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A General Guide to On-Page SEO

On-page SEO is one of the most fundamental areas of search engine optimization. The on-page elements that you have control over can have a significant impact on how well your website ranks in search engines.

In this in-depth guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about optimizing the on-page factors of your website for better search engine rankings. We’ll discuss key elements like titles, meta descriptions, headings, internal links, images and more.

By the end, you’ll understand why on-page optimization is so important and how to audit and improve the various on-page factors of your own website. Let’s get started!

What is On-Page SEO?

On-page SEO refers to the optimization of elements on your website that are used by search engines to understand what the page is about. Things like page titles, headings, text, internal links, image alt text, and metadata all fall under on-page optimization.

The goal of on-page SEO is to clearly communicate the purpose and keywords of each page to search engines so they can properly categorize, index and rank your content. When search engines understand what your page is about, they’re more likely to show it to users searching related keywords.

A General Guide to On-Page SEO

Why is On-Page SEO Important?

On-page SEO factors are some of the most important signals that search engines use to understand your content. Getting these elements right can have a significant positive impact on your search rankings and visibility.

Some key reasons why on-page SEO is so important:

  • Crawlability & Indexing – Search engines need context from on-page elements like headings, titles and links to properly crawl and index your content.
  • Relevancy – On-page SEO helps communicate to search engines whether a page is relevant to certain queries or topics so it can be shown to the right users.
  • Understanding Purpose – Page titles, headings, content structure and internal links give search engines insight into what each page is about at a glance.
  • User Experience – Well-optimized on-page factors like descriptive titles also enhance the experience for users who land on your site from search results.
  • Foundational – Getting on-page SEO right provides a solid foundation for other optimization efforts like links, social shares and citations to build upon.

So in summary, on-page optimization is crucial for search engines to understand, categorize and rank your content properly in search results.

On-Page SEO Audit and Analysis

The first step is to audit the on-page factors of your existing website pages to see where improvements can be made. Some of the key elements to analyze include:

  • Page Titles – Are they descriptive, under 60 characters and include target keywords?
  • URL Structure – Are URLs human-readable, search-engine friendly and include keywords?
  • Headings – Do main <h1> headings clearly summarize the page purpose? Are sub-headings used appropriately?
  • Meta Descriptions – Are descriptions compelling and 120-155 characters for SERPs?
  • Content – Is content well-structured, text optimized for keywords and of sufficient length (1,000+ words)?
  • Images – Do images have appropriate filename keywords and descriptive alt text for context and visibility?
  • Internal Links – Is important, keyword-rich content internally linked to and from for crawlers?
  • Technical – Are pages mobile-friendly, loading quickly without redirects and issues?

Performing a thorough on-page audit against best practices will reveal specific areas to refine for optimization. Tools like Screaming Frog and Google’s PageSpeed Insights can help with the inspection.

Key On-Page Optimization Elements

Let’s take a closer look at some of the core on-page factors and how to optimize them:

Page Titles

Titles should be eye-catching yet include target keywords within the first 55-60 characters for visibility. Strive for keyword prominence without being duplicate or exaggerated.

For example:

  • Original: Homepage
  • Optimized: Homepage | [City Name] Real Estate Agents & Home Buyer Services

URL’s

readable, static URLs with important keywords and descriptors rank better. Structure and 301 redirect as needed. Avoid dynamic dates, IDs, or pagination when possible.

For example:

  • Original: example.com/homes?listing_id=123
  • Optimized: example.com/luxury-homes-in-downtown-Portland

Headings

The <h1> heading should clearly summarize a page while <h2><h6> headings break up sections. Don’t over-optimize headings and use styles appropriately.

For example:

  • <h1>Best Real Estate Agents in Portland</h1>
  • <h2>What to Look for in an Agent</h2>
  • <h3>Traits of Top-Performing Agents</h3>`

Content

High-quality, informative content structured with appropriate headings, formatting, keywords and internal links is key. Lengthier form pages optimizing around user intent and purpose are ideal with 1,000+ words.

For example: In-depth buyer’s guide explaining the steps in the home buying process with relevant topics like inspections, offers, negotiations covered thoroughly.

Internal Links

Linking between important pages passively informs search engines about topically related and hierarchical page associations on a site when used appropriately. Over-optimized, unnatural links hurt rather than help.

For example: A article about finding a realtor may naturally link to an about or contact page for an agency rather than every other page on site.

Other Elements

Meta descriptions, image optimization, site speed/responsiveness, functional testing and maintaining technical SEO best practices round out a comprehensive on-page checklist. Regular audits against evolving best practices help sites continually enhance optimization efforts over time.

Measuring On-Page SEO Success

The true test of effective on-page SEO is whether optimization efforts translate to better ranking and visibility in search results over time. Some key metrics to track include:

  • Keyword Positioning – Do pages now rank higher and for more targeted keywords?
  • Traffic & Engagement – Has visibility and user behavior like time on site and bounce rate improved?
  • Conversions – For ecommerce/goal-focused sites, check if optimization boosted goals like leads, sales or newsletter signups.
  • Backlink Profile – Analyze whether on-page changes may have indirectly increased or improved the quality of incoming links over weeks/months.
  • Technical Issues – Check for any remaining or new Crawl Errors, Redirects and technical SEO problems slowing progress.

Regular optimization, ongoing testing and analysis against success metrics will reveal what’s working well and areas still needing improvement to continually advance search performance over time.

A General Guide to On-Page SEO

Key Takeaways

To summarize the key points about optimizing on-page SEO factors:

  • On-page elements give search engines crucial context to understand content relevance and priority.
  • Audit titles, meta descriptions, headings, content, internal linking and more technical elements against best practices.
  • Prioritize improvements to page titles, URLs, headings and content while maintaining a natural user experience.
  • Track progress by analyzing search performance, traffic and engagement metrics over weeks/months.
  • Ongoing optimization, testing and fixating emerging issues is vital to continually advancing search visibility.

With a comprehensive focus on addressing priority on-page optimization opportunities, websites can see meaningful search ranking improvements, more qualified traffic and increased conversions over time.

 

FAQ

While short pages may be sufficient for some cases, aim for at least 1,000 words of substantial, informative content to truly cover topics in depth and benefit SEO with longer pages ranking better generally.

Technically formatting like bold and italics doesn’t directly impact SEO, but strategic use can help break up content and emphasize important points for users. Overusing certain styles may come across as unnatural to search engines, so use sparingly for emphasis only.

Pages benefit from regular touchups or full optimization passes at least every 3-6 months to refine on-page SEO as tactics, algorithms and best practices evolve. More frequently optimized important pages see faster results on average though avoid large changes all at once.

While meta descriptions should be accurate, directly copying significant text fragments from on-page content into the description can potentially reduce the uniqueness of your content. It’s best to write descriptive, compelling summaries tailored for SERPs in the description whenever possible.

Modern URL policies are more lenient, but as a general guideline aim for around 2-3 relevant keywords at most in the URL itself for readability without becoming over-optimized or duplicate. The content still remains most important.

It depends. Soft 404s or thin pages with little value should be removed, but archive, category or other historically important pages may serve users and avoid confusing search engines by redirecting appropriately versus straight removal if possible over time.

The Yoast SEO plugin, Screaming Frog tool, and Google Search Console can help identify technical issues or weak on-page factors in need of optimization. Manual checks comparing against best practice guides remains important too for a comprehensive on-page audit regularly over time.

Resources

I hope you found this comprehensive guide helpful for understanding the fundamentals of on-page SEO optimization. Let me know if you have any other questions!