Jun
Website ranking requires on-page SEO. But, what is on page SEO? How can you develop high-quality on-page SEO content? This blog article answers these issues and offers actionable SEO advice.
What Is On Page SEO?
Onpage is an essential part when working on any SEO project. A website that is well-optimized onpage will provide a better user experience. Additionally, Googlebot will be able to easily read the content of the website. So, what is Onpage SEO?
The knowledge of SEO, Onpage SEO techniques, and Onpage SEO checklist are crucial and will be summarized by Best SEO Tool based on numerous practical experiences. We will help you understand more clearly and not miss any important points.
Onpage SEO is the process of optimizing the content and HTML source code of a website with the aim of clearly identifying what field the website belongs to and what content it provides.
Some elements on a webpage that you can optimize include the page title, headings (H1, H2, H3), URL, content, meta descriptions, internal links, external links, and more.
What’s the Difference Between On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO?
On-page SEO encompasses anything you can do on a website (or internally) to boost your rankings. Off-page SEO refers to everything you can optimize outside of your site (or externally) in order to improve your rankings. Backlinks are the most important off-page SEO component. Other examples include social media and public relations.
Both are critical components of any excellent SEO strategy. However, you have more influence over on-page SEO elements. So concentrating on them is an excellent place to start when developing your SEO strategy.
Why Is On-Page SEO Important?
Keywords and other on-page SEO features are used by search engines to determine if a page fits a user’s search intent. Google then offers the page to the user if it is relevant and beneficial. In other words, when ranking pages, Google considers on-page SEO signals.
Although the Google algorithm is constantly evolving, Google continues to emphasize user experience. Google suggests concentrating on “people-first content.” Creating meaningful content that meets user intent is thus more critical than ever. Now, let’s look at how you may alter your text to reflect best practices for on-page SEO.
How to Optimize Your Content for On Page SEO
If you’re new to SEO, you can start with the basics. To rank higher in Google search results, your website structure needs to be optimized both technically and in terms of content.
An optimized webpage will make it easier for your target audience to find your website on search engines. Then, the level of satisfaction with the content and the on-page experience will become more evident.
The fundamental aspect of optimization is focusing on user intent when they search for information. The main keywords will help bring the website’s content closer to users. What keeps them engaged is readability, user-friendly design, and compelling content.
To make Google understand the website’s content and field better and to gain priority on the SERPs, it’s important to stay updated with Google’s algorithms.
Title
The title is displayed on search engine results pages (SERPs) and plays a significant role in attracting and increasing traffic to a webpage through clicks.
If a title is not relevant to the user’s search intent, they are less likely to click on it and will simply skip it.
If a title does not align with the user’s purpose, they are likely to skip it and not click on your article.
Here are some considerations:
- The title should include important keywords but avoid keyword stuffing.
- Prioritize keywords at the beginning of the title.
- Keep the title length within 65-70 characters.
- Each title should be unique and avoid duplication.
- Write for users and provide valuable content.
- Make the title stand out and succinctly summarize the content of the post, page, or website.
- Utilize your brand in the title.
URL
Before anything else, your URL should be concise and clear, avoiding any unusual characters. Similar to the title, the URL is also an ideal place to include keywords.
For example, avoid including the year in the URL. If you want your content to remain evergreen (optimized for search from year to year), it’s best to avoid including the year in the URL.
However, there may be cases where your content is specifically tailored for a particular year. For example, if you want to write an article about “The Craziest Events of 2020.” You may not reuse the same content for 2021 targeting “The Craziest Events of 2021.”
If you decide to change the URL of a webpage, don’t forget to implement proper redirects to avoid 404 mistakes and preserve the SEO value of your old page.
Meta Description
The meta description is a brief summary of a webpage’s content that appears on the search engine results page. It is an HTML tag with a maximum length of around 150-160 characters (920 pixels).
It can help impress readers and let them know that the page contains the content they are looking for. A poorly written meta description can lead readers to perceive the article as of lower quality, and they may choose a better-written article on the SERPs. This is also an important factor in optimizing Onpage SEO.
Meta-description considerations:
- The description should incorporate the most significant keywords.
- Reasonable length: 155 characters max.
- Avoid duplicating meta descriptions: Meta descriptions should be unique like title tags.
- Write clearly: Write for readers, not keywords.
- To act: Give readers a call to action.
- Summarize the page: The description should appropriately summarize and relate to the article. Check the description on mobile and desktop devices.
- Brand-specific descriptions: Use the meta description to advertise your brand.
Keyword
Meta keywords are a type of tag in web development that was historically used to help search engines, including Googlebot, understand the keywords a website is targeting and its relevant field in terms of SEO. However, search engines, including Google, no longer consider meta keywords as a ranking factor.
Here are some considerations for optimizing keyword density:
- Keyword density: Keep the keyword density below 3% and use tools like SEOquake to check it.
- Important positions for keywords to appear:
- In permalinks (URL structure).
