Web developers essentially take over when a web 
designer has designed the web site. In some cases, the web designer will write some front end code but other than that, it’s usually the web developers who code the site.
Unfortunately, while today’s web developers focus on creating a fully functional website, SEO is not part of what they do. By this, I don’t mean that they should be writing content or optimizing the website for SEO, but what they can do is follow some basic common-sense steps to prepare the way for the SEO folks to take over. This makes the process more collaborative and interactive and neither task is done on isolation.
Here are 5 quick tips to help web developers with some front-end SEO:
1. Use practical coding techniques
Ensure that semantic code is used when you’re building the site. Use descriptive tags to structure your pages as this will help the search engines to get a better understanding of your content.
2. Do not use Flash or Ajax in abundance
This is not a new tip. Almost all and sundry are shouting from the rooftops about how NOT to use Flash as a navigational element on the website. As tempting as it is to have some nifty drop down effects for your site’s navigation using flash, don’t do it. Search engines cannot execute flash files and cannot index the content within them. this means that any links that you may have within this content will not be followed and thus indexed.
Ditto with Ajax. Ajax is great for enhancing the user experience, but content generated with Ajax is yet another locked door for the search engines. Use it sparingly perhaps as a feedback light box or a front-page form fill box, but nothing more.
3. Insert SEO friendly keywords in your links
Ask your SEO expert for a list of the top 20 keywords. As you insert the title of the page when you create it, make sure that the page is named accordingly. Do not just create a product102.php or some generic url like that. Use the keyword as part of the name you assign to the url. e.g. If one of the strongest keywords on your site is financial planner, name the url with that keyword phrase in it. (www.fidelityinvestments.com/401k-financial-planner-boston.php)
4. Optimize Images
Name the images according to the business intent of the page and in line with the SEO keyword list. Ask your SEO expert to name the images in like with good SEO practices and only then insert these images as part of the content. Also, ensure that the alt attribute of an image is used to properly describe it.
5. Create an xml sitemap
Site maps are essential for a website with a lof of content as they act as doorways for search engines to follow all the content on the site and garner all possible information that they can for indexing purposes. Make sure that you create the sitemap on site but also create an xml sitemap using xml sitemaps and submit the same to Google and the other search engines.
