Are you a website owner or a digital marketer who is searching for the term what is on-page SEO?
It is an undeniable fact that ‘Content is King’ and if you have crossed that stage – (being a master of your business and are good at articulating your thoughts) but somehow still struggling to rank your website on the SERPs’.
If this sounds familiar, you probably be lacking in website optimization.
So let’s dive in to explore how on-page SEO can help your website rank higher, bring in more organic traffic, and help convert them into potential customers.
What is On-Page SEO: A Beginner's Guide to Website Ranking
Content Table
On-page SEO is basically a practice to optimize your website’s on-page content for search engines and users.
Alternatively called On-site SEO, involves all the aspects like Title tag, meta description, quality of content, how engaging it is, user’s experience, etc which are directly related to your website and you have control over that.
Why is on-page SEO important?
The main fact that we all know is that it helps in ranking your website on the SERPs’ which means more organic traffic, more leads, and more conversion but now let’s understand more about this.
- It basically helps Google better understand your content in Crawling and indexing. (which is Google’s one of the algorithms for ranking)
- It helps the user to better understand what is inside the page.
- It helps the user find what he wants easily and in less time.
One of the facts that describe the importance of on-page SEO is that the first five organic results on a search page get 67.60% of all clicks.
This means that if you want your website to be seen by a large number of people, you need to be ranking in the top five results for your target keywords. For that purpose just start with What is on-page SEO.
How to do on-page SEO
There are many ways to optimize on-page SEO but here we are discussing the best and proven ways that will definitely impact your results in 2023.
Here are the terms that are considered for SEO
- Keywords
- Meta tags
- Url structure
- Unique content
- Valuable content
- Click-through rates CTR
- Using unique images
- Image optimization
- Internal linking
- Page speed
- Schema mark-up
- Mobile friendly
#1. Use of keywords
The use of keywords in your title tag and content is one of the oldest ways of optimization and it still works.
Google does say stuffing keywords to your Title and content does not affect its algorithm. But you yourself think if a user search query is relevant or matches your title tag and even in the content in between, how can Google deny showing your results to the user?
This is a proven research-based technique that adding a keyword in the first 100 words of your blog positively affects the search engine results.
This is because Google puts more weight on the terms that show up at the start of the blog or article.
Moreover, use keywords in your title H1 and also in some of the H2. You can add your main keyword 5-6 times in a blog.
But remember never stuff the keyword, always add keywords naturally which make sense to the sentence and paragraph.
#2 Meta tags
Meta tags comprise your Title tag also known as meta title and meta description.
The title tag is the first term that the user reads on the search engine, it appears as the clickable blue color link.
Ensure that your title tag correctly advises the content of the page to the user and even to the search engine.
Example: <title>Best SEO Practices for Meta Tag Usage – Your Website</title>
Meta Description: It is a short description on the search engine just below the title tag.
This short description is an HTML attribution that tells the user about the content on the webpage.
Although it doesn’t directly influence rankings, a well-crafted meta description can entice users to click on your link in search results. Aim for concise, compelling, and keyword-rich descriptions.
Example: <meta name=”description” content=”
Do not forget to include the meta tags in your HTML document’s head> section. For search engines and users to receive accurate information, each page needs to have unique and appropriate meta tags.
#3 Optimizing Url structure
You know URL structure is underrated, but research has shown that optimizing URL structure positively affects search engine visibility.
And if you have noticed, URL is now just above the title tag in your desktop mobile phone search.
So in the time being it is of great importance.
Keep the URLs short and precise: Use keywords that express the page’s information easily and clearly. In the URL structure, avoid using random numbers or symbols.
Use hyphens to separate words: Hyphens are preferred over underscores or spaces in URLs. For example, use “example.com/seo-tips” instead of “example.com/seotips” or “example.com/seo_tips”.
Use lowercase letters: URLs are case-sensitive, and using lowercase letters is generally recommended to avoid confusion and ensure consistency.
Avoid unnecessary parameters and session IDs: Clean up URLs by removing unnecessary parameters, such as session IDs or tracking codes, that don’t contribute to the page’s content.
