What is On Page SEO?
On-page SEO is, as the name suggests, the optimizations that you make to a page of your website in order to improve its ranking on the SERPs for queries related to the keyword it targets. While some optimizations can be seen on the page, others are hidden behind the scenes. This means that your website will receive more traffic from relevant sources. The more pages you optimize, the more powerful your SEO muscle is.
On-page optimization refers to the application of keyword research to your website’s page content. This is done to make sure that your content answers the questions that people are searching for your target audience are looking for. This makes it easy for search engines and search engines to find the appropriate search queries on your pages.
Incorporating keywords in your web content will help you rank higher for search queries related to your site and drive more visitors to it.
Keywords
Before you start on-page optimization, you need to identify at least one keyword that is relevant to each page of your website. On-page optimization involves focusing on one page at a given time and creating keyword-rich content. This does not mean repeating the same keyword over and over. That’s known as “keyword stuffing” and can lead to Google penalizing your site.
This means creating content with keywords in your mind. You should look for opportunities to include a target keyword or variations, as well as synonyms. It is best to include keywords in certain areas of a webpage because it correlates with higher rankings.
Anatomy of a website
Many web pages contain HTML elements that users can see in different locations and contexts.
- URL Page address
- Title tag This is the most important factor on a page. It appears on search engine result pages (SERPs) as the headline for a page. It tells search engines and search engines about the page.
- Meta description A 160-character summary of the page. It lives in the code. It shows up on search engine results pages (SERPs) and is shared by users who share a link to it.
- Supplemental titles tags: Headers (indicated with code with header tags) that give a description of what’s inside that section of the page content
- Body copy The majority of the copy on a page; is alluded to in the title tag.
- Alt text Description of an image in the page code. It is accessible to screen readers.
These page elements are important in communicating meaning to readers and are all ranking factors. Google considers these elements when ranking the top search results for a query. Google and your visitors will be able to better understand the content of your site by optimizing it to include keywords.
These elements can also help you get traffic from the SERP. Including the right keywords in your metadata may encourage users to click through.
Write a keyword-driven URL
The URL is the address of the webpage that users type in the browser. Or they can click a link to another webpage (such as a SERP). Although the URL isn’t considered a ranking factor, it is a good idea to ensure that your URLs are keyword rich.
A URL can be made more memorable by including keywords. It conveys meaning by making it easier for users to understand what they can expect from the page before they even reach it.
You should use descriptive URLs that are keyword-rich whenever possible. Use hyphens for separating words.
Include feature keywords in your title tags
The title tag can be seen in several places that are important to users and search engines. It tells users and search engines about the page.
- When viewing a page, click the tab at the top of your browser
- The URL is also included in the SERPs
- When a user shares the URL on social media platforms
This is one of the most important factors on a page, so it’s worthwhile to invest time in optimizing. These formats can be used to store your keywords, phrases, or business information.
- Brand Name
- Brand Name
- Brand Name
Depending on what page content you have and the keywords you use, which one works best for your needs will determine which of these options is most effective. It’s worth looking at the SERP when optimizing title tags. This will help you to determine how your competitors are different with their title tags.
It is also important to consider the length of your title. Google doesn’t have any strict guidelines regarding the length of your title. They are more concerned with pixel width. However, your title tags should not exceed 50-60 characters.
A compelling meta description can help you gain traffic.
The meta description is not displayed on the page, even though it is part of on-page SEO. It’s actually the text snippet that appears in the SERP under each listing’s title.
Meta description serves the purpose of providing a summary of page content to users, so they know what to expect when they arrive on the page.
It’s an opportunity to get users to click on your page since the meta description is essentially a short advertisement for the contents of the page. If you can write compelling copy, users might click on your page over those of your competitors.
Google’s search results display a limited number of characters, just like the title tag. It displays about 155 characters on desktop and 120 on mobile. So it is sensible to show your most important content within the first 120 characters.
