In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the best practices, strategies, and techniques for On-Page SEO to boost your website’s rankings and drive more traffic to your website.
What is on-page SEO?
In today’s digital age, having a website is no longer enough to attract visitors and potential customers. To get noticed and stand out from the crowd, you need to optimize your website for search engines. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic by increasing the visibility of a website or a web page in search engine results pages (SERPs). On-page SEO is one of the most critical aspects of SEO, as it involves optimizing individual web pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic.
On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing web pages for specific keywords in order to improve search visibility and traffic. It involves aligning page-specific elements like title tags, headings, content, and internal links with keywords. On-page SEO is anything you can do on the page itself to improve its rankings. This includes optimizing title tags and meta descriptions, structured data (schema), headers, SEO copywriting, internal and external links, image optimization, and more. On-page SEO is different from off-page SEO, which is optimizing for signals that happen off of your website (like backlinks). It is also different from technical SEO, which deals with sitewide issues such as crawlability, overall site speed, and information architecture. When done correctly, on-page SEO can help search engines better understand and digest your content, leading to higher rankings and more organic traffic.
What are the must-have on-page SEO elements?
1. Header with H1 and H2 tags
What are the Must-Have On-Page SEO Elements for a Header With H1 and H2 Tags? [Expanded List]
Having the right on-page SEO elements in your header, including H1 and H2 tags, can help boost the ranking ability of your blog posts. H1 tags (or headings) are used to identify the title of the page, while H2 tags denote the main sections of your content. To ensure your pages are optimized properly, here are the must-have on-page SEO elements for a header with H1 and H2 tags:
- Use an H1 tag as your page title or headline, and include H2s to cover subtopics.
- Include your target keyword in at least one H2 tag.
- Utilize keyword variations in your headings to give Google more context about the structure and content of your page.
- Try to work in some Latent Semantic Index (LSI) keywords in your headings.
- Align your headings with the content they are describing.
- Check that your title is wrapped in an H1 tag, and that your keyword is inside of it.
- Make sure your headings are descriptive, so readers can get an idea of what the page is about by reading them.
- Break up content and make pages easier to read with multiple H2 tags per page.
- Utilize H3s, H4s, etc. for further detail, as needed.
2. Snippet of the page
A snippet of the page is an important part of on-page SEO, as it helps search engines understand what the page is about. A snippet of the page contains elements such as the page title, meta description, and HTML elements, which help search engines determine if the page is relevant to a user’s search query. Optimizing these elements can help you rank higher in the search engine result pages (SERPs), as it demonstrates to search engine algorithms that your page is a suitable match for the user’s search query. Furthermore, ranking in a Featured Snippet can make a huge difference in your click-through rate (CTR). To take the top spot, one must understand the user’s search intent and format the answer accordingly which could be a quick one- or two-sentence answer, a table, a video, etc.
3. Keyword-optimized page title
How does a keyword-optimized page title help with SEO?
Having an optimized title tag is an important on-page ranking factor, as it helps search engines to identify and understand the content of a page. A well-crafted title tag should be between 50-60 characters, include your targeted keyword near the beginning, and avoid keyword stuffing. Furthermore, you should include your brand name separated by a pipe (|) at the end of the title tag. Using these best practices can help you rank higher in search engine results and increase your click-through rate.
4. Rich keywords in the article body
Using rich keywords in the article body is an important part of on-page SEO. By including these keywords in the page’s body text, Google can read the content and rank it accordingly. Front-loading the keyword in the headline also helps search engines understand what the blog post is about, while also driving more clicks as readers know that the post is relevant. Additionally, the keyword should be used once in the first 100-150 words of the article. This is important as Google puts more weight on terms that show up early on the page. All of these elements help to ensure that search engines understand the content and will rank it appropriately.
