How Can I Check My SEO as a Solo Dev?

How Can I Check My SEO as a Solo Dev?

As a solo developer, you can check your SEO using a combination of free tools like Google Search Console and Lighthouse, plus automated solutions like ShinyRank that analyze your pages and provide actionable fixes. The key is finding tools that give you clear, actionable feedback without requiring hours of research or SEO expertise.

The most effective approach for solo developers is to start with automated SEO checking tools that identify issues and provide specific fixes, then use free tools like Google Search Console for ongoing monitoring. This saves time while ensuring your site stays optimized.

Why SEO Checking Matters for Solo Developers

For solo developers, SEO checking isn't optional—it's essential for product discovery. Here's why:

Organic Discovery is Your Best Marketing Channel

As a solo developer, you likely don't have a marketing budget for paid ads. Organic search traffic is free, sustainable, and highly targeted. Users searching for keywords related to your product are already interested in your solution. Without proper SEO, even the best applications remain invisible.

Early SEO Investment Compounds Over Time

Unlike paid advertising that stops working when you stop paying, SEO builds lasting value. A well-optimized page can continue driving traffic for months or years with minimal ongoing maintenance. The earlier you optimize, the more time your content has to rank and drive traffic.

Competitive Advantage

Many developers overlook SEO, focusing only on building features. By investing in SEO checking and optimization early, you gain a significant advantage over competitors who ignore it. Your well-optimized site can outrank competitors with better products but poor SEO.

Manual SEO Checking Methods

Before diving into automated solutions, it's helpful to understand the manual tools available:

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free tool that shows how Google sees your site. It provides:

• Search performance data: Which keywords bring traffic, click-through rates, and average position
• Coverage issues: Pages that can't be indexed, crawl errors, and sitemap problems
• Mobile usability: Mobile-friendly issues that affect rankings
• Core Web Vitals: Page speed and user experience metrics

How to use it: Connect your site, verify ownership, and check the reports weekly for issues.

Google Lighthouse

Lighthouse is a built-in Chrome DevTools feature that audits your pages for:

• Performance: Page load speed and optimization opportunities
• Accessibility: How accessible your site is to all users
• Best Practices: Security, modern web standards, and best practices
• SEO: Specific SEO issues like missing meta descriptions, improper heading structure, and missing alt text

How to use it: Open Chrome DevTools (F12), go to the Lighthouse tab, select "SEO" (or run all audits), and click "Generate report". Review the issues and fix them one by one.

PageSpeed Insights

PageSpeed Insights tests your page speed on both mobile and desktop, providing:

• Performance scores and recommendations
• Field data from real users (if available)
• Specific suggestions for improvement

How to use it: Enter your URL at PageSpeed Insights and review the recommendations.

Manual Content Review

You can also manually check:

• Title tags: Ensure each page has a unique, descriptive title under 60 characters
• Meta descriptions: Check that pages have compelling descriptions under 160 characters
• Heading structure: Verify proper H1 → H2 → H3 hierarchy
• Internal linking: Ensure important pages are linked from other pages
• Image alt text: Confirm all images have descriptive alt text

The Challenge: Time and Expertise

While these manual methods work, they present significant challenges for solo developers:

Time Constraints

Manually checking SEO means:

• Running multiple tools for each page
• Interpreting technical reports
• Researching what each issue means
• Figuring out how to fix problems
• Testing fixes and verifying improvements

For a solo developer already stretched thin, this process can take hours per page—time that could be spent building features or serving users.

SEO Expertise Required

Understanding SEO reports requires knowledge of:

• Technical SEO concepts (canonical tags, structured data, robots.txt)
• On-page optimization (keyword usage, content structure, metadata)
• Performance optimization (Core Web Vitals, page speed, mobile responsiveness)
• Best practices that change over time

Most solo developers don't have time to become SEO experts, yet they need SEO to succeed.

Inconsistent Checking

Without a systematic approach, SEO checking often gets pushed to "later"—and later never comes. Your site accumulates SEO issues over time, hurting rankings and discoverability.

