Digital Marketing: What Is On-Page SEO?
On-page SEO refers to the practice of optimising individual web pages to rank higher in search engines and earn more relevant traffic. Unlike off-page SEO (which focuses on signals from other websites), on-page SEO deals with elements you can directly control within your own website.
Essential On-Page SEO Elements
Title Tags:
The title tag is one of the most important on-page SEO elements. It appears as the clickable headline in search results and should clearly describe your page’s content.
Meta Descriptions:
While not a direct ranking factor, meta descriptions affect click-through rates by providing a brief preview of your page content in search results.
Header Tags (H1, H2, H3):
Headers help organise your content and make it easier for search engines to understand your page structure.
URL Structure:
URLs should be clean, descriptive, and include relevant keywords when natural.
Content Optimisation:
Your main content should be:
– High-quality and original
– Relevant to the search intent
– Well-structured with short paragraphs
– Enhanced with relevant media (images, videos)
– Naturally incorporating target keywords
Image Optimisation:
Images should include descriptive file names and ALT text for better accessibility and SEO.
Internal Linking:
Link to other relevant pages on your website using descriptive anchor text.
Technical On-Page Elements
Mobile Responsiveness:
Ensure your page looks and functions well on all devices.
Page Speed:
Optimise images, minimise code, and use caching to improve loading times.
Best Practices for On-Page SEO
1. Focus on one primary keyword per page
2. Write for humans first, search engines second
3. Ensure content matches search intent
4. Keep URLs short and descriptive
5. Optimise images before uploading
6. Use headers logically to structure content
7. Include relevant internal links
8. Make content easy to read and scan
9. Ensure fast loading times
10. Make pages mobile-friendly
Remember, on-page SEO is about creating the best possible experience for both users and search engines. When you focus on quality content and good technical implementation, better rankings often follow naturally.
A gold star if you have got this far. However, I can SEO your website content while you concentrate on your business and what makes you most profit.
Side note: With super fast broadband page loading speeds are less of an issue, but old habits from the days of 56K dial-up die hard and why leave the possibility on the table that your page may load slowly one day and cost you business or Google ranking?
Please contact me to maximise the way your business website works for you.