5. Use of images
Using images affects on-page SEO in a number of ways. Firstly, images can break up text-heavy content, making it more enjoyable and increasing user engagement by decreasing bounce rate and increasing time on the website. Secondly, including keywords in the image’s alt tag property can help to optimize the image for SEO, making it easier for search engines to understand. Additionally, using descriptive file names and providing alt text can also help with on-page SEO. Moreover, using original images on the website can have a positive impact on organic web rankings and image rankings. Finally, images can also rank in search engine visual searches, further increasing your chances of being found by potential customers.
6. Header with H1 and H2 tags
What are the Must-Have On-Page SEO Elements for a Header with H1 and H2 Tags?
Heading tags are one of the most important elements for on-page SEO. The H1 tag is like a mini title tag, and it helps Google understand the structure of the page. H2s are used to further label the different points made in each H2 section. Using keywords in headings gives Google more context about the structure of your page, and also helps it determine whether your page matches a user’s search intent.
To ensure your website is optimized for search engines, it’s best practice to use one H1 per page for the title, and then use H2s for subheadings. It’s also important to include your target keyword in at least one subheading, and you can also work in some latent semantic index (LSI) keywords into your subheadings as well. This will help improve your content’s visual hierarchy and make it easier for users to skim and find specific information.
On top of that, you should make sure that your title is wrapped in an H1 and that your keyword is inside of that H1 tag. This will help you rank higher for relevant keywords, and enable Google to surface your page in results for more specific queries related to the page.
7. Use of internal links
The use of internal links (like this one) on a website has a significant impact on on-page SEO. Internal linking helps keep readers on a website by linking to related pieces of content on the same site, helping search engines understand the structure of the website, and building authority for newer pages and articles. Internal links also allow Google crawlers to discover and navigate to new pages and signal to Google that the linked-to page is valuable. Additionally, using strategic anchor text within internal links can help Google understand the content of the linked page, as well as help the user navigate through a website and keep them on the website longer. A well-structured internal link framework can also reinforce the context and relevance of a website, as well as the website’s depth of coverage on a given topic. All these benefits lead to improved SEO rankings of a website.
8. Mobile-friendly website
Mobile-friendliness is a must-have on-page SEO element in 2020 because more than 50% of the Internet’s traffic comes from mobile devices, and search engines like Google use mobile-friendliness or responsiveness as a ranking factor. Having a mobile-friendly website is essential because it can improve your website’s rankings in search results and can help you get more valuable leads and revenue. In addition, Google announced in 2015 that mobile-friendly compliance will soon become a ranking signal for searches conducted on mobile devices, and in 2018, Google began using mobile page speed results and shifting to Mobile-first indexing. This means Google will predominantly use the mobile version of your content for indexing and ranking instead of the desktop version used in the past.
To make sure your website is mobile-friendly, you can run your website or an individual URL through Google’s Mobile-Friendly Testing Tool to find errors and prioritize them for correction. In most cases, Google’s mobile-first index favors mobile-optimized sites, so using a responsive design is usually the best solution for SEO and analytics.
If you use WordPress, most WP themes are built responsively, but it’s still a good idea to check your mobile-friendliness in a tool from Google or Search Console. Additionally, you can simplify the menu, compress image sizes, eliminate aggressive pop-up windows, optimize the text, and consider implementing Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) to help improve your website’s mobile-friendliness.
9. Content optimization
Content optimization is the process of optimizing content for both search engine algorithms and people. It is a crucial part of on-page SEO and involves optimizing elements such as text, images, videos, meta-tags, and structural text elements for maximum visibility and user engagement. Optimizing content for search engine algorithms involves optimizing keyword density, using WDF*IDF tools, and topic cluster analysis for relevant terms. It also involves optimizing file sizes, calls-to-action, meta-tags, and alt-tags. Optimizing content for people involves emphasizing readability, creating attractive visuals and galleries, and creating content that is engaging and informative. Content optimization can lead to improved rankings, higher click-through rates, and increased user engagement, thus making it a key part of SEO strategy.
