SEO vs Devs: What is the difference?

ByPreeti Gupta
SEO vs Devs What is the difference

Search Engine Optimization and Web Development are two core concepts that get talked about when we talk about ranking and websites.

While one takes care of rankings and traffic, the other makes sure that the nitty gritty stuff is working properly.

When combined beautifully, this duo can become a powerful asset for your business (and your website).

This post will help you understand in a simple way what both of these terms mean and how they can help you with your website.

Too Long; Didn’t Read

The major difference between an SEO and a developer is that SEO focuses on driving organic traffic, sales and conversions. And web developer focuses on building and designing websites. Devs code in different languages and ensure that the front end and the back end of the application are working properly.

Who is an SEO (or Webmaster)?

An SEO (Search Engine Optimizer) is a person who is well versed in the complexity of how search works and helps you complete your goals of getting traffic from different search engines. 

SEO is also known as a webmaster, but it is a less-used term now, as people don’t like to use it as often. That’s why you may have heard the term SEO for a person who does SEO. For example, “A few weeks ago we hired our first-ever SEO”.

In essence, a good SEO should know things like

  1. How to make a site useful for users and search engines
  2. How to make the site accessible on all kinds of platforms and devices
  3. How to implement Google’s recommended best practices to get traffic from Google and other search engines

SEO requires certain skills to be one. So here are some skills they need to have:

  1. Understanding of how search engines work: The knowledge of how search engines work is something every SEO should know. They should know concepts like crawling, indexing, and ranking in-depth.
  2. Understanding searchers and search intent: Even though the optimization part is done for search engines, SEOs should not forget that ultimately, their goal should be to help the searcher in their journey. So understanding this concept can help them achieve their goals fast and efficiently. 
  3. Content Marketing: The power is in the words, no matter if they are written or spoken. Having an understanding of how content marketing and its distribution work, the SEO can make informed decisions on how to attract a specific kind of audience. 
  4. Technical SEO: Having a basic knowledge of how technical stuff can be a great help to webmasters. 
  5. Knowledge of CMS: Most of the websites use one of the content management systems such as WordPress, Shopify, or Wix. Having experience in how to use them is important. 
  6. How to use different tools: Knowledge of how to use tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, Screaming frog, or plugins like RankMath is necessary for doing day-to-day tasks. 
  7. Communication skills: How to effectively communicate your strategies to key people in the company is a great skill every SEO should have. 
  8. Analytical skills: Professionals should know how to amylase data from tools like Google analytics, SEO tools like SEMrush, and more to make informed decisions around their strategies. 
  9. On-Page and Off-Page Skills: Doing web page optimization and making content to attract links is crucial to being a good SEO. 
  10. Marketing Skills: SEOs should also know how to convert the traffic that is coming to the website because ultimately, a company needs revenue and not just traffic. 
  11. Prioritization skills: An optimization campaign’s success is defined by how the tasks are being prioritized. Giving priority to unnecessary tasks wastes time, effort, and money. 
  12. Auditing Skills: Knowing how to audit a website, and using that to make informed decisions on where to improve can be a huge skill. 

Recommended Reading:

What is the Difference Between a Copywriter, Content Creator, and Content Marketer?

    Who is a Web Developer?

    Website development or web development is a field which associates with making and maintaining websites and web applications that run on a browser. And a web developer is a person who does the job of maintaining and creating websites.

    Also known as devs, in short, they also develop applications. The most common languages they work in are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. 

    Along with these, they can also niche down to become WordPress developers, Shopify developers, Wix developers, and more.

    There are different kinds of devs and to understand these, we will take an example of a singer performing at a concert. 

    1. Front-End Developer

    As the front end of a website comprises things that a user interacts with, the front-end developer is the one who develops it. 

    Whenever you open a site and interact with it by clicking buttons, downloading items, browsing menus, and more, a front-end dev is the one who created it.

    Let’s understand this by our singer performing at a concert example:

    The part you see where your favorite performer is performing, which includes stage, lighting, sound, and more. These can be described as a front-end part of a concert.

    1. Back-End Developer

    These are people who specialize in the development of server-side logic and making sure that the application is correctly integrated with the back-end systems. 

    They also ensure that the databases are working correctly and the data is stored and retrieved in an efficient manner. 

    To ensure both the application and the servers are working properly, they have to work closely with the front-end developers. They use back-end languages such as Java, Python, Ruby, .NET, MySQL, and more. 

    Coming back to our concert example: the processes that make sure the concert is running smoothly comes under the back end part. For example power generators, proper security, cleaning, and hospitality staff. 

    1. Full-Stack Developer

    These people are proficient in both front end and back-end functionality of an application. They ensure that both the client side and server side of things are working properly. Their skillset is highly diverse and they can work with different languages such as HTML, CSS, JS, PHP, Java, Ruby, and more.

    What is the Difference Between Both?

    The difference between SEOs and Devs is that SEOs focus on driving organic traffic and conversions to the website. And the devs focus on ensuring that the website’s front end and back end are working correctly so that users dont face any problems. 

    Along with this, some other differences can be:

    • SEO is technically a branch of marketing so its main focus is to drive sales and conversions through the website. They work with PPC, content, and other marketing teams to complete their tasks. 
    • Web developers focus on designing websites and their main tasks include coding and programming. They work with project managers and other teams to complete the projects on time
    • SEOs use different tools and software for things like keyword research, website analytics, and more. 
    • On the other hand, devs use tools like chrome dev tools, GitHub, VScode, Python, and more. 

    Final Words

    SEOs and Developers are two pillars that are absolutely necessary for a website to perform in an efficient way. Both webmasters and developers have different tasks to perform but their end goal is to make an application that is accessible to users and drives sales and generates organic traffic consistently. 

    So that’s it from my side! If you have any questions related to this article, feel free to contact me.

    Preeti Gupta is product-led growth consultant at Packted. She helps SEO SaaS companies attract the right users—ones who try, love, and keep using their product through product-led growth. A recognized voice in the SEO community, she has spoken at BrightLocal’s SEO for Good. Her expertise has earned her mentions in HubSpot, Collaborator.pro, Search Engine Land, Women in Tech SEO, Moz, SEOFOMO, and more.