The SEO landscape, as well as on-page SEO, is constantly changing. As a result, we must now consider more than just the title and meta description when optimizing our pages for major search engines.
You can concentrate on a variety of elements and aspects. Ideally, you’ll have a comprehensive on-page SEO strategy that incorporates best practices and cutting-edge optimizations to ensure long-term success.
However, if you’re constrained by time, money, or other factors, you may need to prioritize your efforts and demonstrate quick wins to justify additional investment.
In this column, you’ll find advice on which on-page SEO elements to start tweaking for better rankings, as well as context to help you understand why you’re doing so in the first place.
What Are the Most Important On-Page SEO Elements?
On-page SEO elements are classified into two types:
Content
Your website’s content elements include written, visual, and video content.
The content you create and embed on your website should be centered on providing value to your audience.
If your content lacks a clear focus, you’re passing up an enormous opportunity to provide your audience with the information they require.
Your content should also make good use of your keyword research.
How can you create relevant page content that meets your audience’s needs if you’re not focusing on keywords relevant to them?
HTML
An HTML element is any part of your web page that is defined in HTML, the standard code that runs behind the scenes. This includes things like the title, meta description, and alt-text for images.
It also contains the HTML elements that are used to render the page.
HTML elements are critical in informing Google about the content of your page and how it should rank in its search results.
If you don’t use these elements correctly, they may harm your rankings.
Read 4 Ways A Fireplace Installer Can Boost Their Digital Marketing.
5 On-Page SEO Elements to Improve Google Rankings
There are numerous methods for optimizing your website for search engines, but some fundamental elements should be present on every page.
Here are five on-page SEO elements to test and optimize if your pages are underperforming – and also as best practices for new web pages.
1. Written Material
Of course, the first thing you’ll want to look at is the written content on your page. If the primary goal of your content is to convert your audience into paying customers, make sure that each page focuses on providing value to your audience.
Check to see if the content you write makes good use of your keyword research. If your content lacks a clear focus, your audience will find it difficult to engage with it.
Use HTML subheadings to structure your content and signal topical relevance to both readers and search engines.
Although we know that E-A-T is especially important in YMYL topics, all web content can benefit from increased expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.
2. Tags in the title
The title tag is your page’s “title” and is the primary element that search engines use to determine what your page is about. Because Google has confirmed that the title tag is a “tiny” ranking factor, it should be focused on the exact keyword that your page is targeting.
If you want to target the phrase [Boston Baltimore pets], your title tag must include that phrase. This will help your page rank higher in search results and make it easier for your target audience to find.
3. URL of the page
URLs are critical for both SEO and user experience. Every webpage generates a unique URL, and you should take the time to ensure that yours includes the appropriate keywords.
Incorporate your target keyword into the URL in a way that makes sense to your target audience.
If they are looking for a specific product, you should include the product’s name in the URL. If you want to target the keyword phrase “Boston Baltimore pets,” for example, the URL could look like this:
Incorporating a keyword into the URL is a simple way to assist Google in determining the content of your page and how it should rank.
You should also make your page URLs short, sweet, and to the point. Long, complicated URLs are difficult to understand for search engines and a challenge for searchers.
Your URLs should be simple to understand and remember or recognize, making it easier for your audience to type into the search bar if they need to return to a specific page.
4. Image Alternate Text
While more content creators are realizing the importance of visual elements on a website, far too many still overlook an important on-page SEO element: video and image alt text.
The alt text is a description of the image or video that appears behind the visual element. They aren’t usually found on a well-functioning website because they serve as an alternate way for viewers to see what was intended.
For example, if a photo does not render properly once your webpage has fully loaded, the alt text will take its place so that the viewer can still understand what you were attempting to show them.
If you don’t include your target keywords in your alt text, search engines won’t index your visual elements, which can be detrimental if your audience prefers to do a video or image search rather than a standard Google search.
Alt-text also ensures that your content is viewable by everyone.
This is because alt text is the simplest way to inform someone using a screen reader that a page contains audio or video.
These tools can be useful for making certain types of content accessible to users who are blind or deaf.
5. Internal and external hyperlinks
Internal links are links that lead to other pages on your website. They assist Google in understanding the context of a page and its relationship to other pages on your site.
Take a look at these internal linking best practices to see how they can help your SEO strategy.
External links, on the other hand, point to content that is located outside of your website. They can assist you in building reader trust by linking to credible sources and providing more information on complex or less-understood topics.
Conduct regular audits to ensure your on-page SEO is performing well
Maintaining your on-page SEO is a continuous process that should always be a part of your SEO strategy.
If you have the resources and manpower to conduct regular audits on your site, you should do so at least once a month. A checklist to help guide your efforts can be found at 9 Page-Level Factors To Assess As Part Of Your SEO Audit.
You can ensure that your on-page SEO is top-notch and that your site generates high-quality leads and conversions with the right help.
Need help with our free SEO tools? Try our free Keywords Suggestion Tool, Keyword Density Checker,
Keyword Position.
Learn more from SEO and read The Anatomy of a Great Business Website.