10. Presence on social media
Social media presence can have a major impact on SEO. Through social signals, search algorithms are able to better understand the relevance and helpfulness of a website’s content, thus increasing its visibility and ranking in search results. Additionally, increased brand awareness and engagement generated through social media can lead to more people viewing and sharing your content, increasing the chances of acquiring backlinks, which directly help boost a website’s ranking. By using Open Graph tags and Twitter Cards, as well as making it easy for people to share content with “tweet this quote” links or social share buttons, businesses can further capitalize on the power of social media to improve their SEO.
Finally, by taking advantage of digital marketing techniques such as Google My Business, businesses can increase their presence on Google Maps and increase their local visibility.
How to optimize on-page SEO elements?
1. Create a keyword-optimized headline
How to Create a Keyword-Optimized Headline [Step-by-Step Instructions]
Crafting a headline that’s optimized for keywords can help boost your blog post’s SEO ranking. The key is to front-load your target keyword phrase, make it visually appealing, and include it in your title tag.
Here are 10 actionable steps for creating an SEO-friendly headline:
- Place your target keyword phrase at the forefront of your headline.
- Make your headline visually appealing with parentheses.
- Utilize strategic meta tags.
- Put your targeted keywords in the title tag of each page on your site.
- Limit your title tags to 55-60 characters.
- Push the keyword closer to the beginning of the title (if it sounds natural).
- Don’t stuff your keywords.
- Include brand at the end of the title tag, separated by a pipe bar
- Design a featured image that stands out and supports the headline.
- Use smart image alt text (alternative title tags).
2. Add an optimized meta description
Adding an optimized meta description can help optimize on-page SEO elements by increasing click-through rate (CTR) and encouraging more search traffic. A well-written meta description should be unique, contain the keyword or keyword phrase you wish to target and be between 150-155 characters in length.
Plus, if your meta description contains the exact keyword the user is searching for, it will become bold in search results, making it stand out visually and potentially boosting clicks.
Additionally, when creating your meta descriptions, consider mobile devices, use active voice and a call-to-action (CTA) to entice users to click, and make sure to check for duplicate meta descriptions. All of these practices help ensure that your meta description accurately reflects the content on your page and matches the user’s search intent.
3. Optimize the content for search engines
Step 1: Cover Relevant Topics
Make sure the content you’re writing covers relevant topics that you have experience or expertise in. This will give your content credibility and will be more helpful to your readers.
Step 2: Include Keywords
Include keywords people would use to find the content. This will make it easier for search engines to pick up on your content and rank it higher. Use keyword research tools to find out which words and phrases are most likely to be used by potential readers of your content.
Step 3: Make it Unique
Make sure your content is unique or original. Search engines prefer to show content that is different from what other websites are displaying. By creating original content, you can avoid being penalized by search engines.
Step 4: Improve Quality
Improve the quality of your content by making sure it is well-written and free of grammatical and spelling errors. Also, make sure it is up-to date-and contains accurate information.
Step 5: Add Multimedia
Adding multimedia such as images and videos can help improve the quality of your content and make it more engaging.
Step 6: Beat Competitors
It’s important to make sure your content is better than your competitors in the SERP. This means researching your competitors’ content and finding ways to make yours stand out.
Step 7: Optimize for Search Engines
Optimizing for search engines means making sure your content includes title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, image alt text, Open Graph and Twitter Cards metadata, and other SEO elements. These will help your content show up higher in search engine rankings.
Step 8: Prioritize E-A-T
Google weighs your page based on expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Make sure your content is written by someone with experience, include references and sources, and focus on creating trust with your readers.
Step 9: Use Keywords
Using keywords in your content is important for optimizing it for search engines. Make sure to include keywords that people are likely to use when searching for content related to your topic.
Step 10: Master SEO Writing
Writing content that is optimized for search engines and engaging to human visitors requires a special skill. Master the art of SEO writing by emphasizing readability and including useful keywords.
4. Add relevant internal links
Adding relevant internal links can help optimize on-page SEO elements by keeping readers on the website, helping search engines understand the site’s structure and building authority for newer pages and articles. Internal links can pass page authority to important pages, and they can also help search engines find, understand, and index all the pages on the site. Additionally, links with descriptive anchor text can entice readers to click, and search engine robots can easily decipher them. Therefore, it is a good practice to add two or three internal links to every new piece of content to ensure a better user experience and improved search engine rankings.
