On-Page SEO: What is it?

On-page SEO, as the name suggests, is the process of optimizing a particular page of your website to improve its position on search engine results pages (SERPs) for queries relating to the term it is targeting. While some optimizations are visible on the page, others occur in the background. 

Naturally, this boosts targeted traffic to that page, and the more optimized pages you have on your website, the more effective your SEO capabilities will be.

The Importance of On-Page SEO

Search engines look at keywords and other on-page SEO components to determine whether a page matches a user's search intent.

If the page is relevant and valuable, Google will show it to the user. When choosing how to rank pages, Google uses on-page SEO signals. 

Although Google's algorithm constantly evolves, the user experience remains a top preference. Google advises emphasizing "people-first content."

Therefore, producing valuable content corresponding to user intent is more important than ever.

Let's now look at how you might update your content to reflect the best on-page SEO techniques.

How to make your content SEO-friendly

Many technical parts of a webpage can be enhanced with on-page SEO to improve your page ranking, including:

Optimize Your Pages to Rank Better with the On-Page SEO Practice

These on-page SEO technical best practices are simple to implement and provide the best results for your content.

1. Keyword research & placement

First and foremost, do your keyword research. You can’t do any of the steps if you don’t know your target keyword. Now, if you're producing high-quality content as a human would, the keywords and related LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) will appear naturally in the text's body. But you need to know where to put your target keywords.

These include:

• Page title: This is the page’s title as it appears on the page.
• Title tag: This is the page’s title page as it appears on the SERP.
• The first 100 words of the page: Make sure that this is done naturally.
• Headings: Ideally, there should be at least two H2 on the page.
• Meta description: This is the summary of t that appears on the SERP.
• Image alt text: The text alternative to an image.
• Image file name: Don’t save an image as “Screenshot-1” or “chart.”

2. Title tags

Title tags are often the main information to decide which result to click. This is why you have to make them appealing. Here are a few tips:

• Keep them short: Keep them within 70 characters.
• Match search intent: Tell searchers that you have what they need.
• Be descriptive: Don't be unclear or general.
• Don’t clickbait: Make sure they match your content.
• Include the keyword: If it makes more sense, use a close variation.
• Include the year: For topics that require freshness.

3. Headings

Google can understand your website content by using heading tags. It’s best practice to use one Heading (<h1>) per page for the title. You can strengthen the visual hierarchy by enclosing your information in subheadings (h2 & h3). It makes it simpler for users to read and skim.

Put your most relevant keywords in the h1 and h2 headers. You have more room to be creative and express value here, but the keyword should still be there.

Here are a few tips:

• Keep it short and concise.
• Use strong keywords.
• Make it clear and descriptive.
• Use action verbs.
• Avoid using vague terms.
• Use capitalization effectively.
• Consider the reader's point of view.
• Match tone with content.

4. URL structure

Google advises simple URLs that aren’t intimidating or "cryptic." In other words:

Use terms related to your content so visitors can understand the website. And not random numbers, publish dates, or complete sentences. 

Website themes often use these by default, so updating your URL before publishing is essential.

To ensure that your URL corresponds with the theme of your content, use your target keyword in the URL.

5. Alt text for images

Images from your pages can rank in Google image searches and send more traffic your way. Google also uses alt text to understand the subject matter of an image. The main goal of alt text is to improve accessibility for screen reader users. These convert page content to audio, including images.

Here are some tips for creating compelling alt text:

• Keep it brief: After 125 characters, screen readers stop reading alt text.
• Include a target keyword: Include your target keyword for context (but don't just spam keywords).
• Don’t add alt text to decorative images: Graphics such as horizontal page breaks or a magnifying glass in a search bar.
• Avoid using "image of" or "picture of": Because alt text implies that it is describing a picture, there is no need to waste space on these phrases.

6. Links

• Internal links

Internal linking is another underutilized on-page SEO smart practice. This relates to pointing out other on-site information that is linked. For instance, you'll see that the "further reading" portion of many of our blog postings includes links to relevant publications. That’s an example of internal linking.

• External Links

There are links on your page that direct visitors to other websites. On-page SEO best practices include linking to related pages from websites with high domain authority. This increases Google's trust in your page.

7. Meta descriptions

Although meta descriptions are not a ranking element, they can increase clicks and traffic. This is because Google frequently uses them as description snippets in search results. Here are some ideas on how to write them:

• Keep them short: To avoid truncation, keep them within 160 characters.
• Expand on the title tag: Include any USPs you couldn’t fit.
• Match search intent: Increase your focus on what searchers seek.
• Use active voice: Engage the searcher directly.
• Include your keyword: Google bolds this in the results.

8. A *few* technical optimizations

Below are some things that should already be in place but sometimes have glitches, so they’re easy to troubleshoot if your page is not performing as well as you expected.

• Mobile-friendliness: 

Your site should be built with a responsive design, which will adjust to any screen size, but sometimes, elements fall through the cracks. 

• Crawlability:

If your web page is not indexed, it will not rank in any search engine. And if it can't be crawled, it can't be indexed. Your website is indexed if it appears in the SERP.

• Social share buttons: 

Making it simpler for others to share your content; is done at the site level, typically through a plugin. Make sure the plugin doesn't cause your site to load slowly.

• Page speed: 

Page speed is a ranking factor, and large images aren’t the only thing that can drag a page down. 
Probably, you might be thinking that you have got the idea of On-page SEO practices. But what if there are some tools to make your work easy? Here, I have listed the best SEO tools for you.

Keep reading to explore!

Effective on-page SEO tools

1. SEOCrawler

SEOCrawler analyzes your page with a single click, displaying page speed, duplicate tags, duplicate content, keyword optimization, and broken links. You can automate a procedure that would have taken hours of manual effort.

2. Ahrefs’ Keyword Explorer

Ahrefs’ Keyword Explorer allows you to find new keywords to target, shows you all the backlink data for the ranking pages, and even gives you a single score to compare keywords easily.

3. Surfer SEO 

The best on-page SEO tool for new content optimization or content audit. Scores your content based on existing, high-ranking content.

4. SE Ranking 

A complete SEO tool with all the tools you require. It contains a powerful site auditor, content editor, and on-page SEO analyzer. Backlink analysis, rank tracking, keyword research, and other features are available.

5. PageOptimizer Pro

A powerful on-page optimization tool based on a large number of research studies. Each report has a bunch of recommendations to optimize your pages & improve organic rankings in search engines.

6. SEMrush

Lastly, another powerful all-in-one SEO tool can help with your on-page SEO. Their site auditor can detect technical issues, their writing assistant can help you optimize written content, and their on-page SEO checker can make recommendations to boost your ranks.

Wrap-up

Search engine optimization best practices are evolving as web user and online consumer behavior changes. Right now, the best approach to SEO has a solid strategy in place to address both on- and off-page elements.

On-page SEO, the main concerns are quality content and ensuring the site’s technical aspects have been optimized for speed, efficiency, and keywords. 

Remember, SEO is not a one-and-done deal. It's something you should continually improve upon. This On-Page SEO Template should be treated as a living, breathing document that will guide your SEO plan for months (or years) to come. If you have any queries, you can contact us for more information.