Photo by Luca Sammarco
How I Went From “What’s a Meta Tag?” to Actually Ranking on Google
When I first started building websites, I thought the hardest part would be writing the code. Then I published my first project, and it was quite obviously the best site in the history of forever. I sat back and waited for the inevitable flood of visitors bowing down to me like those furry guys bowed to C3PO.
What I got was crickets.
Also bupkiss, nada, and zip.
That’s when I realised there might be a little bit more to this programming thing than just creating websites. I needed to identify the problem. After some investigation, I discovered the mystical, sometimes unintuitive, though ultimately rewarding world of Search Engine Optimization. It changed everything.
So I thought I’d share what I’ve learned: the stuff that confused me at first, the “aha!” moments, and the techniques I now use to ensure my sites aren’t just online… but actually get found.
1. What is SEO and Why Should You Care?
SEO is the art and science of making your site attractive to search engines like Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo. The goal is to get your pages to appear higher in search results so people can find you.
It’s tempting to think SEO is just for marketers. Here’s the thing, though: as a web developer, you control the bones of the site – its structure, speed, and code quality – all of which search engines care a lot about.
Photo by cottonbro studio
How Search Engines See Your Site
Before we optimize anything, it helps to know how these search engines actually work:
1. Crawling – Bots (a.k.a. spiders) scan your website’s pages by following links.
2. Indexing – The pages get stored in a giant database.
3. Ranking – When someone searches, the search engine pulls from that database and sorts results by relevance, authority, and quality.
Think of it like a library: crawling is browsing the shelves, indexing is cataloguing the books, and ranking is deciding which ones to display in the Bestsellers section.
2. On-Page SEO: The Developer’s Playground
On-page SEO is everything on your actual website that you can control. This is where developers get to shine.
2.1 Title Tags & Meta Descriptions
These are your first impression in search results.
• Title Tag → The clickable headline. Keep it under 60 characters, use keywords, and make it clear.
• Meta Description → The short blurb under the title. Not a direct ranking factor, but a good one can boost clicks.
🛠 Quick Tip:
Don’t leave these blank – search engines will grab random text if you do, and there’s a good chance the text it chooses won’t make sense.
2.2 Header Tags (H1, H2, H3)
These give your content structure and help search engines understand what’s important.
• Use only one H1 per page (your main title).
• Use H2 and H3 for logical sections and subsections.
2.3 Clean, Descriptive URLs
Good: /seo-for-beginners
Bad: /page?id=1234
Search engines prefer URLs they can read. As do humans.
2.4 Mobile-Friendly Design
Google uses mobile-first indexing. If your site’s broken on mobile, your rankings will take a hit.
Responsive design isn’t optional – it’s expected.
2.5 Image Optimization
• Compress images to speed up load times.
• Use descriptive file names (seo-basics.jpg not IMG_0023.jpg).
• Add alt text for accessibility and extra keyword context.
2.6 Internal Linking
Point visitors to other relevant pages on your site. It helps both users and bots discover more of your content.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
3. Technical SEO: The Hidden Foundation
This is the behind-the-scenes stuff that users don’t see, but search engines certainly do.
3.1 Page Speed
Slow websites = bad user experience = lower rankings.
Ways to speed things up:
• Minify CSS, JS, and HTML.
• Use a CDN.
• Enable caching.
• Optimize images and media.
3.2 Sitemaps & Robots.txt
• Sitemap → A list of your site’s pages in XML format for search engines.
• robots.txt → A file that tells search engines what not to crawl.
3.3 HTTPS
Google boosts secure sites (HTTPS as opposed to HTTP). This is not just about ranking – it builds trust.
Photo by Life Of Pix
4. Content SEO: The Heart of Visibility
Even perfect code won’t help you if your content is thin or irrelevant.
4.1 Keyword Research
Find out what your audience is actually searching for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or free alternatives like Ubersuggest.
4.2 Quality Over Quantity
Avoid “keyword stuffing”, ie. cramming your main keyword everywhere. Google’s smart enough to spot it – and punish it!
4.3 Structure & Readability
Break content into clear sections. Use bullet points, subheadings, and visuals to make it easy to scan.
Photo by Pixabay
Keep in mind: 75% of users never scroll past the first page of Google search results. If your site’s not on there, it’s basically hiding at the back of the internet party 🎉
5. Off-Page SEO: Building Authority
This is all the stuff happening outside your site that affects your ranking.
• Backlinks: Links from reputable sites to yours.
• Social Shares: Not a direct ranking factor, but can increase visibility.
• Guest Posting: Writing for other sites to earn links back to your own.
🛠 Quick Tip:
Focus on quality backlinks. One link from a trusted site is worth more than 50 spammy ones.
6. My SEO Lessons
When I started, I made two big mistakes:
1. Ignoring SEO entirely until after launch.
2. Thinking SEO was a one-time checklist.
Now I know it’s an ongoing process.
Here’s what I do differently:
• Plan SEO into the development phase, not after.
• Monitor performance with Google Analytics and Search Console.
• Keep learning – because SEO changes constantly.
Photo by Timur Saglambilek
7. Best Practices I Swear By
• Build for users first, search engines second.
• Make your site fast, secure, and easy to navigate.
• Use structured data (schema) for rich snippets in search results.
• Keep content fresh and updated.
Final Thoughts
SEO can seem overwhelming at first – there are just so many moving parts. But as a web developer, you already have the power to make huge improvements just by coding cleverly, structuring content well, and concentrating on user experience.
It’s not about gaming the system as much as it’s about helping search engines understand your content so they can connect you to the people who need it.
So start small: tweak your titles, speed up your pages, make your site mobile-friendly. Over time, these changes compound, and one day you’ll check your analytics and realize…
You’re not just online. You’re being found. 🚀
Wayne McRae is a tech writer with a strong background in digital marketing and web development. He holds multiple coding certifications and has hands-on experience building and optimizing websites for performance, SEO, and user experience. With expertise that spans content creation, marketing strategy, and technical implementation, Wayne bridges the gap between complex technology and clear, practical communication.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider a small donation to support my work. Thank you.
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