5. Use the right H1, H2 and H3 tags
How Do the Right H1, H2 and H3 Tags Affect On-Page SEO?
Heading tags, including H1, H2, and H3, play a crucial role in on-page SEO. These tags help search engines understand the structure and content of your web page, which can impact your website’s ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). In this article, we will discuss the importance of heading tags and how to use them effectively for on-page SEO.
What Are Heading Tags and How Do They Impact SEO?
Heading tags are HTML tags that are used to structure the content of a web page. H1 is the most important heading tag, which should be used for the main heading of a page. H2 and H3 are used for subheadings and sub-subheadings, respectively. Heading tags help search engines understand the hierarchy of content on a web page and the importance of each heading. This helps search engines to determine the relevance and quality of the content, which can impact your website’s ranking on SERPs.
What Is the Role of an H1 Tag in SEO?
The H1 tag is the most important heading tag on a web page. It should be used for the main heading of a page, which should include the primary keyword of the page. The H1 tag helps search engines understand the topic of the page and its relevance to the search query. This can impact your website’s ranking on SERPs, as search engines use the H1 tag as a key ranking factor.
H3: How Many H2 Tags Should You Have On a Page?
The number of H2 tags on a page depends on the length and structure of the content. Generally, it is recommended to have one H2 tag for every 300-500 words of content. However, there is no strict rule about the number of H2 tags you should use on a page. The most important thing is to use them logically and structurally, so that they help search engines and users understand the content on your web page.
How Can You Use Heading Tags To Improve Your On-Page SEO?
There are several ways to use heading tags effectively for on-page SEO:
- Use H1 tag for the main heading of a page and include the primary keyword of the page.
- Use H2 and H3 tags for subheadings and sub-subheadings, respectively.
- Use heading tags to structure the content of a page logically and make it easy to read and understand.
- Use relevant and descriptive text for your heading tags to help search engines and users understand the content of your page.
- Avoid using too many heading tags on a page, as this can confuse search engines and users.
What Are Some Tips For Writing Effective H1, H2 and H3 Tags?
Here are some tips for writing effective heading tags:
- Use clear and descriptive language that accurately reflects the content of the page.
- Include the primary keyword of the page in the H1 tag.
- Use H2 and H3 tags to organize and structure the content of the page.
- Avoid using too many heading tags on a page, as this can dilute their effectiveness.
- Use heading tags to make your content easy to read and understand for both search engines and users.
6. Use the right image alt-text and titles
Using the right image alt-text and titles can help optimize on-page SEO elements by providing context to search engine crawlers and allowing people who use screen readers to hear descriptions of images. Alt text should be brief, include a target keyword, and not include phrases like “image of” or “picture of.” Including keyword-rich images in content increases the chances of ranking in Google Images, which accounts for 22.6% of all searches. Doing this can help a page rank higher, as it gives search engines another clue of what the page is about.
7. Add the necessary HTML elements
Step 1: Ensure your page titles are optimized for SEO by including your focus keyword, keeping it under 60 characters and making it relevant to the page. Additionally, avoid using all caps and incorporate your brand name into the title.
Step 2: Use header tags for organizing content on a page, as well as providing search engines with a synopsis of the page.
Step 3: Incorporate visuals into your page, such as images and videos, and optimize them using descriptive file names and image alt-text.
Step 4: Use title tags to specify the title of your page to both visitors and search engines. Keep it under 60 characters, avoid keyword stuffing, and make sure it is relevant to the page.
Step 5: Add a meta description to provide an accurate summary of your page content. This won’t boost your rankings, but can help increase click-through-rates.
Step 6: Optimize images for faster loading, by choosing the right format and file size. Additionally, include SEO-friendly alt tags and customize file names.
Step 7: Geotag your site if it is focused on local search. This will allow search engines to associate your content with a particular geographic area.
