With both on-page and off-page SEO, your business can improve its standings. On-Page Search Engine Optimization refers to everything you can see on the page such as content, meta tags, and more. It's the process of optimizing individual web pages such as service pages, blogs, and more to attract relevant traffic in the search engines. With relevant content, appropriate headings, internal links, and more, your web page has a higher chance of attracting the right traffic. The right traffic refers to those who are more willing to take action on your site.
Some obstacles that On-Page SEO can solve are the following:
Page responsiveness
User experience
Mobile-friendly pages
Relevance to what people are searching for
Image relevance in regards to alt tags
The ultimate way to success is to provide people with a smooth web browsing experience. You can accomplish this through fast loading pages, useful content, and mobile-friendly optimization.
SEO is continuously evolving with new updates and approaches, so it's essential to stay informed with the latest changes for the most effective on-page strategies. While on-page SEO may seem overwhelming, we break down some simple steps you can take to garner more organic traffic.
Google likes to see internal linking throughout your site, meaning links in your post will take you to other pages on site. Internal linking helps reduce your bounce rate and keep people engaged throughout the entirety of your website. A general rule of thumb you can follow includes adding about 2-5 internal links per post. You can direct your audience to another blog, service page, contact page, and anywhere on your site, you would like them to go.
Your content is the shining star of your page and will have the most significant impact on your place within the search engine result pages. Long-form content tends to result in higher engagement amongst users. Web page content in the 1,000 - 2,000-word range gives plenty of room to incorporate keywords into naturally into the piece. The critical thing is to create content that is related to search queries that will inform, entertain, and resonate with readers. Your content can including the following:
Guides, tutorials, how-to's
Online resources
FAQ pages
Beginner guides
Your keyword should appear throughout your post in different variations. Include them in your body text, headings, and images.
Using H1, H2, and H3 tags in the appropriate spots will help Google better understand the structure of your page and its relevance to your content. The H1 is your headline tag, meaning the title of your blog. You want to include your keyword in the title, primarily at the beginning. Your H2 and H3 tags help provide a hierarchy for the page. This hierarchy dictates which heading is more important in terms of relevancy. H3's tend to fit under the H2's, describing them or providing examples of the main topic. To take full advantage of the headings capabilities', you should include different variations of your focus keyword to help with on-page SEO.
URL's play an essential role in SEO. It's recommended to make them shorter and simpler to read with about 3-4 words. Most importantly, ensure that your URL contains the main keyword that way, Google will have a clear concept of what your page is about and will be able to crawl it appropriately.
Your pictures not only add visual media to your posts, but they also can help improve your SEO. You can add image alt tags to your photos to help rank with your keywords. This action allows Google to decipher accurately what the keyword is and the relevance the image has to it. You can accomplish this by using your focus keyword in the filename of your image, as well as in alt-tags.
Outbound links take readers from your page to other reputable sources of information. By linking to credible sites, this helps out your site because Google then recognizes your site as one of authority. It also helps because it directs your audience to another website as a useful resource.
Page speed is critical because if your website doesn't load quickly, visitors are likely to bounce from the page and look elsewhere. "Elsewhere" could potentially mean your competitor. Google also uses page speed as a ranking factor, which means that if your page speed is slower, Google can recognize this. You can speed up your website by trying the following:
Reducing server response time
Enabling compression
Optimizing images
Reducing redirects and plugins
People are often searching for nearby restaurants, businesses, and organizations on their mobile devices. Mobile searches are increasing, so it's necessary to make it a top priority. Google's algorithm dictates that websites that are not mobile-friendly will have a harder time showing up in the search engines. Considering that mobile use is on the rise, you don't want to exclude half of your audience accidentally. Keep in mind the size of a mobile screen and ensure that users can smoothly navigate on a device and find the information they need.
It's essential to put keywords and related phrases in your content, but it's also important to feature them at the beginning of your content. Make sure you use your keyword in the first paragraph of your post to abide by Google's rules. It is a ranking factor looked at by Google and other search engines.
While meta descriptions do not directly affect your rank, they do help your audience have a better understanding of the page. Make your meta description compelling and concise so a reader will want to know more. A captivating meta description can increase your CTR and drive more traffic, which is what you want.