Brands desire to get clicks from users as an important element of growth in the business. Organic traffic is important especially when it results from search engines.
On-page search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing the website’s different front-end and back-end elements. These elements include the site architecture, HTML and content elements which help the website rank up in the search engines and drive new traffic to the page.
Websites are ranked using Google algorithms in three categories. Off-page SEO contains elements like social sharing and external linking. Technical SEO contains elements like site speed, structured data and mobile readiness of the website. Category three is On-Page SEO which will be discussed herein.
Importance of On-Page SEO
It provides Google with information about the website and how the website provides value to its users.
It also helps in site optimization for people and search engine bots identifying the website’s relevance to its user’s queries. It also helps organize the website’s content and flow and ensures users access information easily.
The following elements I watch companies and brands should pay attention to maximize the ranking of the pages and get more traffic.
Page Content
This is the core of on-page SEO. It provides information about the brand to people and search engines. Pages are ranked highly by Google based on the answers given to the searcher’s queries. A brand’s page has to offer valuable information and be better than its competitors.
High-quality page content involves selecting keywords and topics users want. Brands must identify and conduct a keyword search on Google for the terms used and research what is already being used. Tools such as UberSuggest, Ahrefs and AnswerthePublic can be used to conduct the keywords search.
For better page content appearance the use of the keyword should be regulated in terms of density, i.e., they should be made or moderation of the keyword views 2 about once or twice per 100 words of the content. Brands should ensure they have relevant content and use key performance indicators to test their performance i.e. the bounce rate and the time people spend on the page.
Page Titles
This is the first thing users see after conducting a search on any search engine as the focus is on the words provided. Page titles influence the page ranking and should therefore be unique and bear the keywords. Title tags draw the attention of search engines to your website.
Title tags should include the primary and secondary keywords of the website, be better positioned i.e. at the beginning of the title sentence, should maximize the spaces provided and should avoid keyword stuffing. Title tags should add value and make users interested to read the information on the website.
Heading
This describes the content of the website page. Headings offer information about the content in the paragraphs to make it easier for search engines to get information about your page and rank it up. Both headings and subheadings should be structured accordingly to determine the content of the page articles.
Header tags should be used appropriately and demonstrate consistency. I.e. use H1, H2, and H3 etc. to categorize the information on the website.
The title should always be H1 and should describe the page with the main keywords. The other H2 H3 etc. should be subheadings and should bear different keywords. Preferably, have one heading on each of the website pages and specify different topics therein.
URL
A good URL improves the click rates of the websites when the links are shared with other people. The URL should be relevant in that it should be an indicator of what the page content is about. It should be short and simple to enhance its popularity, readability, sharing and user friendly.
URL helps keep the site’s hierarchy consistent when creating blog posts, sub-pages and internal pages. It should reflect the path to the blog post i.e. describe the page title and the subtitle of the content.
Avoid unnecessary words in the URL and use one or two keywords.
Internal linking
This is the process of connecting the website to other helpful pages within the website. Internal linking leads readers to other pages and keeps them on your website for a long time. This communicates to Google that the information on the website is valuable and useful to readers.
Internal linking demonstrates the brand is a voice in its market and therefore gives it credibility among the users.
This element of on-page SEO is usually neglected by brands and therefore, they should work on a site-linking strategy to maximize the clicks and time spent on the website.
Image Alt-Text
Pictures provide more information than words. Brands should prioritize the image optimization aspect of their websites both in terms of quality, size, naming and description of the images used. Image Alt Text allows search engine bolts to crawl better and rank the website highly.
It also offers Screen Reading tools that describe the images to visually challenged readers. Images used should be relevant and should help describe the page content. They should be well-described and specific. Do not stuff the images with the keywords.
Structured Mark-Up
Also known as schema markup, this involves “making up” the website Source Code to improve Google’s capability of finding and understanding different elements of the website’s content.
Structured markup helps improve how the page is seen by Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) by providing valuable snippets displayed under the page titles.
It also helps the search engine to understand the content and display the best search possible when users make a query. Tools such as Google Structured Data Markup Helper should be used to create your own schema.
Page-Load Speed
A slow-loading page results in frustration and loss of patience. Fast-loading pages have a higher bouncing rate which improves the clicks made and their ranking. Load time is crucial for any website and should be optimized to load faster and give users motivation to continue staying on the page.
Google Page Speed Insight Tools help by providing information on page speed and how to improve the same. Improve the website load speed by reducing the image sizes and their quality and content.
It is also important to optimize the speed for both mobile and desktop users. Fast load speed impacts the user experience which leads to conversions and return on investment (ROI).
Mobile Friendly
Most people use their mobile phones to access the internet daily. A website should therefore be created with the mobile user in mind. The web layout, design, hosting services and theme should be friendly and readable for a mobile phone user.
Speed is key when talking about mobile friendliness and creating a better user experience. The user should feel no difference when using their mobile phone to access the website.