8. Make your website responsive
Making a website responsive can help with on-page SEO by improving the user experience on mobile devices, which will lead to higher rankings in search engine results. Having a responsive website eliminates the need to create a separate mobile site, which simplifies website maintenance. Responsive design also ensures that images and graphics are not too large and that the page loading speed is optimized. In addition, a responsive website encourages user interaction with call-to-action elements and can help to improve the overall usability of the website.
9. Use social media
Social media is an important tool for optimizing on-page SEO elements. Through social media, content can receive more clicks, likes, and shares, which helps to increase brand awareness and create more opportunities to acquire backlinks. Additionally, the Open Graph protocol can be used to control how information is displayed on social feeds, which can help to make content more appealing and help increase clicks, likes, and shares. Finally, content can be kept up-to-date and accurate by completing regular reviews every six months, or by expanding and improving upon existing assets. All of these strategies can help to boost search rankings and visibility.
10. Monitor your on-page SEO with a tool
How can you monitor your on-page SEO with a tool? [Step-by-step instructions]
Step 1: Use a rank-tracking tool.
One of the best ways to measure the impact of your on-page SEO activities is to track the rankings of your most important keywords. You can check your average positions in Google Search Console, but a rank tracking tool provides greater advantages. It allows you to track only the keywords you are interested in, see the actual rankings for a specific location, and get other valuable insights such as overall progress, top rankers/outrankers, etc. You can also set up alerts to be notified of any sudden drops in rankings.
Step 2: Make an annotation.
If you make any specific on-page SEO changes, make an annotation in the tracking to see whether it has any impact on the rankings. For example, if you change the title of a post, make an annotation to see if this affects the rankings.
Step 3: Use SEO-specialist tools.
Use SEO-specialist tools such as Ahrefs and Semrush to run comprehensive audits on your website to check for on-page, off-page, and technical SEO factors.
Step 4: Use WordPress plugins.
WordPress plugins like Yoast can provide a score and suggestions on the readability and keyword targeting of your content. Take these suggestions with a grain of salt though.
Step 5: Use website graders.
Website graders such as LOCALiQ’s Free Website Grader provide a report on your website’s on-page SEO factors and offer suggestions on how to improve them.
Step 6: Use a site speed tool.
Monitor your site speed using a tool such as Google’s PageSpeed Insights. Slow websites can frustrate users, increase bounce rates, and signal to search engines that your site is not a quality resource.
Step 7: Use an on-page SEO template.
Use a template such as On-Page SEO Template to organize and track the various on-page SEO elements. This Google Sheet document allows you to coordinate pages and keywords, and track changes all in one place.
FAQ
On-page SEO is a type of search engine optimization that helps webpages to rank higher in relevant search engine results. It involves creating content, inserting keywords, improving page speed and other on-site optimizations to improve the search rankings. On-page SEO ensures that content is easy to understand and digestible by both search engines and searchers. It also involves optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, internal links, and other page-level elements for the specific keywords that are being targeted. On-page SEO is different from off-page SEO which includes techniques such as getting backlinks to the website or building domain authority. When properly implemented, on-page SEO can help to increase organic traffic and visibility for your website.
On-page SEO helps to improve search rankings by providing search engine bots with clear and relevant information regarding a page’s content and HTML. This allows Google to better understand and digest the content, resulting in the page being indexed and potentially ranked higher in search results. Optimizing page-level elements, such as title tags, headings, content and links, as well as search intent with a specific set of keywords, can result in increased website traffic, higher search rankings, more visitors to the site and increased conversions. Ultimately, by optimizing a website for on-page SEO, the visibility of the site will be improved, resulting in more organic traffic and better search engine rankings.
On-page SEO is an important part of optimizing your website for higher organic search engine rankings, and key elements of on-page SEO include:
URLs – Keep your page URLs short and descriptive, and use HTTPS if possible.
Title Tags and Meta Descriptions – Optimize your title tags and meta descriptions for the target keyword.
Structured Data (Schema) – Use structured data to provide search engines with more information about your content.