Automated SEO Checking with ShinyRank

This is where ShinyRank comes in. ShinyRank automates SEO checking, giving you:

Comprehensive SEO Analysis

ShinyRank analyzes your pages and provides:

• Overall SEO score (0-100) showing how well-optimized your page is
• Detailed breakdown by category (metadata, content quality, technical SEO, etc.)
• Specific issues with clear explanations of why they matter
• Actionable fixes with code examples you can implement immediately

No SEO Expertise Required

ShinyRank explains each issue in plain language and provides ready-to-use code snippets. You don't need to research what a missing meta description means or how to add structured data—ShinyRank shows you exactly what to do.

Time-Saving Automation

Instead of manually running multiple tools and interpreting reports, you:

1. Paste your URL into ShinyRank
2. Get a comprehensive SEO analysis in seconds
3. Review the issues and fixes
4. Implement the suggested improvements

This process takes minutes instead of hours, making SEO checking feasible for busy solo developers.

Continuous Monitoring

ShinyRank helps you check SEO regularly without the manual overhead. You can analyze pages before launch, after major updates, or on a regular schedule to catch issues early.

Using ShinyRank's GitHub App for Continuous SEO

For the ultimate time-saving solution, ShinyRank's GitHub App automates SEO checking directly in your development workflow.

How It Works

1. Install the GitHub App on your repository (takes less than a minute)
2. Open a pull request with your code changes
3. Comment "Shinyrank" on the PR to trigger analysis
4. Get SEO suggestions posted directly in your PR comments
5. Apply fixes using the provided code examples before merging

Benefits for Solo Developers

The GitHub App is perfect for solo developers because:

• Catches issues before production: Fix SEO problems before they go live
• Framework-aware suggestions: Understands Next.js, Nuxt.js, and other frameworks
• No context switching: Get SEO feedback without leaving GitHub
• Actionable code examples: Every suggestion includes ready-to-use code
• Automatic analysis: No need to remember to check—just comment when you want a review

When to Use It

Use the GitHub App for:

• New pages or components you're adding
• Major content updates
• Metadata or structured data changes
• Before launching new features

This ensures your SEO stays optimized without adding manual checking steps to your workflow.

Getting Started with SEO Checking

Ready to start checking your SEO? Here's a simple workflow:

Step 1: Initial Audit

1. Go to ShinyRank's analyze page
2. Enter your homepage URL
3. Review the SEO score and breakdown
4. Fix critical issues using the provided suggestions

Step 2: Set Up Continuous Monitoring

1. Install ShinyRank's GitHub App on your repository
2. Test it by commenting "Shinyrank" on a pull request
3. Review the suggestions and apply fixes
4. Make this part of your regular PR workflow

Step 3: Connect Google Search Console

1. Verify your site in Google Search Console
2. Submit your sitemap
3. Check monthly for coverage issues and performance data

Step 4: Regular Reviews

1. Set a monthly calendar reminder
2. Check your top 5-10 pages with ShinyRank
3. Fix any new issues that appear
4. Monitor traffic trends in Google Search Console

Common SEO Issues Solo Developers Face

When checking your SEO, you'll likely encounter these common issues:

Missing or Duplicate Metadata

• Problem: Pages missing title tags, meta descriptions, or using duplicate metadata
• Impact: Search engines can't properly display your pages in results
• Fix: Add unique, descriptive title tags (under 60 chars) and meta descriptions (under 160 chars) to every page

Poor Heading Structure

• Problem: Missing H1 tags, improper H2/H3 hierarchy, or using headings for styling
• Impact: Search engines can't understand your content structure
• Fix: Use one H1 per page, follow logical H2 → H3 hierarchy, and use headings for structure, not styling

Missing Structured Data

• Problem: No schema.org markup for articles, products, or other content types
• Impact: Missing rich snippets in search results and lower AI citation potential
• Fix: Add appropriate JSON-LD structured data based on your content type

Slow Page Speed

• Problem: Pages take too long to load
• Impact: Lower rankings and poor user experience
• Fix: Optimize images, minimize JavaScript, use CDN, and leverage browser caching

Mobile Responsiveness Issues

• Problem: Site doesn't work well on mobile devices
• Impact: Lower mobile rankings and poor user experience
• Fix: Use responsive design, test on mobile devices, and optimize for mobile performance

Tools Comparison for Solo Developers

Here's how different SEO checking approaches compare:

For most solo developers, a combination of ShinyRank (for analysis) and Google Search Console (for monitoring) provides the best balance of time, cost, and effectiveness.