What is On-Page SEO?
On-page SEO, also known as on-site SEO, is a search engine optimization strategy that assists a website in improving its ranks. It also helps the crawler or user grasp your material better.
Importance of On-Page SEO for better ranking?
The importance of on-page SEO for higher ranking refers to the critical significance that optimizing various parts of a webpage plays in enhancing its exposure and search engine ranks.
On-page SEO is the process of carefully optimizing aspects such as a webpage’s content, website code, and overall structure to improve its relevancy, user experience, and search engine friendliness.
A lot of things have changed in the past several years. Off-page SEO is necessary but on-page SEO is very important and should not be ignored.
Best Free On-Page SEO Tools
To identify keyword research, free on-page SEO tools can help find keywords according to user intent.
Step-By-Step On-Page SEO Checklist
Always remember the golden rule “content is king” before starting your SEO practice.
On-Page activities
1) H1 to use in Main Headings
H1 tags, commonly known as heading tags, aid in the understanding of your content on your pages by Google. It is an important best practice in SEO. Crawler to find a user’s content query in Google Search Engine.
2) H2 – H6 to use in Sub-headings
They aid in the improvement of the content structure via the use of subheadings that make it easier and more appealing to users; also, all subheadings are keyword-focused.
3) Meta Description
A meta description is a brief and informative HTML property that gives a summary or preview of the material on a web page. It functions as a snippet or brief text snippet that appears in search engine results pages (SERPs) with the page title and URL. A meta description’s main aim is to provide users a preview of what they can anticipate from the page and attract them to go through to the website.
It is essential for search engine optimization (SEO) and helps to improve click-through rates and bring relevant traffic to a website. A well-written meta description should be brief, captivating, and correctly portray the page’s content, incorporating relevant keywords to enhance click-through rates.
4) Meta Title
A meta title is a brief and descriptive HTML element that gives the title of a webpage. It is also known as a title tag or page title. When a webpage is viewed, it appears at the top of a browser’s window or tab as a clickable headline on search engine results pages (SERPs). The meta title is an important component of search engine optimization (SEO) since it assists search engines in understanding the content and relevancy of a webpage.
It should accurately explain the page’s content, incorporate relevant keywords, and be captivating to pique users’ interest and increase click-through. An excellent meta title improves a webpage’s visibility, click ability, and overall user experience in search engine results.
5) Interlinking
The practice of connecting or establishing links between different entities, elements, or components inside a system, network, or body of information is referred to as interlinking. It entails the creation of linkages or references that connect similar or relevant information, allowing users to effortlessly navigate between different resources or pages.
Interlinking is a term used to describe the process of connecting webpages via hyperlinks on the internet. These hyperlinks are embedded in the content of one webpage and send viewers to another webpage, either on the same or a separate website. Interlinking is important in website navigation because it allows users to quickly access extra information, related articles, references, or other resources.
6) Image Optimization
Image optimization is a process of upgrading and enhancing digital photographs to get the best possible visual quality while minimizing file size and keeping optimal performance. It entails a variety of approaches and strategies targeted at lowering the file size of an image without sacrificing its look, clarity, or overall user experience.
Image optimization strategies include a variety of measures such as compression, resizing, and format selection. Compression reduces file size by removing extraneous data from images while maintaining visual quality. Resizing an image is modifying its proportions to meet the desired display size, hence lowering the number of pixels and overall file size.
Format selection comprises deciding on the best file format for the image, such as JPEG, PNG, or WebP, based on its content, transparency requirements, and desired level of compression.
a) Use keyword-Based Filenames
The use of keyword-based filenames involves including descriptive keywords within the name of a file to provide a clear indication of its content or purpose. This practice can be particularly useful for organizing and searching for files within a computer system.
By incorporating relevant keywords into filenames, you can quickly identify and locate specific files based on their content, making it easier to manage and retrieve information. This method is especially beneficial when dealing with a large number of files or when collaborating with others who need to access or understand the content of the files.