Headers – Add headers and subsections to ensure your content is readable and easy to understand.
SEO Copywriting – Use SEO copywriting best practices such as writing content that satisfies user intent, using the target keyword within the first 100 words, and maintaining an appropriate keyword density.
Internal Linking – Include internal links to other helpful pages on your website to keep readers around longer and provide more time for Google to crawl and index your pages.
External Links – Provide external links to credible, authoritative sources to help boost your reputation.
Image Optimization – Optimize your images with descriptive titles and alt-text to help search engines more easily understand the content.
Following these steps will help you achieve better organic search engine rankings and more traffic to your website.
Optimizing your website pages for on-page SEO can help you rank higher and get more search engine traffic. Here is a step-by-step guide to getting you started:
- Do your keyword research and target one keyword or keyword phrase per page.
- Write accurate, organized, actionable, and in-depth content on the targeted keyword.
- Place your keyword in the title, headings, images, meta description, URL, and first 100 words of the page.
- Compress and resize images, and include the keyword in the alt text and file name.
- Use a compelling title that conveys value, front-loaded with the keyword.
- Use headings to convey information hierarchy, with the keyword in at least two H2 headings.
- Write a benefit-focused meta description that contains the keyword.
- Include 1-3 external links to high-quality sites plus internal links.
- Keep the URL short, and descriptive, with dashes between words, and include the keyword.
- Check for mobile compatibility, page speed, and indexation.
- Periodically update and refresh the page elements to maintain content freshness.
By following these steps, you should be able to start optimizing your website pages for on-page SEO. However, it’s important to remember that SEO is a dynamic process, so you should always stay up to date with the latest SEO strategies and best practices.
Keyword research is a critical part of SEO and should not be overlooked when creating new content. It helps you to find new topic ideas, find phrases that are popular and relevant to your target audience, and understand what people are actively searching for. Through keyword research, you can create content that is perfectly tailored to your visitors, increase your visibility in search engine results, and optimize your content for maximum relevance and impact.
When conducting keyword research, it’s important to focus on the quality of the content, topical keywords, the search intent, and the competition for a given keyword. Using keyword research tools like Ahrefs Keyword Explorer, Semrush, Uber Suggest, Moz Keyword Explorer, and Keyword Surfer can help you find relevant keywords in your industry, research existing keywords you may already have, understand how easy it is to rank for certain keywords, uncover questions people are asking related to your topic, and estimate how many people are searching for a given keyword each month.
In conclusion, keyword research is an essential part of SEO and should be a priority when creating content. Through proper keyword research, you can create content that is tailored to your target audience and optimized for maximum relevance and visibility.
Optimizing images for on-page SEO can help boost page rankings and improve user experience. Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting the most out of your images:
- Optimize for speed: Resize your images so their width doesn’t exceed the maximum width of the page and compress them to reduce file size without sacrificing quality. You may also want to consider a content delivery network (CDN) for larger sites with lots of images.
- Add alt text: This is the text alternative of an image and helps Google (and screen readers for the visually impaired) understand what your image is about, and should contain the keyword you’re targeting.
- Convey value: Use images to illustrate concepts on your page, such as with graphs, screenshots, and your own illustrations.
- Don’t replace text with images: Alt text is only meant to be a few words, so make sure to also include the relevant information written out in the body text of the page.
- Optimize filename: The name of the uploaded image should contain the keyword you’re targeting. Replace spaces in the filename with dashes or underscores.
- Add images to your site’s XML sitemap: This helps search engines understand the image.
By following these steps, you’ll be able to make the best of images as an on-page SEO component and get the most out of your content.
Optimizing website load times is essential for improving user experience and ensuring that your site is properly ranked by search engines. To improve your site’s load time, there are several simple steps you can take.
- Minimize HTTP requests – HTTP requests are necessary for loading content, but can slow down your site if you have too many. Try to minimize the number of requests by combining and optimizing components of the page such as images, JS, CSS and HTML.
- Set server response time – Your server response time should be less than 200ms or it could be slowing down your page. Check your server response time with online tools like Pingdom or KeyCDN Speed Test.
