Have you ever played Tetris? If so, you thought remember how there is no real way to “win” the match. Basically faster and faster with each level.
In many ways, search engine optimization (SEO) is the same.
Not in that it has an attractive 8-bit soundtrack or that it rewrites your dreams, but in that, it never ends.
There is no point where you can be smart and relaxed, content that your site is at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) once and for all.
Sure, you can have reached the top now, but a pro SEO job is never done.
Every change to Google’s algorithm or competitor content can eliminate you from the top spot, which means you have to follow the changes.
And that means SEO on your pages should be on point. But before we dive into that, it’s important to have a high -level overview of how Google and other search engines work.
Search Engine Basics
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Search engines send out crawlers, or spiders, to explore the internet. They follow links from one site to another, building content maps called search indexes.
In the process of exploring the site, these crawlers are also evaluating their content, determining the type of information it contains.
This data is then used by search engine algorithms to judge how specific site content was answering questions from users.
The better it answers the query, the more highly it will rank on the SERP.
In Google’s endless efforts to provide better results for users, the algorithm is frequently updated. This inevitably leads to changes in rankings, which then requires someone to optimize the website to improve or ensure rankings.
What Is On-Page SEO & Why Is It Important?
On-page SEO, which is always called on-site SEO, is the process of tweaking a page’s content, tags, and internal links to increase search visibility and increase traffic.
In other words, it’s a means of optimizing your website to help search engines better understand your website.
And this, of course, comes with many benefits.
The first is in the amount of traffic.
The first five organic results on a search page get 67.60% of all clicks. The next five account for only 3.73%. And it drops from there. So, if you want to get traffic, you have to stick to the top.
Secondly, higher-ranking sites have better click-through rates (CTR). Google’s first mobile search result had an average organic CTR of 26.9%.
Now assume that 92.4% of internet users who search on a mobile phone for something nearby visit that business on the same day and you can start to see the impact of organic SEO on your bottom line. And on -page optimization is an important factor in your organic ranking.
Hopefully, by this point, you have grasped the importance of on page SEO. Now it’s time to start. Let’s dive right in…
12 Essential On-Page SEO Factors
On page SEO can be broadly divided into three categories: content, HTML, and website architecture. We will see each one.
Content
You’ve heard it before: Content is king.
SEO without it is like a beautiful new sports car without an engine – it might look nice, but it doesn’t go. However, not all content is created equal.
These are the content factors that you should consider to maximize SEO on your site:
One way Google weighs your site is based on E-A-T, or expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.
On the 175 pages of the Google Search Quality Guidelines, it’s mentioned 135 times, which should be an indication of the role it plays in the search engine’s algorithms.
While Google has only confirmed a few E-A-T elements (PageRank and Links), it’s generally accepted in the SEO field that signals on pages play a large part in its evaluation.
For a deeper dive on E-A-T, read this piece.
The most basic way to present the content of your web pages to answer user questions is in the language you use.
Pages that display the keywords that work in the query, whether in the body, title, or both, are more likely to be relevant to the search.
Sometimes this is easy to determine. If you are optimizing a furniture store web page, you may want to include keywords such as [sofa], [dining room set], and [end table].
If it’s a specialty furniture store, you want to make sure that you include long tail keywords such as [contemporary art-deco sideboards].
In short, you need to know what your target customers are looking for and create content that includes these terms. It’s always a good idea to do research, so you don’t miss any opportunities.
Start by downloading our ebook about keyword research.
Creating the type of content that both prioritizes search engines and converts human visitors to your site is an art.
Unless you’ve done it before, it can be quite challenging to write copy that reads well and still adheres to the best SEO practices.
We have all the sections dedicated to helping you master the art, but a few things that are important are:
Using images, videos, and infographics does more than make your page visually interesting for visitors. They also give you the opportunity to boost your SEO.
More than 36% of consumers use visual search when they’re doing online shopping, which means if you’re not using images, you’re missing out on traffic.
Make sure you optimize the accompanying text whenever possible.
Be careful of the size of your image files to avoid slow loading. Make your images shareable to identify opportunities for backlinking, which can help improve your E-A-T.
HTML
HyperText Markup Language or HTML is the code used to organize your web pages and content.
They tell the user’s browser what to display and where to show it. And it tells search engines what your page is all about and where they should rank you.
These are the HTML SEO factors on the page that you should consider:
This is one of the important areas to focus on in detail.
By itself, this code snippet that lets you give a web page a title probably won’t get you to shoot SERP rankings.
