SEO Experts vs Web Developers: Understand the Difference

When creating a new website, the aim is to have it visible to as many of the target audiences as possible. For that, you need two very significant professionals, web developers and SEO experts.

The worlds of SEO and web development intertwine beautifully to create a website that thrives in search results. While web developers create high-quality websites, the SEO specialists work on taking it to the top of the SERPs. Professional web development services use both these experts to ensure the best results.

Let’s see who these experts are and how they compare.

Who is an SEO Expert?

A SEO expert is a digital marketing professional who helps websites rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). They research and identify the keywords people use to find what your website offers. SEO experts also optimize content, structure, and technical aspects to make search engines love your site.

They bridge the gap between how users search and how your website presents information. But SEO is a constantly changing field, so they need to stay on top of the latest updates to keep your website ranking high. In short, SEO experts are the secret weapon for attracting more visitors through the power of organic search.

Types of SEO Experts

The world of SEO isn’t a one-size-fits-all game. There are different types of experts performing different areas of SEO to ensure the best site ranking, organic traffic, user experience, and engagement. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most common SEO experts:

• On-Page SEO Expert: These specialists focus on optimizing the content and structure of your website itself. They’ll delve into keyword placement within your content, meta descriptions, title tags, and internal linking strategies.
• Technical SEO Expert: As the name suggests, these experts tackle the technical aspects that influence search engine crawling and indexing. They ensure your website’s code is clean, mobile-friendly, and loads quickly, which is crucial for search engine ranking.
• Off-Page SEO Expert: They use link building to acquire high-quality backlinks from reputable websites. They achieve this through various strategies, like guest blogging on relevant industry websites and creating link-worthy content that others want.
• Content SEO Expert: These specialists understand the power of compelling and informative content. They work alongside content creators to ensure content is optimized with relevant keywords while remaining valuable and engaging for the target audience.
• Local SEO Expert: If your business has a local focus, you might need a local SEO expert. They specialize in optimizing your website for local search results, including managing your Google My Business listing and citations across local directories.

A strong SEO professional might possess skills across several areas, but some may have a particular focus. If you want to get your site optimized for the best search visibility, consider hiring SEO experts. They can help your site thrive on the SERPs.

Key Skills of an SEO Expert

SEO experts need a diverse skill set to excel in their field. Here’s a breakdown of the key abilities that make a well-rounded SEO expert:

• Know-how of Search Engine Algorithms: SEO is constantly evolving as search engines update their algorithms. A good SEO expert stays updated on the latest ranking factors and can adapt their strategies accordingly.
• Website Crawling and Indexing: They are familiar with how search engines crawl and index websites. This includes understanding robots.txt, sitemaps, and technical SEO audits to identify and fix crawl errors.
• Keyword Research and Strategy: They can uncover the keywords and phrases people use to find information relevant to your website. Then, they craft a strategic plan to inject these keywords into your website, ensuring strong search engine visibility.
• Data Analysis: They can analyze website traffic data, search engine ranking reports, and other SEO metrics. That lets them identify areas for improvement and make changes accordingly.
• Familiarity with SEO Tools: SEO tools help them with keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink tracking, and on-page optimization. An SEO expert uses these tools to streamline their workflow and gain valuable insights.
• Content Writing: While they might not be writing novels, they understand the power of compelling content. Many SEO experts can craft content optimized for search engines, ensuring it resonates with both users and search algorithms.
• Collaboration: They can effectively communicate with web developers, content creators, and other stakeholders to ensure everyone is aligned on SEO goals.

With these skills, they can optimize site pages for SEO. Their expertise helps the marketing domain to make a sustainable strategy for selling their service or product.

Who is a Web Developer?

A web developer is the architect and engineer behind the websites you use every day. They bring websites to life by translating ideas and designs into functional online experiences. Web developers possess knowledge of various web frameworks and programming languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more.

They are experts at using web technologies and server-side languages like Python and PHP to create a functional site. These development tools build the structure, layout, and interactivity of websites. That ensures a responsive web design across different devices and browsers.

Types of Web Developers

The world of web development is vast, and there are different specialists catering to various website functionalities. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most common web developer types:

• Front-end developers: Front-end developers use languages like HTML and CSS to bring a web designer’s vision to life. They understand the web design principles and web frameworks like Bootstrap and Angular for efficient development. Their goal is to focus on the visual aspects and user experience of a website.
• Back-end developers: Working behind the scenes, back-end developers are the engineers of the web. They write server-side code that powers the core functionality of a website using languages like Python, Java, and PHP. Plus, databases, user authentication, and server communication fall under their domain.
• Full-stack developers: They are the all-rounder of web development. Front-end developers can handle the complete website development process themselves. A full-stack developer possessing knowledge of both front-end and back-end developers makes them a valuable asset.

To build beautiful and dynamic websites, full-stack web developers would be a well-rounded option. They can perform both the frontend and backend functionalities effectively.

Key Skills of a Web Developer

A skilled web developer possesses diverse knowledge ranging from web technologies to understanding DevOps. Here is a closer look at the key skills:

• Web Technologies: They have the technical expertise to work with top web technologies, frameworks, and libraries to build efficient websites.
• Problem-solving and Critical Thinking: When building complex websites, they need to think critically and write logic. Developers also need to have strong debugging skills to identify and fix errors.
• Programming Languages: To develop websites, they use various popular programming languages like HTML, JavaScript, and PHP. Their knowledge could be more for a specific language based on their domain of work.
• Database Management: They have the skill to manage databases using query languages like SQL and NoSQL. It is specifically needed if you are building dynamic sites that store information on databases.
• Content Management Systems (CMS): Developers are familiar with working with the best CMS tools to work on websites with content management needs.
• APIs and Integrations: They have the ability to work with API integration. That helps them increase productivity and enhance site dynamics.
• Version Control Systems: Developers possess the skill of version control systems like Git, which enables them to work on a project at the same time. It facilitates collaboration, reverting to previous versions, and much more.
• DevOps: They can use DevOps in web development to automate the processes for efficiency. That can improve the collaboration between developers and operational teams.

These skills make them the wizards of web development. If you want to build an exceptional website, you can hire web developers to leverage its full potential.

SEO Expert vs Web Developer

To make websites successful, SEO experts and web developers play distinct yet complementary roles. SEO specialists act as strategists, researching keywords and optimizing website elements to move on top of SERPs. They use analytics to measure site success and continuously refine their strategies.

Web developers create websites and SEO experts optimize them. Developers use the best tech stack to give life to the website. Their key focus is to ensure seamless user interaction and a flawless mobile experience.

When looked closely, they both contribute equally to making any website a success. SEO experts are the reason for making the work of a developer more visible. So, we can say this collaboration is the two sides of the same coin.

Now, let’s understand the distinction between them for understanding their role more clearly.

From the above table, we can clearly see that SEO experts are the ones making your site appear on top SERPs. On the other hand, web developers create that site. This combination is a full circle for making your websites successful.

FAQ About SEO Experts vs Web Developers

Conclusion

When talking about creating a digital presence, both SEO experts and web developers play pivotal roles. Understanding the key differences between these two professions is crucial if you want to create a website and make it successful.

Indeed, they serve the same purpose in the end but contribute distinctly to the digital world. While SEO experts optimize sites to rank higher in SERPs, web developers are the creators of the website.

If you need to build a site, hire dedicated web developers. If you want to make the site rank higher on the search engine result pages, get help from an SEO company. By combining the power of both, you can achieve a site that thrives in every aspect.