- Set browser caching to at least one week – Enabling browser caching can help speed up the loading of your site. Most browsers allow you to set the maximum age for cached content, so make sure it is set to at least one week.
- Enable Gzip compression – Gzip compression is the most effective way to reduce page size and speed up page loading time. You can enable it through your .htaccess file or use a plugin like W3 Total Cache.
- Reduce image size – Large image files can significantly slow down your page loading time, so try to keep all images under 100kb. You can reduce the size of your images without sacrificing quality using tools like TinyPNG or JPEGmini.
- Place all CSS in an external style sheet – Placing all of your CSS code in an external style sheet will help reduce the size of your HTML files, which can improve loading speed.
- Minify JS, CSS, and HTML – Minifying code is the process of removing unnecessary characters in your code, such as spaces, line breaks, and comments. Minifying your code can improve loading time and help reduce file sizes.
- Prioritize above the fold content – Content that is “above the fold” is the content that is visible on the page before the user scrolls down. By prioritizing loading of this content, you can help improve page speed.
- Move to a faster host – You can improve your website speed by moving to a faster hosting provider. Make sure to do your research and find a hosting provider that can meet your needs.
- Reduce third-party scripts – Third-party scripts can bog down your loading times. If possible, try to reduce the number of scripts you use on your site.
Following these steps will help improve your website’s page speed and ensure that your site is properly ranked by search engines.
The format of content is an important factor for SEO success. Content should be written to prioritize search engines and convert human visitors to the website. SEO writing involves using the target customers’ keywords in the body, headings, or both to ensure the page is relevant to the search. Content should also strive to meet Google’s E-A-T criteria, which stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Additionally, content should be easy to read, skimmable, and contain helpful images. Finally, content should be unique and original, and regular updates should be made to keep Google aware of your site’s activity. All of these content formatting techniques work together to make sure your website is both optimized and provides a good user experience.
Meta tags and title tags are essential for on-page SEO, as they help search engines understand the purpose of a page. A well-crafted title tag can directly improve a page’s rankings, and an optimized meta description is important for increasing the Click-Through Rate (CTR). The title and description should be written to be attractive to potential visitors, as this will lead to more clicks on the search engine listing. Additionally, Google may now rewrite page titles based on elements such as headings and inbound links, so it is important to keep an eye on the changes that Google makes.
The benefits of using meta tags and title tags include improved visibility in search engine results, increased CTRs, and better understanding of your page’s content by search engines. Additionally, by including the focus keyword in the title tag, potential visitors will easily be able to recognize that your page is relevant to their search. Further, optimizing images with SEO-friendly alt tags, choosing the right format, and ensuring that the file size is relatively small will help improve page load times and user experience.
Tracking the progress of your on-page SEO is an essential part of optimizing your website. In order to keep track of the results, here are the steps you should follow:
- Use Website Analytics: Set up and use tools such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to collect performance data. You can also use “all-in-one” platforms that offer multiple tools, or create your own tools if the market doesn’t offer what you need.
- Report on Progress: Create reports using software or manually, and compare them to previous report periods (e.g., year over year).
- Implement SEO Changes: Make the necessary changes on your website, or pass them along to someone to implement for you. Aim to work on 5 to 10 pages per week.
- Set Up Rank Tracking Tool: Make use of a rank tracking tool (such as SERPWatcher) to only track the keywords you are interested in, not hundreds of unimportant long tail keywords. This tool will also allow you to see the actual rankings for a specific location and provide other valuable insights such as overall progress, top rankers/outrankers, etc.
- Make Annotations: If you make any specific on-page SEO changes, make an annotation in the tracking to see whether it has any impact on the rankings.
- Use a Template: Make use of a template such as the HubSpot On-Page SEO Template that allows you to coordinate pages and keywords — and track changes — all in one place.
By following these steps, you will be able to track the progress of your on-page SEO and make sure your tactics are up to snuff.
Need help with your On-Page SEO? Schedule a free Call