What Is On-Page SEO? How To Optimize A Page

On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing elements on a website (as opposed to links elsewhere on the internet and other external signals collectively known as “off-page SEO“) in order to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic from search engines. on-page SEO refers to optimizing both the content and HTML source code of a page.

Off-page SEO, on the other hand, involves optimizing external factors, such as backlinks and social media presence, to enhance search engine rankings. It is distinct from on-page SEO, which focuses on content within the website itself.

Both on-page and off-page SEO form two of the basics of Search Engine Optimization when trying to rank your site.

Beyond helping search engines interpret page content, proper on-page SEO also helps users quickly and clearly understand what a page is about and whether it addresses their search query. In essence, good on-page SEO helps search engines understand what a human would see (and what value they would get) if they visited a page, so that search engines can reliably serve up what human visitors would consider high-quality content about a particular search query (keyword). Effective on-page SEO not only improves visibility in search results but also enhances user experience by ensuring that visitors can easily find the information they need.

The ultimate goal of on-page SEO can be thought of as attempting to make it as easy as possible for both search engines and users to:

• Understand what a webpage is about;
• Identify that page as relevant to a search query or queries (i.e. a particular keyword or set of keywords);

Find that page useful and worthy of ranking well on a search engine results page (SERP).

Importance of on-page SEO

on-page SEO is crucial for any website looking to improve its online visibility and drive more traffic. By optimizing individual web pages, you can increase your chances of ranking higher in search engines and attracting more qualified leads. on-page SEO involves optimizing various elements such as title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and content to improve search engine rankings. By doing so, you can improve your website’s credibility, increase user engagement, and ultimately drive more conversions.

In the past, on-page SEO has been synonymous with keyword use — and specifically, including a high-value keyword in several key locations on a website.

An on-page SEO checklist is a crucial tool for optimizing website content. It serves as a guideline for both newcomers and experienced users, helping them monitor and update their content regularly, ensuring it aligns with evolving SEO algorithms and trends.

To understand why keywords are no longer at the center of on-page SEO, it’s important to remember what those terms actually are: content topics. Historically, whether or not a page ranked for a given term hinged on using the right keywords in certain, expected places on a website in order for search engines to find and understand what that webpage’s content was about. User experience was secondary; simply making sure search engines found keywords and ranked a site as relevant for those terms was at the heart of on-page SEO practices.

Today, though, search engines have grown exponentially more sophisticated. They can extract a page’s meaning from the use of synonyms, the context in which content appears, or even just by paying attention to the frequency with which specific word combinations are mentioned. While keyword use still matters, prescriptive methods like using an exact-match keyword in specific locations a requisite number of times is no longer a tenant of on-page SEO. What is important is relevance. For each of your pages, ask yourself how relevant the content is to the user intent behind search queries (based on your keyword usage both on the page and in its HTML).

In this way, on-page SEO is less about keyword repetition or placement and more about understanding who your users are, what they’re looking for, and about what topics (keywords) can you create content that best fulfills that need. Pages that meet these criteria have content that is:

• In-depth.“Thin” content was one of Google Panda’s specific targets; today it’s more or less assumed that content must be sufficiently thorough in order to stand a good chance at ranking.
• User-friendly. Is the content readable? Is it organized on your site in such a way that it’s easily navigable? Is it generally clean, or littered with ads and affiliate links?
• Unique. If not properly addressed, content duplicated from elsewhere on your site (or elsewhere on the Internet) may impact a site’s ability to rank on SERPs.
• Authoritative and trustworthy. Does your content stand on its own as a reliable resource for information on a particular topic?
• Aligned with user search intent. Part of creating and optimizing for quality content is also delivering on searcher expectations. Content topics should align with the search queries for which they rank.

Fully optimizing a page on your website requires both text- and HTML-based changes. Here are a few tips to help you improve your optimization techniques: focus on writing effective title tags, crafting user-friendly URLs, and ensuring your content is relevant and engaging. Check out this article for more information on the on-page factors that contribute to ranking, and how you can improve your own website pages.

• On-Page SEO Ranking Factors
• It’s Time to Stop Doing On-Page SEO Like It’s 2012
• More than Keywords: 7 Concepts of Advanced On-Page SEO

Targeting featured snippets

Featured snippets are a great way to increase your website’s visibility and drive more traffic. They appear at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) and provide a brief summary of the content. To target featured snippets, it’s essential to optimize your content for the target keyword and provide a clear, concise answer to the user’s query. You can also use schema markup to help search engines understand the content of your page and increase your chances of appearing in featured snippets.

Conducting keyword research

Conducting keyword research is a critical step in on-page SEO. It involves identifying the keywords and phrases your target audience uses to search for products or services like yours. By incorporating these keywords into your content, you can improve your website’s visibility and drive more targeted traffic. There are several tools available to help you conduct keyword research, including Google Keyword Planner and Moz Keyword Explorer. When conducting keyword research, it’s essential to identify long-tail keywords that are less competitive and more specific to your business.

Non-keyword-related on-page SEO

Beyond the keywords (topics) used in content on a webpage and how they’re discussed, there are several “keyword-agnostic” elements that can influence on-page optimization.

Those include things like:

• Link use on a page: How many links are there? Are they internal or external? External links are important for enhancing a website's credibility and authority. They signal to Google and users that the content is well-referenced and trustworthy, while also helping Google to understand the page's topic.
• Page load speed
• Use of Schema.org structured data or other markup
• Page URL structure
• Mobile friendliness
• Page metadata

All of these elements tie back to the same basic idea: creating a good user experience. The more usable a page is (from both a technical and non-technical perspective), the better that page’s on-page optimization.

Optimizing title tags and meta descriptions

Title tags and meta descriptions are two of the most critical elements of on-page SEO. Title tags appear in search engine results pages (SERPs) and should accurately describe the content of the page. Meta descriptions, on the other hand, provide a brief summary of the page’s content and should entice users to click through. When optimizing title tags and meta descriptions, it’s essential to include your target keyword and make sure they are descriptive, concise, and compelling.

Optimizing URLs and internal links

Optimizing URLs and internal links is essential for improving your website’s crawlability and user experience. URLs should be descriptive, concise, and include your target keyword. Internal links, on the other hand, help search engine crawlers navigate your website and understand the hierarchy of your content. When optimizing internal links, it’s essential to use descriptive anchor text and link to relevant pages on your website.

Updated by Chima Mmeje — November 18, 2024.