What Is On-Page Search Engine Optimization?
On-page SEO (search engine optimization) is the practice of improving your site’s rankings and user experience by optimizing individual pages.
Off-page SEO, on the other hand, relates to optimizing for aspects outside of your site. Backlinks and social media mentions are examples of this.
On-page SEO includes the following elements:
Tags for titles
Internal connections
HTML source code
URL enhancement
Images for on-page content
User encounter (UX)
Let’s plunge into the world of on-page SEO without further ado.
What Is the Importance of On-Page SEO?
Google’s algorithm is updated on a regular basis, allowing it to better understand user intent and overall user experience after a user gets on a page. That is why it is critical to master SEO and follow best practices.
Furthermore, because Google values user experience, it’s critical to include on-page SEO tactics in your overall plan.
A well-optimized page also aids Google in understanding the material, which aids in the organization and ranking of your page. Essentially, you’re assisting Google in doing a better job.
“The most basic signal that material is relevant is when content has the same terms as your search query,” according to Google.
But there’s a narrow line to walk. You don’t want to jam keywords into your text or overlook its quality. However, when ranking pages, Google still considers the fundamentals.
On-Page SEO: How to Optimize Your Content
On-page optimization concentrates on SEO strategies that are within your control (in other words: on your site). This is why “on-page SEO” and “on-site SEO” are frequently used interchangeably.
To produce the kind of content and site that ranks well in search engine results pages (SERPs) and leads to improved conversion rates, you’ll need to understand many key components of a thorough on-page SEO strategy. Next, we’ll look at those elements.
Analyzing your site with the On Page SEO Checker is a fantastic place to start. This tool gives you optimization suggestions for a variety of on-page SEO categories.
You can explore ideas under individual categories after plugging in your site, or scroll down to uncover the top-recommended pages to optimize.
To begin, configure your location, crawl, and device options. After that, add URLs and keywords you want to rank for.
You’ll see a page that looks like this if you’ve successfully set up On Page SEO Checker for your project:
Connect Google Analytics and perform a Site Audit to get even more detailed advice.
We recommend utilizing On Page SEO Checker to keep track of potential page optimization ideas for your site, but there are lots of on-page SEO best practices to consider while writing any piece of content.
Let’s get started!
In the first paragraph, use your target keywords.
By using your main goal keyword in the opening paragraph, you can make your aim and topic evident to both your readers and search engines right away.
Remember that the search engine algorithm looks for keywords and terms that reveal information about your content and the sort of data it contains.
Make a point of incorporating semantic and related keywords throughout your text to build on your core theme without keyword spamming.
Navigate to the Optimization Ideas tab of the On Page SEO Checker to uncover keywords you might have overlooked.
Scroll down to the “Semantic” section, which compares your website to your top 10 competitors to see if any keywords you should target are missing.
If you’re starting from scratch, our Keyword Magic Tool can help you identify semantically relevant keywords.
You can enter your main term and then filter by related keywords to see more keyword prospects for your content in the Keyword Magic Tool.
For titles and subtitles, use H1 and H2 tags.
These tags tell Google that your material has a hierarchy—in other words, they make the content outline visible to the algorithm so it can figure out how you ordered your text.
The header and subheadings also provide significant suggestions about the material in the paragraphs that follow the heading, making it easier for the search engine to pick up on the important information in your document.
Keep in mind that Google favors content that emphasizes the user experience. Content that looks as a massive wall of text might be difficult to read, particularly on mobile platforms.
Pages that are well-organized and easy to read make it easier for search engines to figure out what they’re about. Users can also quickly scroll through the information they require.
A foundational, basic SEO strategy you should adopt when writing content is to create a clear layout of H1 and H2 tags. If your old material doesn’t have keyword-targeted title tags, you should modify it.
Here are some pointers to help you develop information that is both clear and organized for your viewers.
Prioritize opportunities for outbound and internal linking.
Incorporating similar outbound (or external) links into your text aids Google in determining the topic of your page.
Internal linkages, on the other hand, should not be overlooked.
Other pages on your site can benefit from links from high-authority, high-performing content. Internal (or inbound) links make it easier for the Google bot to crawl your site.
Make sure each page on your site is linked from at least one (or a few) other pages. Otherwise, the page will be declared orphaned.
Inbound and outbound links are frequently used by content authors to provide extra information on a content topic or to provide an authoritative source for a fact.
While linking to external sites won’t help you rank higher, it will give your users confidence that you’re relying on other reliable sources.
Internal linking, on the other hand, makes it easier for searchers to engage with your site further because they may click on the link and continue to explore it, lowering your bounce rate and increasing favorable brand associations.
These links also give Google information about the structure of your website. Google can identify how your site’s content links to one another and the depth of content on specific themes, improving your authority even further.
Improve URLs
The format of your webpage’s URLs has SEO effects as well. When you build a URL that includes crucial keywords, it becomes clearer what this website will be about.
The topic of a page should be immediately discernible by both search engines and visitors based on the URL.
However, make sure your URLs are clear and concise. Avoid stop words and keep it short.
Title tags and meta descriptions should be optimized.
A title tag comes below the URL but above the meta description in a search engine result.
The title tag is a ranking component that also provides information about the content of your page to users who are seeing the results page.
These users utilize the title tag to judge whether or not your material is relevant to their search query. As a result, a powerful title tag with crucial keywords can drive more traffic and hits.
Meta descriptions, on the other hand, have no bearing on search engine results. However, they can help to improve the user experience and increase the click-through-rate (CTR).
Despite the fact that Google rewrites meta descriptions 70% of the time, it’s still necessary to produce them for each web page.
Google updates meta descriptions for a variety of reasons, including matching search intent. So, while seeing your meta altered on the SERPs can be aggravating, it’s typically for the best!
