SEO for Web Engineers
📰 Hacker News · midef
Learn how web engineers can improve SEO by ensuring server stability, handling downtime, and communicating effectively with stakeholders
Action Steps
- Use the 503 Service Unavailable HTTP response code to handle planned or unexpected downtime
- Create a custom skin and tracking event for each harmful response code (e.g. 4XX and 5XX errors)
- Communicate quickly and send updates to stakeholders when something goes wrong
- Calculate error rates carefully, considering the complexity of web pages and multiple server calls
- Resist the temptation to dismiss anecdotal evidence and investigate bugs thoroughly
Who Needs to Know This
Web engineers and SEO professionals can benefit from this article by understanding their roles and responsibilities in ensuring server stability and handling downtime, which can impact search rankings and user experience
Key Insight
💡 Server stability and downtime handling can significantly impact search rankings and user experience, making it crucial for web engineers to prioritize these aspects
Share This
🚀 Improve SEO by ensuring server stability & handling downtime effectively! 📊
Full Article
Title: SEO for Engineers - Technical SEO Checklist & Fringe Cases
URL Source: https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/seo-for-engineers
Published Time: 2019-02-07T12:39:01-0500
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February 7, 2019
[seo](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles?category=seo)
[John DeFeo](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles?author=596de82f5016e13a6e7e33eb)
SEO For Engineers
[John DeFeo](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles?author=596de82f5016e13a6e7e33eb)
[February 7, 2019](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/seo-for-engineers)
[seo](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/category/seo)
# [SEO For Engineers](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/seo-for-engineers)
[John DeFeo](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles?author=596de82f5016e13a6e7e33eb)
[February 7, 2019](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/seo-for-engineers)
[seo](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/category/seo)
I like to joke that SEO stands for "somebody else's obligation" because it's easy to point a finger [when something goes wrong](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/my-work/good-cheap-and-fast). Engineers know this pain. Lots of fingers get pointed at them, sometimes by "SEO people." But, the reality is this: There is no such thing as search engine optimization unless a website’s technical ducks are in a row.
Engineers have a responsibility to understand their role in SEO, and likewise, those who work with engineers have a responsibility to partner with them, not scapegoat them. That kind of relationship requires information to be shared openly and honestly.
I hope this article highlights important-yet-seldom-mentioned [topics that are worthy of discussion](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/seo-is-ruining-the-internet) within engineering circles, but also amongst SEO professionals who rely on engineering teams.
* * *
## **Server Stability and Downtime**
* The "503 Service Unavailable" HTTP response code is the best way to handle planned or unexpected downtime. It has a minimal impact on search rankings compared to other 5XX responses.
* 500, 502 and 504 HTTP response codes cause Google to suppress a webpage or de-index it altogether. Each time a person or search crawler receives one of these response codes, expect to lose 5-10 organic visits over time.
* Communicate quickly and send updates to stakeholders when something goes wrong. Otherwise, people will come looking for answers and get in the way of finding a solution.
* Create a custom skin and tracking event for each harmful response code (e.g. 4XX and 5XX errors). Problems are easier to diagnose when a layperson can provide _some_ details.
* Be careful when calculating error rates. A complex web page might call the server 150 times as it loads to completion. That means that log files will understate the frequency of harmful response codes that happen _up front_. E.g. Imagine that a web page is loaded twice. First it responds with a "200-OK" status and loads everything else on the page. On the second attempt, it responds with a "502-Bad Gateway" status and the rest of the page can't load. The server was called 151 times total and only one of those calls was a 502 status, however, the error rate for a user is 50%, not 0.6%!
* Resist the temptation to dismiss anecdotal evidence. Many bugs that are dismissed as "can't reproduce" are symptomatic of a
URL Source: https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/seo-for-engineers
Published Time: 2019-02-07T12:39:01-0500
Markdown Content:
[Home](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/)
[Work](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/my-work/)
[Articles](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/)
[Reviews](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/reviews)
[About](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/about)
# [John W. DeFeo](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/)
[Home](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/)
[Work](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/my-work/)
[Articles](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/)
[Reviews](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/reviews)
[About](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/about)
February 7, 2019
[seo](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles?category=seo)
[John DeFeo](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles?author=596de82f5016e13a6e7e33eb)
SEO For Engineers
[John DeFeo](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles?author=596de82f5016e13a6e7e33eb)
[February 7, 2019](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/seo-for-engineers)
[seo](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/category/seo)
# [SEO For Engineers](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/seo-for-engineers)
[John DeFeo](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles?author=596de82f5016e13a6e7e33eb)
[February 7, 2019](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/seo-for-engineers)
[seo](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/category/seo)
I like to joke that SEO stands for "somebody else's obligation" because it's easy to point a finger [when something goes wrong](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/my-work/good-cheap-and-fast). Engineers know this pain. Lots of fingers get pointed at them, sometimes by "SEO people." But, the reality is this: There is no such thing as search engine optimization unless a website’s technical ducks are in a row.
Engineers have a responsibility to understand their role in SEO, and likewise, those who work with engineers have a responsibility to partner with them, not scapegoat them. That kind of relationship requires information to be shared openly and honestly.
I hope this article highlights important-yet-seldom-mentioned [topics that are worthy of discussion](https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/seo-is-ruining-the-internet) within engineering circles, but also amongst SEO professionals who rely on engineering teams.
* * *
## **Server Stability and Downtime**
* The "503 Service Unavailable" HTTP response code is the best way to handle planned or unexpected downtime. It has a minimal impact on search rankings compared to other 5XX responses.
* 500, 502 and 504 HTTP response codes cause Google to suppress a webpage or de-index it altogether. Each time a person or search crawler receives one of these response codes, expect to lose 5-10 organic visits over time.
* Communicate quickly and send updates to stakeholders when something goes wrong. Otherwise, people will come looking for answers and get in the way of finding a solution.
* Create a custom skin and tracking event for each harmful response code (e.g. 4XX and 5XX errors). Problems are easier to diagnose when a layperson can provide _some_ details.
* Be careful when calculating error rates. A complex web page might call the server 150 times as it loads to completion. That means that log files will understate the frequency of harmful response codes that happen _up front_. E.g. Imagine that a web page is loaded twice. First it responds with a "200-OK" status and loads everything else on the page. On the second attempt, it responds with a "502-Bad Gateway" status and the rest of the page can't load. The server was called 151 times total and only one of those calls was a 502 status, however, the error rate for a user is 50%, not 0.6%!
* Resist the temptation to dismiss anecdotal evidence. Many bugs that are dismissed as "can't reproduce" are symptomatic of a
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