SEO Basics for Developers: How to Make Your Website Rank on Google

April 20, 2025

Why SEO Matters (Even for Developers)

You can build the world’s most beautiful website — but if no one finds it, it doesn’t matter.

SEO helps your:

  • Portfolio get discovered

  • Clients get more traffic

  • Pages appear when users search relevant terms

And the best part? As a developer, you already have the technical edge to implement SEO better than most marketers.

SEO Basics Developers Should Know

1. Page Titles & Meta Descriptions

These are the first things Google (and users) see.

<title>Web Developer Portfolio | Faizan Tariq</title>
<meta name="description" content="Explore Faizan Tariq’s portfolio showcasing web projects built with React, Next.js, WordPress, and more.">

  • Each page should have a unique title and meta description

  • Keep titles under 60 characters, meta under 160

2. Use Semantic HTML Tags

Google uses structure to understand content.

✅ Good example:

<header>...</header>
<main>
  <section>
    <h1>About Me</h1>
    <p>I’m a web developer specializing in React and WordPress...</p>
  </section>
</main>
<footer>...</footer>

Avoid using only <div> soup — structure helps Google index better.

3. Optimize Images (Alt Text + File Names)

Don’t upload IMG1234.jpg Instead:

<img src="faizan-tariq-developer.jpg"
     alt="Faizan Tariq – Web Developer Portfolio">

Why?

  • Google can’t “see” images — it reads filenames + alt tags

  • It helps with Google Images ranking

4. URL Structure & Slugs

Use clean, descriptive URLs:

✅ /blog/personal-website-for-developers
❌ /blog/page?id=92&view=1

It helps SEO and user trust.

5. Add a Sitemap.xml and robots.txt

  • Sitemap = tells Google what pages to crawl

  • robots.txt = tells Google what not to crawl

You can generate a sitemap using tools like sitemap.xml generator or manually in frameworks like Next.js.

Example robots.txt:

User-agent: *
Allow: /
Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

6. Use Heading Hierarchy Properly (H1 → H2 → H3)

Only one h1 per page, followed by structured h2, h3, etc.

Wrong:

<h1>My Projects</h1>
<h1>About Me</h1>

Right:

<h1>Faizan Tariq – Web Developer</h1>
<h2>Projects</h2>
<h2>About</h2>

7. Add Internal Links (Helps Crawl Depth)

Example:

<p>Learn more about my <a href="/services">web development services</a>.</p>

Google uses internal links to discover pages and understand relationships.

8. Set Up Google Search Console

It’s the best free SEO tool — straight from Google.

Bonus: Use Open Graph for Social Sharing

<meta property="og:title" content="Faizan Tariq – Developer Portfolio" />
<meta property="og:description" content="See projects built with React, Next.js, and WordPress." />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://yourdomain.com/images/faizan-og.png" />

Helps when sharing on LinkedIn, WhatsApp, or Twitter.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to be an SEO expert to rank — but as a developer, knowing these basics will:

  • Help your personal site grow

  • Make your client work more valuable

  • Give you an edge over other developers

Start with these simple SEO wins — and let your code finally get the attention it deserves.

💬 Want Help with SEO?

If you need help optimizing your website for SEO — whether you're a developer, freelancer, or startup

👉 Reach out at FaizanTariq.Me
👉 Or connect on LinkedIn

Written by Faizan Tariq
Founder, Copros Studios
Web Developer | UI Enthusiast | Builder