On-page SEO is important for search engine optimization (SEO) because it helps Google to understand what each piece of content on your site is about. The better Google understands your content, the higher it will rank in search and the more organic traffic, conversions, and revenue you will earn. Even better, getting your on-page SEO right will improve your user experience.
This step-by-step guide to on-page SEO covers the best practices for on-page optimization to implement and why they are important to his overall SEO strategy.
What is On-Page SEO?
On-page SEO (also known as on-site SEO) refers to how you can optimize your web pages to improve your website’s search engine rankings and get organic traffic. Besides publishing relevant and high-quality content, on-page SEO includes optimization of headlines, HTML tags (title, Meta, header), and images.
Technical SEO vs On-Page SEO
Some of us use the both SEO terms interchangeably. But both are separate not same. Technical SEO deals with page speed or page velocity, duplicate content, page structure, crawling, indexing, etc. In other words, technical optimization focuses on the entire website, while on-page optimization focuses on specific URLs.
Why on-page SEO is so important
Google is constantly evolving its search algorithms. In 2021, he conducted 800,000 experiments and updated the search algorithm more than 5,000 times.
Still, despite constant improvements, it’s not perfect. Google still needs help to understand new content. This is where search engine optimization (SEO) on your page comes into play. Luckily, on-page SEO strategies are not as difficult as some people think. In reality, there are only a handful of ranking factors that need to be considered. Our top priority is to create a great user experience, not just optimize content for bots.
URLs help on-page SEO
Google states that URLs help us better understand what a page is about. So how do you optimize your URLs?
Add keywords: Include primary keywords in your URLs to help search engines and users understand your page content.
Consider intent: Use descriptive language in addition to your main keyword to convey the purpose or intent of your page.
Use real words: Use real words in your URLs instead of the numbers and letters that some content management systems output.
Keep it short: Shorten your URL structure to make it easier for search engines to understand. Also, Google often displays URLs in search results. If your page URL is a long string of random letters and numbers, it won’t help your users understand your page. The more you understand the purpose of a page, the more likely you are to click on a search result.
Use hyphens between words: Hyphens make URLs easier to read. For example, for a page about coffee grinders, use the URL www.yourcompany.com/coffee-bean-grinders
Avoid session IDs: Whenever possible, avoid including session IDs in URLs. This will flood you with URLs for the same page. We recommend using first-party cookies instead.
On-page SEO for Meta tags
The first step in on-page SEO analysis is to check your title and Meta description. Follow the steps:
Put the main keyword at the beginning of the title. Keep your title between 55 and 60 characters long to avoid truncation in search results. WordPress plugins like Yoast can tell you if your Meta tags are too long. Avoid all caps in title tags. Give each page a unique title so Google doesn’t think the pages are duplicates.
Write a clear and compelling title that makes people want to click. Include your primary keyword in your Meta description. When someone searches for that keyword, Google will display the keyword in bold in the search results. Keep your Meta description under 155 characters.
Treat it like an ad and word it in such a way that people want to click on it.
Structured data (schema)
Structured data or schema should be an important part of your on-page SEO audit as it helps Google understand your content better. Let’s say you have a product page with prices, availability, reviews, etc. If you don’t structure this information in a certain way in your HTML, Google won’t understand it. Types of structured data are specific on-page SEO code that you put on your pages that helps Google understand your content. There are specific structured data formats for different things,
Such as:
Books
Paper
Movie
Course review
Events
Local business information
Star rating
Recipe
Job Information
Google often inserts structured data directly into search results and displays it as “rich snippets”. Rich snippets make it more likely that someone will click on a result.
Structured Data Tools
Keyword research tools like Semrush and Ahrefs, analyze the Google search engine results page and show you all the SERP features for your target keyword. This helps identify the types of data that must be implemented to display those features.
The easiest way to implement structured data is to use Google’s Structured Data Mark-up Helper. Enter the URL of your page and Google will guide you through the process of adding structured data. You can then test your structured data using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool. Alternatively, you can follow Bing’s guide to tagging your website with structured data.
Once done, simply copy the updated information to your own website.
Website crawlers such as Deep Crawl and Screaming Frog can expose structured data on your website. If you’re crawling your own site, the tool can also help debug errors. Crawling his website for competitors is a great way to see everything your competitors are using.
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SEO copywriting
Copywriting can speed up your on-page SEO efforts. Investing in great content on your landing pages will increase user engagement. It’s important to note that SEO copywriting best practices aren’t just for search engines. It also improves content marketing to users.
The best blogger is he a master of SEO copywriting and the techniques they use are:
Write a concise and persuasive introduction. State your problem and solution clearly.
Avoid long sentences and paragraphs. But don’t delete the paragraph completely. Otherwise, the content will not flow properly.
Sections longer than 300 words are divided into subheadings.
Integrate your target SEO keywords naturally throughout the page text.
Align your content with search intent.