But in context and elements on other pages (such as those discussed here), it can help you build context and indicate the relevance of your site.
To see more about how to optimize your title tags, read this.
Now, veteran SEO professionals throw their hands on the screen. “Oh, come on,” she said, “Everyone knows act description is not an SEO ranking factor.”
She was only partially right. While it’s true there is a lot of evidence against description acts as a ranking factor, he’s wrong about everyone knowing that.
And don’t let the negative Nancy here dissuade you from adding them to your site.
Despite their relative lack of use in SEO, they do offer two key benefits: They can help Google understand what your web pages are all about, and more importantly, they have an outsized effect on your CTRs.
Better act descriptions give searchers a better understanding of what your page is all about, which in turn leads to more clickthroughs. So, don’t ignore them.
We’ve briefly touched on the importance of visual assets on your page, but now it’s time to look more closely at their technical aspects.
Here are some tips to help you optimize:
Once again, we have a good resource for more in -depth information about HTML image optimization. Read here.
8. Geotagging (For Local Search)
It may be a global economy, but most business is still done at the local level. Connect with people in your neighborhood by optimizing local SEO on your pages.
Although this is less important for mega corporations such as GMC or Pepsi, for small and medium businesses, it is bread and butter.
There are three main SEO tactics that should be considered when focusing on local traffic:
Be sure to include the name of your target location in your keywords and place it into your content wherever appropriate.
For more information on building your own geotagging SEO strategy, read this.
Website Architecture
Having a well-structured website is important for two reasons: First, a website laid out in a logical manner will be crawled more effectively by search engines, and secondly, it will create a richer user experience.
These are the factors to consider when optimizing your site architecture:
A clunky, slow -loading site does more than fail and drive away visitors – it actually hurts your search rankings too.
Search Engine Journal takes a deep dive into the effect a page’s loading time has on SEO and page speed is confirmed to be a ranking factor in search results.
However, what is the minimum speed your site needs to meet is constantly changing.
It can now be found by setting the Google Vitals Core Web minimum threshold. If your site does not currently meet these standards, there are several steps you can take, including:
In 2016, mobile search volume exceeded desktop for the first time. And in the years that followed, that number only increased.
Mobile now accounts for more than 56% of all internet usage, with tablets accounting for 2.4%.
With more users on mobile devices, Google followed a logical path and began to prioritize sites with responsive design in the mobile search rankings.
These mobile-friendly updates only affect search results performed on mobile devices, and while it’s still possible to rank in these results without a responsive design, Google highly recommends sites that have a mobile version.
You can read more about the effect of site responsiveness on search results here.
There are times when URLs play a huge role in SEO. Professionals will make sure the password is entered into the web address to help them rank higher.
But Google, doing what Google does, changed the algorithm. And what once became important for rankings, now plays a smaller role.
That’s not to say it doesn’t matter. Search engines still include your URL in your score all the time – they don’t have the same prominence.
However, there is evidence they play a role in a site’s initial ranking, and some professionals believe they have been used to group pages. What this means, is that while they shouldn’t be your top SEO priority, you don’t want to ignore them either.
Read more about how URLs factor into Google rankings here.
Remember E-A-T from way back at the beginning of this article?
One of the best ways for your web site to establish skills, authority, and trust is to go through links from reputable web sites.
Think of it this way: Who would you rather trust to your 401 (k) – the financial advisor who manages Warren Buffet’s portfolio or cousin Jimmy, who lives in your aunt’s basement? Jimmy can do a fine job; he could even potentially outperform Buffet’s guy. But he just doesn’t have the credibility that comes with a strong co-sign.
There are three main types that you need to know about SEO:
Of the three, inbound links are by far the most important. They provide the biggest SEO benefits, but they are also the most difficult to accept.
There are a variety of methods SEO professionals use to generate quality inbound links, including using social media, creating sharable infographics, and even just asking for backlinks.
But Beware: Not all inbound links are helpful. Some, especially those that come from link gardens, forum posts, and guest books, can be fake links that are intended to cheat the ranking system. If you don’t disavow this, it could hurt your ranking.
This is information about how and when you should reject a link.
On-Page SEO vs. Off-Page SEO
We’ve said a lot about on-page SEO, but there is also what is known as off-page SEO. The difference, as you explain by the names, is where it happens.
On -page SEO is everything you can do internally to boost your rankings, including keyword optimization, meta descriptions, title tags, alt text, and web page structure.