Check for meta-related issues including duplicate or missing meta descriptions using the Site Audit tool.
Create original and optimized content
In the realm of SEO, content is king. Because Google’s main purpose is to provide searchers with exactly what they’re looking for, the search engine emphasizes relevant, valuable, and optimized material that satisfies searchers’ demands to the greatest extent feasible.
What is optimized content, exactly? It’s content that strikes a balance between authoritative writing and keyword research.
Your content should be distinctive as well. This not only helps you stand out from the crowd, but it also helps you avoid accidental plagiarism, which can harm your site’s credibility and result in a manual penalty.
You can use our SEO Writing Assistant to see if your material is optimized for readability, keyword potential, and overall distinctiveness.
Images should be added and optimized.
In actuality, consumers are unlikely to engage with a big wall of text. This is where visuals play a role.
The more useful your photos are, the more likely users will engage with them.
Concentrate on including visuals that enhance your text. If you make your own visuals to share on social media, you’ll get bonus points.
Your photos should also be optimized. This implies:
Making sure they load quickly by employing techniques like as file compression and lazy loading.
Using descriptive alt tags to tell the search engine what the image is so that Google recognizes it as useful material on your site. The alt text also aids visually challenged site visitors, allowing them to fully enjoy your material.
Choosing picture titles and file names that reflect the image and keywords you wish to include in the content.
Optimize for User Interaction
Your page’s content should entice the reader and keep them interested. You aim to increase their time spent on your site while lowering your bounce rate.
These elements show Google that your material is well-liked by clients. It also establishes the groundwork for a future relationship with this specific visitor, who will hopefully become a lead.
You may increase interaction on your page by creating material that:
To boost readability, use clear headers that highlight the topic of each portion of your article.
Making bullets and lists to make it easier to scan the material
Adding pictures and video to your content
Making relevant calls-to-action (CTAs) that entice users to click and access related material
Having a simple and clean design that doesn’t detract from your content
Following load time best practices to ensure a fast page speed
Above-the-fold content can also boost engagement because people will leave if they don’t find what they’re looking for.
To avoid this, make sure you start with answering the core question or topic.
Advanced SEO Techniques for On-Page Optimization
After you’ve mastered the fundamentals of on-page SEO, you’ll want to focus on more sophisticated components of the process.
Snippets of Interest
Featured snippets are extremely valuable because they appear above regular organic search results. Featured snippets come in a variety of formats, including:
Definitions \sTables
Lists \sVideos
Featured snippets can help with CTR because they display in “position 0.”
Go to the Position Tracking tool to see if you have any highlighted snippets right now (you’ll need to build up a campaign for your site if you haven’t already).
To see if you already have highlighted snippets for the keywords you’re following and if there are any more opportunities, go to the Featured Snippets tab.
You may determine which highlighted snippets to optimize for using this information.
Consider the question “can dogs eat watermelon” from the previous example.
To verify that your location has no bearing on the results, open an incognito window or utilize a tool like I Search From.
We can now examine which site has the snippet and how they arranged their page’s content to obtain it.
In this case, Petco is ranked 10th, therefore improving the website and maybe obtaining the highlighted snippet is possible.
Conduct manual competition research to identify what features the featured page has that yours does not.
Is there a clear, easy-to-understand definition of the query?
Is it detailed enough to directly answer the question?
Is there a useful list that corresponds to the search intent?
The page answers the question right in the meta title and offers a helpful—yet concise—answer derived from the page, as shown in the example above.
You can reorganize your content based on the keyword and featured snippet in question to better serve users and hopefully acquire that snippet.
Markup for Schema
Schema markup is a kind of digital road map for Google bots, and it’s perhaps the most technical aspect of advanced on-page SEO we’ll cover in this post.
As previously stated, Google employs automated bots to assist them in crawling, indexing, and rendering your online material. Google uses schema markup, a simple technical language, to comprehend what your site is about and how your web pages are related.
Structured data is another name for this coding vocabulary. When it comes to content, schema markup indicates:
Products for Events
People
Recipes reviewed by local companies and organizations
Medical problems
And more
For example, if you want to learn about local events in your neighborhood, you can just type that into Google. You should obtain a search result similar to the one below if event pages have appropriately implemented schema markup.
When you input “New York events around me,” you’ll see a list of events taking place near you, along with dates and places. This makes it simple for you, the searcher, to locate an event that piques your interest.
The schema markup used by websites that promote events informs Google that these events should be featured more prominently in the SERPs.
So, how does schema markup seem from within? There appears to be a lot of code! Take a look at the structured data example below.
This is an example of schema markup for a recipe called “Party Coffee Cake.” In this case, the content producer informs Google that the content should be classified as a recipe. It also provides Google with important details such as the publication date, description, and author.
If you’re ready to try your hand at creating structured data, use the Google Schema Markup Testing tool to double-check your work.
Use Site Audit to identify any issues with structured data after you’ve implemented the code.
Page loading time
While we don’t know for sure what each Google ranking signal is, Google has stated that page speed is a ranking factor for both desktop and mobile.
You may get an overall Performance score for both mobile and desktop using Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool, as well as actionable tips for improvement.
The Site Audit function in Semrush can also help you understand more about your site’s performance. To find out if any specific pages are slowing down your site and what you can do to fix it, go to the Core Web Vitals report.
Last Thoughts
Make sure you keep on-page SEO signals in mind with every page you develop now that you know more about them.
You can also find plenty of on-page optimization tips for potential quick wins with the On Page SEO Checker.
That said, patience is the most critical aspect of any SEO approach. To get great outcomes, it takes time, effort, and some trial and error.
Visit our free On-Page and Technical SEO course to gain more practical ideas and put your knowledge to the test.
