Ryan Vandehey

About Ryan Vandehey

I\'m a web developer and technical SEO specialist with 4+ years building, optimizing, and automating across the full website lifecycle, from architecture to deployment to search performance.At Cars Commerce I\'ve worked across WordPress builds, structured data implementation, content migrations, redirect strategies, and deployments within Kubernetes and GitHub workflows. The work I\'m most proud of is what I built beyond my job description.I identified workflow gaps and built the solutions myself, a custom broken link crawler that earned platform innovation recognition, and content automation tooling that eliminated dozens of hours of manual dev work using Python and browser automation. More recently I\'ve been shipping internal tools with Claude Code and AI-assisted development in hours that previously took days.I also founded Vande Digital, where I deliver technical websites and SEO strategy for clients, handling everything from architecture to launch to ongoing search performance.What drives me is finding the gap between where a system or business is and where it could be, then building the thing that closes it.Core skills: Technical SEO · Web Production · WordPress · Python Automation · JavaScript · AI-Augmented Development · Structured Data / JSON-LD · Google Search Console · Site Migrations · SCSS · Kubernetes · GitHub Actions

Experience

1. Website Developer Production Developer

   Cars Commerce

   Apr 2024 — Present · Chicago, IL, US

   As a key member of the Production team, I deliver high-quality, client-facing websites on the Dealer Inspire platform (WordPress), ensuring each build met strict OEM compliance, performance, and UX standards. I combined hands-on development expertise with proactive problem-solving to ship scalable solutions for automotive dealers nationwide.Core Responsibilities & Achievements:Built and launched fully scoped websites using WordPress, HTML5, CSS3/SCSS, JavaScript, PHP, and Bootstrap, delivering pixel-perfect, responsive experiences optimized for performance and SEO.Ensured OEM compliance across forms and site requirements, maintaining strict adherence to industry regulations.Conducted thorough QA testing to identify and resolve usability issues, bugs, and responsive design gaps prior to launch.Developed and maintained complex forms using Gravity Forms, integrating XML notification structures to sync lead data directly with clients’ CRMs.Advised internal teams and dealers on plugin architecture, third-party integrations, and scalable development solutions for non-standard requirements.Initiated internal automation projects using Python and JavaScript to build custom developer tooling—cutting manual effort, increasing delivery speed, and lowering operational costs.Collaborated via GitHub, performing SCSS migration audits and pull requests to modernize front-end architecture.Utilized Docker and Kubernetes for isolated site deployments and development environments.Maintained a commitment to continuous learning in emerging technologies to improve workflows and stay ahead of industry trends.Key Skills:WordPress Development • Frontend Engineering • SCSS / Bootstrap • JavaScript • PHP • Gravity Forms • Responsive Design • Python Automation • GitHub / CI Workflows • Docker / Kubernetes • OEM Compliance • UX Optimization

Education

• University of Wisconsin-Parkside

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, History

• Zero To Mastery Academy

  Computer Science