My Business Needs an SEO Strategy - How Can a Developer Help?

If you’re a small business owner thinking about SEO (Search Engine Optimization), you might assume it’s all about keywords, content, and Google rankings - and you’d be mostly right.

But here’s something many business owners don’t realize:

A developer can make or break your SEO strategy.

While marketers and copywriters focus on what people see, developers build how your site works under the hood - and that directly affects how search engines (and customers) experience your site.

Here’s how a developer can support your SEO efforts - and why involving one early is a smart move.

1. Making Sure Your Site Loads Fast

Page speed is a ranking factor. If your site takes more than a couple seconds to load, people leave - and Google notices.

A developer can:

Optimize image sizes and formats
Remove bloated code or unused scripts
Set up caching and performance tools
Choose better hosting or a faster platform

These aren’t things your SEO consultant or marketing team can fix alone - they require code-level changes.

2. Making Your Site Mobile-Friendly

Google uses mobile-first indexing, which means it looks at your mobile site first when deciding how to rank you.

A developer ensures:

Your design adapts smoothly on all screen sizes
Buttons and forms are easy to use on phones
Mobile performance isn’t lagging behind desktop

If your mobile experience is broken or frustrating, your rankings (and your customers) will suffer.

3. Setting Up the Right Page Structure

A well-structured site helps both users and search engines.

With a developer’s help, you can:

Use proper HTML tags for headings (H1, H2, etc.)
Build clean, SEO-friendly URLs
Organize content in a logical, crawlable way

These technical details make a big difference in how search engines understand your content - and how easy it is for people to find what they need.

4. Adding Structured Data (Schema)

Ever seen a Google result with star ratings, product prices, or FAQs right in the search snippet?

That’s called structured data, and it needs to be added directly to your site’s code.

A developer can:

Implement schema for articles, products, services, reviews, and more
Help search engines display rich results for your business
Improve your visibility without needing more content

5. Fixing Technical SEO Issues

Sometimes, even the best content won’t rank if your site has hidden problems - like:

Broken links
Duplicate pages
Slow server response times
Pages being blocked from indexing

An SEO audit might uncover these issues, but it’s a developer who will actually fix them.

6. Creating an SEO-Friendly Platform from the Start

If you’re launching a new site or doing a redesign, it’s the perfect moment to involve a developer who understands SEO.

They can:

Choose the right CMS or framework
Plan your site architecture with search in mind
Build in the tools you’ll need later (like meta tag editors or page-specific settings)

Trying to “add SEO later” is harder - and often more expensive.

Final Thoughts: Developers + SEO = A Stronger Site

If you’re serious about growing your traffic and visibility, SEO isn’t just a marketing task - it’s a team effort.

You still need great content, keyword research, and a strategy. But a developer makes sure your site is fast, functional, and technically solid - the foundation all good SEO is built on.

TL;DR: How a Developer Helps with SEO

Task	Why It Matters
Page speed optimization	Keeps users happy, improves rankings
Mobile responsiveness	Mobile-first indexing is now standard
Clean structure & code	Helps Google understand your pages
Structured data	Adds rich info to your search results
Fixing technical issues	Prevents your content from being ignored
SEO-friendly platforms	Makes future content easier to rank

Need help working with a developer or planning your next SEO-friendly site update? Reach out (on Linked In)- I’d be happy to help or point you in the right direction.