Include target keywords: Incorporate relevant keywords into the URL to provide search engines with additional context about the page’s content. However, ensure that the keywords flow naturally and do not create a long, spammy URL.
Maintain a logical URL structure: Organize your website’s URLs in a hierarchical manner that reflects the site’s structure. For instance, use “example.com/category/page” instead of “example.com/page?category=123”.
Use proper redirects: If you need to change a URL, use proper redirects (such as 301 redirects) to inform search engines that the content has been permanently moved. This helps preserve rankings and avoid broken links.
#4 Unique Content
Writing unique yet optimized content takes research and planning. Start by brainstorming fresh topics and angles related to your keywords.
Use tools like Google Trends and Answer the Public to find interesting search queries and gaps in existing content. Outline your content before writing to organize your thoughts.
Focus on providing value for readers by sharing new insights, tips, or perspectives. Avoid copying others – synthesize information from multiple sources and add your own original commentary.
Include targeted keywords naturally in your content, but don’t over-optimize. Your aim should be creating engaging content that provides value and that also ranks well in search engines. Edit thoroughly for clarity, consistency, and good SEO practices like meta descriptions and header tags.
With the right topic research, preparation, and effort, you can craft content that stands out from the competition while satisfying searchers.
For reference purposes you can check our Instagram handle, and how we create unique content.
We started the page a few months ago and try to provide valuable and unique content for our users at Digital Prerna
#5 Schema markup
Identify relevant schema types: Determine the most appropriate schema types for your website content. This can include schemas for products, articles, events, local businesses, and more.
Understand schema properties: Familiarize yourself with the various properties available for each schema type. These properties allow you to provide specific details about your content, such as its title, description, date, location, and other relevant information.
Implement schema markup: Incorporate the schema markup code into your website’s HTML. You can manually add the code to individual pages or leverage plugins or tools that generate schema markup automatically.
Structure your data: Organize the information within the schema markup according to the specified properties. This helps search engines interpret and understand your content more effectively.
Test the markup: Utilize Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool or other similar tools to validate your schema markup. This step ensures that your markup is error-free and accurately reflects the intended information.
Monitor performance: Keep track of how your website’s organic search performance improves after implementing schema markup. Monitor changes in click-through rates, search engine rankings, and overall visibility to assess the effectiveness of the optimization strategy.
Remember, schema markup provides search engines with valuable data about your content, making it easier for them to comprehend and present relevant information to users. By leveraging schema markup effectively, you can enhance your website’s visibility, improve search engine rankings, and potentially attract more targeted organic traffic.
How to Analyse Competitor’s Website
Here are some tips and methods to evaluate your competitor’s on-page SEO elements.
Choose the best-ranking websites to analyze, and try to find out the reason why they are ranking on top.
- Title tags and meta descriptions – View page source or use browser extensions like MozBar or SEOquake to see title tags and meta descriptions.
- Headings – Scan page visually or use heading tag browser extensions to map out headings usage.
- Image optimization – Use Google Lighthouse or webpagetest.org to check image sizes and alt text usage. Manually spot-check important images.
- Content – Check word count and scan content to evaluate engagement, keyword usage, and density.
- Internal links – Manually review site architecture and internal links. Check the link anchor text. Use SEO crawlers like ScreamingFrog to generate link maps.
- URL structure – Manually review URL paths for keywords and consistency. Check for duplicate content issues.
- Site speed – Use PageSpeed Insights or webpagetest to measure page load times and identify optimization opportunities.
- Schema markup – Use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool or schema validators to check for proper schema implementation.
- Accessibility – Validate with WAVE toolbar or aXe to check for ADA compliance and text alternatives.
- Mobile-friendliness – Google Mobile Friendly test checks mobile optimization. Google Lighthouse has mobile metrics.
For a particular page, you can follow the above steps to analyze, but you can also use automated SEO crawlers and audits like ScreamingFrog, Moz Pro, and SEMrush for analyzing on-page elements at scale across a whole site.