Off-page SEO is anything that happens externally that impacts your site rankings. This includes backlinks, E-A-T, local SEO, social media mentions, and pay-per-click.
Obviously, you have more control over the SEO on your pages, but it’s important to keep in mind off -page SEO – you need both for where you’re going to go.
But, you first need to focus on building a good, relevant site that is fully optimized for search engines before you start sinking a lot of resources into building links and promoting your site.
On-Page SEO Is An Ongoing Process
At the end of the day, search engine optimization boils down to one thing: Finding the best way to provide valuable information to searchers, and ensuring your website is at the top of the SERPs.
Your goal is to provide a better experience for users, while demonstrating your value on search engines. Luckily, the two were met. And they start with on -page optimization.
Start with what you can control, carefully evaluating your current site for weaknesses and opportunities for growth.
Get all the ducks on your site at once and you’ll start to see results – including an organic increase in off -site factors.
Just remember, SEO, such as Tetris, is never done. But keep reading and keep working, and you will receive the results you deserve.
Featured image: Paulo Bobita / Search Engine Journal
& quot; Off-page SEO & quot; (also called & quot; off-site SEO & quot;) refers to actions taken outside of your own web pages to affect your rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs). Along with on -page SEO, these include some basic SEO factors that help a site to rank.
What is the single most important on page SEO factor?
The Single Most Important On Page SEO Factor For Overall Ranking Potential: Domain Authority. Domain Authority, or DA, is a score from 1 – 100.
Which are the most important on page SEO factors? What are the Most Important SEO Ranking Factors?
- Web Sites are Secure and Accessible.
- Glass Speed (Including Mobile Glass Speed)
- Mobile Friendliness.
- Domain Age, URL, and Authority.
- Optimized content.
- Technical SEO.
- User Experience (RankBrain)
- Links.
What are the important aspects of on page SEO?
On -page SEO (also known as on -site SEO) refers to the practice of optimizing web pages to improve the search engine rankings of web pages and receive organic traffic. In addition to publishing relevant, high quality content, on page SEO includes optimizing your headline, HTML tags (title, action, and header), and images.
What’s the most important on page SEO element?
The Single Most Important On Page SEO Factor For Overall Ranking Potential: Domain Authority. Domain Authority, or DA, is a score from 1 – 100.
What is the importance of on page and off page in SEO?
On-page SEO focuses on optimizing the parts of your web pages that are under your control, while off-page SEO focuses on increasing your domain authority through creating content and getting backlinks from other web sites.
What’s technical SEO?
SEO technically refers to website and server optimizations that help search engine spiders crawl and index your site more effectively (to help improve organic rankings).
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What is SEO and its types?
The three types of SEO are: On -page SEO – Anything on your web page – Blog, product copy, web copy. Off-page SEO- Anything that happens away from your web pages that helps your SEO Strategy- Backlinks. SEO Techniques – Any techniques that are done to improve search rankings – index sites to help crawl bots.
What does SEO mean? SEO means Search Engine Optimization and is a process that works to optimize the technical configuration of a web site, content relevance and link popularity so that pages can be easily found, more relevant and popular for user search queries, and consequently, search engines rank them better.
What matters most in SEO?
So, what is most important in SEO? Authority. You are the authority in your industry.
What is most important in SEO? Google Ranking Factor #1 At WebTek, we state the most important part of SEO and the most important Google ranking factor is the title of the web page and the title tag. Titles represent the main real estate of any website – they are your best opportunity to tell Google any of your web pages or web pages.
What are 3 main areas of SEO?
We have covered three basic sections of SEO: Technical SEO, Content / Relevance SEO, and Promotion / Authority SEO.
What are the 4 main components of an SEO?
Each component builds and complements the other. The stronger the connection between each of the 4 SEO componentsâ € ”technical SEO, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and content — the better the results. Being aware of the connection will help us better understand how to use it effectively.
Which is example of on-page SEO?
Examples of some SEO action items on a page include: Optimizing your title tags and action descriptions. Write in-depth, quality content. Clean up your site code.
What is off-page SEO and how does it work? Off-page SEO includes activities performed on web pages in an effort to improve a site’s search engine ranking. Common off-page SEO actions include building backlinks, encouraging branded searches, and increasing engagement and shares on social media.
What is on off-page SEO?
On -page SEO covers the tactics that you use on your site that help search engines understand your content better and rank. It all falls into on -page SEO, content creation, title tag optimization, image optimization, and much more. Off-page SEO includes the activity of or “behind the scenes” of your web pages.