Search engine optimization and website development are two entirely different areas of expertise. While some website developers have acquired backlink-building skills, it’s rare for developers to be true experts in SEO.
Still, clients frequently ask website developers to help them build backlinks. As a result, many developers have become familiar with the basics of link building. However, the majority of developers lack the experience and expertise to build a high-quality, long-lasting, backlink profile for their clients.
Website developers are not usually SEO experts
Asking your website developer to perform SEO is like asking your mechanic to help you plant your garden. They can help you get your plants in the ground, but they won’t be able to tell you the individual nuances of what each plant needs to grow.
You’ll get better results by hiring your development and SEO needs a-la-carte with one exception. When you hire a full-service digital marketing agency, you’ll get access to website development, graphic design, marketing, content writing, and SEO all in one spot. However, each area of expertise is still carried out by individual teams.
If you’re thinking about asking your developer to help you with SEO, here are 4 reasons to consider hiring an SEO expert instead.
1. Effective search engine optimization (SEO) requires years of experience
On the surface, it seems like SEO is pretty easy. There are countless tutorials on YouTube explaining the basics and it’s easy to understand. That’s true, but there are complexities involved in SEO that you’ll never find explained online.
Industry experts may reveal plenty of information, but they will never put all their cards on the table.
2. What your website developer doesn’t know can hurt you
What your website developer doesn’t know about SEO can hurt you. Search engines have zero tolerance for what they consider to be ‘black hat’ SEO tactics. It’s not even that hard to fall into a black hat trap.
For example, your website developer might notice a call for article submissions on a certain website and submit a few short pieces of content linking back to your website. If that site turns out to be part of a link farm, Google will de-index the site and you’ll lose all of those backlinks. Worse, if too many of your backlinks come from link farms, your site could end up de-indexed.
An experienced SEO professional will know how to spot link farms and will avoid them at all costs.
3. SEO is a full-time job
SEO isn’t a list of tasks to check off as you go down the line. SEO is a committed process that begins with a custom strategy that gets implemented over a long period of time. Throughout the process, results are measured and strategies and techniques are adjusted to improve results.
If your website developer is also performing your search engine optimization, they’re not going to have time to work on your website. And, if they do have time to work on your website along with other client projects, they’re either not really doing SEO or they’re outsourcing the work to a third-party without your knowledge.
4. Link building doesn’t happen in a vacuum
Content marketing and backlinks are inextricably combined. Building links is part of an overall SEO strategy; it’s not the only aspect. If your website developer is building backlinks to your website without content creation and content marketing, you’re probably not getting good backlinks.
Building backlinks without content marketing doesn’t work. Building a strong backlink profile to your website requires:
- Building links to specific webpages (like landing pages) designed to convert traffic. These pages must be created in conjunction with your backlink strategy.
- Creating new content specifically for building high-quality backlinks (you won’t get results if all your backlinks point to your homepage or contact page).
- Publishing content on other websites (just getting links added to webpages isn’t helpful).
- Knowing how to format anchor text so it’s natural and won’t get your domain penalized.
Consider content marketing and link building an inseparable pillar of SEO.
You wouldn’t ask your plumber to fix your computer, right?
If you wouldn’t ask a plumber to fix your computer when they’re done unclogging your drains, you probably shouldn’t ask your website developer to build your backlink profile. While developers can have a general idea of how to build backlinks, it’s too risky.
Connect with a professional SEO company and work with experts who know the game inside and out. Don’t risk getting de-indexed from Google just to save some time and a few bucks.
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