SEO Basics for Web Developers

What is SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing websites to rank higher in search engine results. Good SEO helps users find your content.

Technical SEO Fundamentals

Title Tags

<title>Primary Keyword - Secondary Keyword | Brand Name</title>

Best practices:

• 50-60 characters
• Include primary keyword near the beginning
• Make it compelling for clicks
• Unique for each page

Meta Description

<meta name="description" content="A compelling description of your page that includes relevant keywords and encourages users to click.">

Best practices:

• 150-160 characters
• Include a call to action
• Summarize page content
• Include target keywords naturally

Heading Structure

<h1>Main Page Title (one per page)</h1>
<h2>Section Heading</h2>
<h3>Subsection</h3>

Use headings hierarchically and include keywords where natural.

URL Structure

Good URLs:

• /blog/seo-basics-guide
• /products/blue-widget

Avoid:

• /page.php?id=123
• /2026/01/15/post

Open Graph Tags

<meta property="og:title" content="Page Title">
<meta property="og:description" content="Page description">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/image.jpg">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/page">
<meta property="og:type" content="website">

Structured Data

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "Article",
    "headline": "Article Title",
    "author": {
        "@type": "Person",
        "name": "Author Name"
    },
    "datePublished": "2026-01-15"
}
</script>

Content Optimization

1. Keyword Research: Understand what users search for
2. Quality Content: Comprehensive, valuable information
3. Internal Linking: Connect related pages
4. Image Optimization: Alt text, compression, proper sizing
5. Mobile-First: Responsive design is essential

Technical Requirements

Robots.txt

User-agent: *
Allow: /
Disallow: /admin/

Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

XML Sitemap

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
    <url>
        <loc>https://example.com/</loc>
        <lastmod>2026-01-15</lastmod>
        <priority>1.0</priority>
    </url>
</urlset>

Canonical URLs

<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/page">

Performance Factors

• Page speed (Core Web Vitals)
• Mobile responsiveness
• HTTPS security
• No intrusive interstitials

Tools

Use our generators:

• Meta Tags Generator
• Schema Generator
• Robots.txt Generator
• Sitemap Generator