About SEO Basics for Developers

Technical SEO, on-page signals, structured data, what to skip. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the Info / Guides collection.

Use Cases

• Frontend developers adding meta tags and structured data to React apps
• Indie hackers optimizing their SaaS landing pages for organic traffic
• Full-stack devs ensuring server-side rendering works for crawlers
• Marketing-adjacent devs understanding technical vs on-page SEO

Tips

• Focus on the technical SEO checklist before writing any content
• Use the structured data section to add JSON-LD schema markup
• Check the 'what to skip' list to avoid wasting time on outdated tactics

Fun Facts

• Google processes over 8.5 billion searches per day as of 2024, making organic search the largest single source of website traffic worldwide.
• The term 'Search Engine Optimization' was first used by Webstep Marketing Agency in 1997, just two years after the first web search engines appeared.
• Google's Core Web Vitals became an official ranking signal in June 2021, directly tying frontend performance to search visibility.

FAQ

What moves rankings most?

Relevant, unique content matching search intent. Backlinks from authoritative sites. Technical health (fast, mobile-friendly, crawlable). Everything else is second-order.

Is meta description a ranking factor?

No — Google rewrites it often. Still important for CTR (what shows in search results). Write descriptive ones; let Google pick when theirs is better.

Structured data?

JSON-LD schemas (Article, Product, FAQPage, SoftwareApplication). Doesn't directly rank, but enables rich results (stars, price, FAQ accordions) that boost CTR.

What's over-hyped?

Keyword density, 'LSI keywords' (Google has said these don't exist), and meta keywords tag (deprecated since 2009). Don't waste time on these.