Web development vs. SEO: Are both truly necessary for website success?

Web development vs. SEO: Are both truly necessary for website success?

Web Development vs SEO

So, you want your website to be a success (i.e., rank high in search results, bring in lots of traffic and generate lots of conversions)? That’s a wonderful goal to have. Unfortunately, your business isn’t the only one out there that’s shooting for this particular goal. 

Experts estimate that there are about 200 million active websites on the internet in 2022. While not all those sites are for businesses, plenty of them are. That means that many businesses, including yours, may be looking for ways to boost their website’s chances of success. It’s typically at this point that the web development vs. search engine optimization (SEO) debate begins. A better understanding of what each of these is can help your business needs one or both of them to increase its website’s chances of success. 

What are web development and SEO?

Web development often provides a solid foundation for the success or failure of a website. People versed in web development are typically responsible for designing and creating the physical elements of a website. As a result, web developers tend to have a vital set of skills. One of these skills is using coding to build custom website elements. Another is the knowledge of how and where to use templates, plug-ins, etc. in a site build. 

To SEO pros, the nuts and bolts of a website tend to be less important than ensuring the site is optimized for search engines. SEO pros may have some input into the website design process. They will often work with web developers to ensure that elements like meta descriptions, title tags and other SEO features are included in a website’s design. They will also take the lead in ensuring that the text for these elements is crafted and put in place before the site goes live. 

Web development vs. SEO: Which one is vital for your website’s performance?

The short answer to this question is that both top-notch web development and high-level SEO are necessary for a site to perform well. Some people may still see it as a web development vs. SEO battle. However, having a website build team that includes people with both skills sets is a much surer way to achieve website success. 

Still don’t think so? Let’s look at some possible results of only using web developers or SEO pros during your website build. 

If you only use web developers, you may end up with a site that: 

  • Is visually appealing. 
  • Doesn’t have the necessary SEO elements to entice search engines. 
  • Doesn’t have the opportunity to wow a significant number of potential customers. 
  • Doesn’t bring in a high number of conversions. 

If you only use SEO pros, you may end up with a site that: 

  • Is appealing to search engines. 
  • Isn’t very visually appealing to visitors. 
  • Doesn’t have the functionality needed to ensure visitors become conversions.
  • Doesn’t translate high traffic into a high number of conversions. 

Now, let’s look at the possible benefits of ditching the web development vs. SEO paradigm and bringing the two disciplines together. Doing so can lead to: 

  • A site that is appealing to both visitors and search engines. 
  • A site that ranks high in search results and brings in a lot of visitors. 
  • A site that has the functionality to help visitors learn about your products and services. 
  • A site that provides effective ways for visitors to become customers. 
  • A site that significantly improves your business’s reputation and revenue. 

Want to bring the powers of web development and SEO to bear on your site build? BURG+CO. can help

Increasing traffic to your website plays a role in increasing conversions and bringing in new clients. However, it’s difficult to attract visitors to your site when your site isn’t really set up with this goal in mind. Fortunately, creating SEO optimized websites is one of BURG+CO.’s specialities.

Our team has years of experience in helping businesses create websites designed to enhance their digital presence, attract new leads and retain existing ones. If you’d like your website to perform better in search engine results and attract more visitors, we’re ready to talk to you to see how we can help. Contact our team today for more information about our web development and SEO services or to schedule a complimentary consultation.

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