. Check for crawl errors. See which queries bring traffic. Fix the top 3 issues every week.

These aren’t “SEO tools.” They’re dev tools. You’re already using them. You just need to look at the reports differently.

SEO isn’t a side project - it’s part of your job

Here’s the truth: if you build websites and don’t care about SEO, you’re building half a product. A site that doesn’t rank doesn’t get users. No users = no clients. No clients = no job.

Think of SEO like accessibility. You wouldn’t build a website that screen readers can’t use. Why would you build one that search engines can’t read? They’re both about inclusivity - one for people with disabilities, the other for machines that help people find content.

Start small. Pick one thing: fix your H1 tags. Add alt text to 10 images. Run a Lighthouse audit. Do it today. Then do one more next week. In three months, you’ll have a site that not only looks good - but actually works.

What you should do next

Here’s a simple 7-day plan:

1. Day 1: Install Google Search Console and verify your site.
2. Day 2: Run a Lighthouse audit on your homepage. Note the SEO score.
3. Day 3: Fix one issue from the audit - maybe missing meta description or slow images.
4. Day 4: Add a sitemap.xml and submit it.
5. Day 5: Check your robots.txt. Remove any blocks on CSS or JS.
6. Day 6: Add structured data to one page (use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper).
7. Day 7: Re-run Lighthouse. Your score should jump 15-30 points.

You don’t need to be an SEO expert. You just need to care enough to fix the basics. And if you can do that, you’re already ahead of 80% of websites out there.