Always write for your readers.
Use “bucket brigade” to move people around the page. A bucket brigade is a bridging phrase that adds conversational value to your copy. Think of phrases like “this is…”, “no wonder…”, “but that’s only part of the story…”, and “after all.”
Incorporate stories and emotions to engage your readers.
Use targeted keywords early
In general, try to use your target keyword within her first 100 words. This lets Google know that this is the main topic of your page and that users are in the right place.
Think about how people search the Internet. Users click search results, quickly scan pages, and leave if they don’t think the page is relevant. Creating a compelling intro that includes your target keywords can prevent users from returning too quickly.
Does keyword density help with on-page SEO?
Keyword density refers to how often a webpage uses a particular keyword. If your page contains 100 words and uses your target keyword 5 times, your keyword density is 5%.
There are no definitive on-page SEO rules for keyword density. However, your content should use your target keyword naturally. Aim for optimal keyword density that matches the top-ranking content for that search term. In addition to your primary keyword, add other related keywords, synonyms, or long-tail keywords that can help your page rank better. These are not the same as Latent Semantic Index (LSI) keywords, which Google says it doesn’t use. Instead, it’s just a search for topics that help build context.
Content that matches search intent
Google wants to show users quality content that meets their search intent. In short, we solve job seekers’ problems completely and efficiently.
At a high level, there are four types of search intent:
Beneficial: Seekers seek information.
Navigation: The user wants to visit a specific website or page.
Commercials: Searchers want to compare products and services before making a purchase.
Transaction: The user actively wants to buy something.
An easy way to find the intent behind a particular keyword is to look at the first page of search query results. Titles containing words such as how, how, and how indicate useful search intent. Alternatively, words such as best and top indicate commercial intent.
If it is informational, please provide as much relevant content as possible. Thoroughly covers topics and answers frequently asked questions to help users understand their issues.
For commercial purposes, we provide searchers with the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions. This may include reviews, prices, comparisons, photos, FAQs, etc.
If your intent is transactional, ensure your structured data page is optimized to display products in the Google Shopping carousel.
Write legible text
Readability is not a direct ranking factor, but it should still be part of your on-page SEO process. This is because the readable text is easier for Google and the user to digest and ultimately good for his SEO.
Hard-to-read text can lead to higher bounce rates, lower conversions, sales, and ROI.
To make the text easier to read:
Make the page easier to work with. Break your content into digestible chunks. Use multiple headings and subheadings.
Use lots of paragraph breaks to avoid large walls of text. Split the list into bullets.
Include supporting images and other visual elements. Use clear, actionable sentences. Most people access your website content through mobile devices, so focus on responsiveness, readability, and manageability.
Internal linking
Internal links are important for on-page SEO as they help Google understand the relationships between pages on your site. A rich internal linking framework enhances the context, relevance, and depth of your reports on topics.
Internal links are also a great user experience. Help people discover more of your content, including additional blog posts and valuable case studies.
A strong internal linking strategy is also a great way to reduce your bounce rate and improve other Google Analytics metrics like conversion rate and average session duration.
As for on-page SEO, you should include internal links to other related pages within your site and internal links from related pages. It is especially important to link from a trustworthy page, such as your home page.
Use short, meaningful, keyword-oriented anchor text for internal links. It’s also important to link from the most relevant sections of your content to other pages that deal with that topic.
As a sidebar, do not use keywords that you want to rank for with external links to other websites.
Unlike backlinks, internal links do not increase your site’s authority because you can add them yourself. Instead, it guides the existing authority and relevance of backlinks across the site. In that sense, internal links can have a big impact on rankings if your domain already has a lot of power.
External linking
External links are not a direct ranking factor, so linking to trusted websites will not improve his SEO ranking on the page. However, citing the source with a link builds credibility. This is important for users. Therefore, we recommend adding external links where appropriate. Especially when quoting someone or referring to statistics.
However, when adding external links, don’t use anchor text with keywords you want to rank for.
Image optimization
The images also he should be optimized for SEO. First, give the file a descriptive name that separates words with hyphens. Then, optimize the file size so that it loads quickly while maintaining image quality. For example, if your website is consistently filled with images over 400KB in size, your page load times will be adversely affected, affecting your ability to rank well on Google.
Tools like TinyPNG, ImageOptimi, and WP Smush make the image optimization process easy.
Finally, add text to the image’s alt tag, possibly including appropriate keywords in the text. Alternate text helps search engines understand your image.
On-page SEO factor recap
Let’s recap the most critical on-page see techniques you need to follow:
- Use short, descriptive page URLs
- Optimize title tags
- Write compelling meta descriptions
- Implement structured data
- Optimize headers
- Implement SEO copywriting best practices
- Use the target keyword within the first 100 words
- Maintain an appropriate keyword density
- Create content that satisfies user intent
- Write readable text
- Add both internal and outbound links
- Optimize for Google images