You can build a fast, beautifully coded website — and it can still get zero traffic. That's usually not a coding problem. It's a marketing gap.
As a digital marketer who works closely with developers and WordPress builds, I see this pattern constantly: great product, great code, no visibility. Here's what I tell every dev I work with.
- SEO Starts in Your Code, Not After Launch
Search engines read your HTML before anyone reads your design. A few things that matter more than people think:
Semantic HTML — use
–
properly, not just for styling
Meta titles & descriptions — every page needs unique ones
Alt text on images — accessibility and SEO win
Page speed — Core Web Vitals directly affect rankings
Mobile responsiveness — Google indexes mobile-first
If you're building the site, you're already 50% of the way to good SEO. Don't leave it to "someone else" later.
- Google Ads vs Meta Ads — Know the Difference
Developers often get asked "can you also run our ads?" Here's the quick mental model:
Google Ads Meta Ads
Best for High-intent search traffic Audience discovery
User mindset Actively searching Passively scrolling
Strength Conversions Brand awareness
Most businesses eventually need both — Google to capture demand, Meta to create it.
- Content Is Still the Long Game
Blog posts, documentation, and landing pages that answer real questions compound over time. A single well-optimized article can outperform months of paid ads — for free, indefinitely.
- Analytics Isn't Optional
If you're not tracking:
Where traffic comes from
What converts
Where users drop off
...you're building blind. Set up basic analytics and conversion tracking on day one, not as an afterthought.
Final Thought
Development and marketing aren't separate disciplines anymore — they overlap more every year. Understanding both makes you far more valuable, whether you're freelancing, building your own product, or working with a team.
I write more about SEO, Meta Ads, Google Ads, and digital marketing strategy at thenasim.com — feel free to check it out if this was useful.
What's been your experience mixing dev work with marketing? Drop a comment — always curious how other devs handle this.
