Search engine optimization (SEO) is used to improve your ranking on the search engine results pages (SERPs). An effective SEO strategy includes both on-site and off-site strategies. Here are some key on-page SEO factors that can help improve your rankings:
Wrap Titles and Subtitles in H1 and H2 Tags
These tags draw the attention of search engine spiders to your page title and the hierarchy you’ve created in your content.
- The clear organization provides clues about the content by also demonstrating an easy-to-read format.
What Is Off-Page SEO?
Search engines want to know that the pages they return for users are trustworthy
- To better gauge a page’s authority, search engine algorithms look at the site’s apparent reputation regarding the rest of the digital ecosystem
- Most common off-page optimization strategies are link building and using other reputable sites as backlinks
You Don’t Have to Be an SEO Expert to Improve Your On-Page SEO
You don’t have to be a technical SEO expert writing your own HTML to succeed
- By arming yourself with helpful equipment, such as our SEO toolkit, and the right metrics, you’ll be able to continually produce content optimized for both search engines and searchers
Prioritize Outbound and Internal Linking Opportunities
Linking provides you with the key to showing Google how your material relates to your site and the larger part of the digital ecosystem.
- Outbound links: provide additional information about a topic or provide an authoritative source for something they just said
- Internal linking: link to the content on your own website
Optimize Title Tags
The title tag appears within the search engine result below the URL but above the meta description.
What is On-Page SEO?
On-page SEO, also known as on-site SEO, is the practice of optimizing the content on your page to make it as discoverable as possible
- Organizes the content so that search engines can understand it and pair it with relevant queries
Why Is On-Page SEO Important?
There are well over a billion websites currently online, which means that search engine algorithms must sort through enormous amounts of data to organize web content and serve users with content that will appeal to them
- With quality on-page optimization, you help search engines connect your content’s relevance to the given query or keyword you’re trying to rank for
Step 2: Use Your Target Keyword in the First Paragraph
Providing a central keyword in the first paragraph of the content will ensure that you make your intention clear
- As you build out the content, begin to incorporate semantic keywords or synonyms with a strong relationship to the main keyword
Add and Improve Meta Descriptions
The meta description or meta tag refers to the brief description found underneath the URL and title of the page on the SERP when your site appears in the search results.
- Provide more information about the content you have on the page.
- Use this opportunity to advertise your page to the user.
Step 8: Revise and Write SEO On-Page Content
The Google algorithm is not static, as it regularly changes to better reflect user search intent and new search practices like voice search.
- Since the algorithm changes, brands must also be willing to regularly shift their SEO practices to align with those needs.
Optimize URLs
Create a URL that includes important keywords so that both search engines and users can look at the URL and feel confident knowing the topic of the particular page.
Add and Optimize Images
Focus on adding images that elevate your content
- The images you select should also be optimized
- Make sure they load quickly
- Create excellent alt tags that tell the search engine what the image is
- Selecting titles and file names for your images that reflect the image and keywords you want to incorporate
Optimize for User Engagement
The content on your page should draw in the reader to boost their engagement
- Create content that boosts engagement by: using clear headlines
- Incorporating video
- Creating relevant calls-to-action (CTAs)
- Ensuring the page speed is fast by following load time best practices
Step 1: Understand Google’s Criteria
Google focuses on a few areas to determine the best content to serve to the user making a query
- It looks at the overall experience the person has when they first land on the page.
- The search engine wants to see how people engage with the content. Do they click off right away? Do they spend time moving around the site?