- In the H1 tag, which is the article’s main heading.
- In H2 and H3 tags.
- In the opening paragraph.
- In the concluding paragraph.
- In the alt tags of images.
- In the article’s description (meta description tag).
Instead of keyword stuffing, it is recommended to diversify with related keywords and semantic keywords (LSI keywords).
Header Tags (H1, H2, H3)
One of the easiest and most common methods is to use clear headings to divide the content into sections. Headings should be organized in descending order from H1 to H6, with H1 being the most general heading.
Using headings not only helps in organizing the content for readers but also provides structure and hierarchy for search engines to understand the organization of the page. It is important to use headings appropriately and logically to improve the overall readability and SEO optimization of the content.
Internal Link
In case you don’t have time to delve into extensive link building, internal linking can be a good place to start in order to help your pages get discovered. Internal links refer to links that connect different pages within your own website.
Duplicate Content
Our research on our SEO mistakes shows that over 45% of our websites have some pages with duplicate content, and 50% of the websites have duplicate titles. This will lower our credibility in the eyes of Google and diminish the exclusive value.
To optimize Crawlability on SERPs, you need to ensure that your website is not blocked from gathering information. Otherwise, all your SEO efforts will be in vain. Simply put, if Googlebot cannot retrieve information from your website, it will not be displayed on search engine results.
To achieve that, please check the following cases to avoid potential hindrances to information gathering:
- Broken links: Make sure there are no broken links on your website.
- Insufficient internal links: Ensure that you have enough internal links within your website.
- Missing or unclear webmap.xml: Confirm that you have a clear and properly implemented webmap.xml.
- Implementation of the “noindex” tag: Double-check if you have implemented the “noindex” tag appropriately.
Page loading speed
Page loading speed plays a crucial role in SEO. Even milliseconds can cause users to abandon a website. There are several reasons for slow loading times, including large-sized images.
In more severe cases, it can involve issues with your server. Here is a quick list of things that can slow down your page speed:
- Excessive HTML on the page.
- Redirect chains and loops.
- Uncompressed JavaScript or CSS files.
- Large JavaScript or CSS files.
Mobile-Friendliness
Designing and developing a mobile website requires significant time and effort. It is not something that can be done in a day, but the results obtained will be well worth the investment.
Mobile-friendly websites are strongly favored by Google in SERPs. Since Google officially switched to mobile-first indexing in 2020, prioritizing mobile devices has become even more crucial.
Readability
The readability of a text depends on various factors. It is not just about writing style and grammar but also includes the design and structure of the content. All these elements can impact the user’s perception of readability.
If you want to assess the readability score of your text, there are several SEO tools that can assist you. For example, the SEMrush On-Page SEO Checker can help ensure that your content is not only readable but also competitive compared to your competitors.
Video Content
Adding videos to your website can indeed enhance the structure of the page and attract more attention. It also appeals to an audience that prefers content presented through visuals and audio.
While videos may not directly impact SEO like internal links or keyword placement in the title, they serve to fulfill the user’s intent. Some people prefer videos, while others prefer reading text. This preference depends on the search intent of the reader.
Onpage SEO Image optimization
Large image sizes can indeed slow down the loading speed of your website, leading to an inefficient user experience and dissatisfaction. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that image file sizes are small while maintaining clarity. A general rule is to try to match the image dimensions to the maximum display size on your website.
File names and ALT tags for images can help them appear in Google’s image search results. Some content management systems have a built-in field to enter ALT tags when uploading images. Here is an example of how it may look:
Social Sharing Buttons
If a famous or influential person shares or reposts your content, it can significantly increase your traffic.\When an influencer with a large following promotes your content, it exposes your brand and message to a broader audience. Their endorsement can generate curiosity and interest among their followers, leading to increased traffic to your website or social media platforms.
Markups
There have been numerous inquiries from SEOers regarding the optimization of Schema Markup in Onpage SEO. We have discussed the significance of your content’s SERP interface. The implementation of markups has the potential to enhance your click-through rate (CTR). Data can be applied to various types of content, regardless of the topic you are addressing.
Behold this splendid example. Both websites are utilizing Schema markup to provide additional information for users: a list of ingredients, ratings, and cooking time.
Content length
You must ensure that your content is sufficiently lengthy to cater to both readers and search engines, yet the exact length of the content should be “perfect.”
A recent study has revealed that the average word count of content on the top-ranking websites in Google is approximately 1400 words. However, it is crucial to analyze the specific Intent Content of the industry. Examine the top 10 articles with the same keyword and determine the word count based on competitors.
Conclusion: What Is On Page SEO?
The aforementioned is the complete checklist of Onpage SEO that we can propose and are currently implementing. We will provide further updates at each stage, so please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below regarding the content.
By now, you surely have a better understanding of what Onpage SEO entails. If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to reach out to our SEO services immediately. We are dedicated to promptly and wholeheartedly addressing any inquiries regarding SEO.