A meta description is not necessary for each page of your website. Google will use the content you have written instead if you don’t provide one. This is not ideal, but it’s something you should remember if there are hundreds or thousands of pages. You should prioritize your most important pages. Make sure they have compelling, descriptive, and unique meta descriptions. But don’t be discouraged if you don’t have them on some pages.
Headers help you structure your content.
Headings are defined by the H1 to H6 header elements in HTML. They serve a typographic function: they provide a hierarchical structure for organizing content on the page. Therefore, H2s nest below the H1, while H3s nest beneath the H2s. The page should contain only one H1. H2 through H6 describes subtopics. H1 should be the main content.
Google uses H1 as a factor because it is a good descriptor for page content. Your on-page SEO will be enhanced if you include keywords in your H1. However, it is important to consider usability in order to make sure that H1s are useful to all users who visit the page.
Use images and alt attributes
Images are an essential part of every webpage. Images help convey meaning visually and break up text blocks to improve readability.
Computers aren’t as skilled at deriving meaning from images as sighted people, but they can still make sense of them. You can make it easier for both computers and people with low vision or blindness to understand an image by adding an “alt” attribute. Alt text is hidden within the HTML and isn’t visible on the screen. However, a screen reader can read it aloud.
Google also uses alt text to provide additional context in order to understand the page content. You can provide Google with additional information by including keywords in your alt texts.
Copy for the body
All the elements mentioned above are crucial for SEO. They create the foundation of a site that is easily found.
The body copy of your website offers an opportunity to optimize. It is free of character limits and gives you the best chance to explain to search engines what your content represents.
Before you start writing body copy, you should revisit your keyword research in order to identify the search queries that you are trying to answer with this content. Write body copy that addresses the most popular search queries related to your target keywords. This will allow you to naturally include different keywords in your copy while still creating content that is relevant to real users who visit your site.
You can also write with a tone that suits the intent of search queries about your product if you are able to understand their intent. If you are aware that people frequently search for details on the product you sell, you can use your body copy to convey this information in a sales tone.
Your content choices can be influenced by the intent of search queries that you target. This applies not only to copy but also to page design. A comparison table could be included if you think that certain search queries are asking for information about the features of different products. You could also include an ordered list if the query is “best X or Y.”
There are no restrictions on how much body content you can add, but you want to maximize your time and maximize the use of your resources. It is not a good idea to write thousands of words on every page of your website. This will also make it difficult for users to use your site. Analyze the search results to determine the right content length. See what ranking is. This will give you an idea of how much content you should produce.
Implementation of On-Page SEO
Modern content management systems (CMSs), such as Contentful, WordPress, and Umbraco, make it easy to implement on-page SEO. If you are still planning your site, ensure your developers use a platform that allows for editing and adding these elements. You might want to automate certain elements depending on how large the site is. A developer might use a script to create optimized meta descriptions if there were thousands of them.
You can bulk-update pages from your CMS by creating a CSV file and then importing it using the CONCATENATE function of Microsoft Excel. A similar system could be used for H1 tags and title tags.
Although individual metadata is the best way to do on-page SEO, it’s not the most efficient. It’s better to be realistic about your work requirements and automate when necessary. Write unique and customized body content.
Avoid duplicate content
Every page of your website should have unique content. This includes body copy, title tags, and H1 tags, as well as meta descriptions. This ensures that each page on your site is uniquely targeted for different keywords and avoids confusion from search engines.
Imagine that you had two pages that were similar but with slightly different product categories. For example, “Strong dog leads” or “Super strong dog leads.” Let’s suppose you optimized your site to include the different category names in title tags, H1 tags, and meta descriptions. However, you didn’t change the body copy.
How does Google decide which pages to show in search results? Because there is a duplicate body copy, it is difficult to distinguish them. Google may remove pages that appear too similar in some cases.
Be careful when describing the products you sell from a supplier. Your page content will be identical to that of the original supplier, as well as to your competitors who have done the same. Google considers pages that have no distinctive features from other pages to be of little value. It is important to create unique content for each page of your website.