Let’s consider an example to illustrate the concept. Imagine you work for a marketing agency and are responsible for managing various promotional images for different clients.
For Example:- Instead of using generic filenames like “image1.jpg” or “picture.png,” you could adopt a keyword-based approach.
For instance, if you have an image promoting a summer sale for a client called “ABC Clothing,” you might name the file as follows:
“ABC_Clothing_Summer_Sale_2023.jpg”. In this example, the filename includes several relevant keywords such as the client’s name, the event or campaign name, and the year. This descriptive approach helps you quickly identify the file’s purpose and locate it when needed.
b) Use Alt text
Alt-text filenames refer to the practice of giving image files descriptive and meaningful names that can be used as alternative text (alt text) for such images. Screen readers often employ alt text as a textual description of an image to give accessibility to visually impaired users or those using assistive technology.
You can add descriptive information right into the image’s file name by using alt text filenames. When the image is published to a website or shared with others, the alt text is already present, making it easier to provide useful descriptions for the image.
Consider an example to demonstrate this notion. Assume you have an image of a stunning sunset at the beach. Instead of a generic file name like “IMG_12345.jpg,” you can use an alt text filename that describes the image. For example, “sunset-beach-photo.jpg” or “colorful-sunset-over-ocean.jpg” could be used to name the file.
c) Use a compressed Image
Using a compressed Image means lowering the file size of an image while aiming to maintain a sufficient level of visual quality. This compression method is beneficial for a variety of applications where storage or bandwidth is limited, such as web pages, email attachments or multimedia messaging.
Consider the following example to better understand how to use a compressed image:
Assume you took a high-resolution photo using your digital camera. The photograph is gorgeous and depicts a lovely environment. The original file size, however, is rather enormous, around 10 megabytes (MB). You may experience constraints if you want to share this image with others through email or upload it to a website owing to email attachment size restrictions or slow internet upload speeds.
You can reduce the file size of your image to a more manageable size, say 53 kilobytes (KB), while preserving a visually acceptable degree of detail, by using a JPEG compression method. The smaller file size makes it easier and faster to distribute the photograph via email or publish it to a website without sacrificing the overall viewing experience.
7) High-Quality Content
High-quality content is defined as information, media, or materials that are generated or manufactured to a high standard and provide value, relevance, and credibility to their intended audience.
It is distinguished by its ability to meaningfully engage, educate, entertain, or inspire users. The following characteristics are frequently associated with high-quality content:
Accuracy and Credibility: High-quality information is founded on trustworthy sources, correct facts, and extensive research.
Relevance and Purpose: High-quality material is suited to its target audience’s particular needs, interests, or concerns. It serves a clear goal by providing relevant information or solutions to the audience’s queries, issues, or aspirations.
Originality and Uniqueness: High-quality content is unique and stands out from the huge quantity of knowledge available. It adds an original point of view, fresh thoughts, or unique insights to the table. It may also include original research, data, or creative elements. High-quality content is provided in a clear, succinct, and easily accessible manner. It uses suitable language, organization, and formatting while avoiding jargon or sophisticated terminology that may confuse or alienate the readers.
8) Make SEO-friendly URLs
Make SEO-friendly URLs and web page addresses that are optimized for search engines to increase visibility ranks and total organic traffic to a website. SEO-friendly URLs are intended to be brief, informative, and simple to understand for both search engines and users. They frequently contain relevant keywords and keep to an organized format that helps search engines understand the content and purpose of the page.
SEO-Friendly Examples Include :
This is not SEO friendly: www.domain.com/product?id=16248
URL optimized for search engines: www.domain.com/product/blue-widget The non-SEO-friendly URLs in the above example contain query parameters, arbitrary strings, or insignificant data. SEO-friendly URLs, on the other hand, utilize significant keywords, such as product names, blog themes, or category names, to provide clear signals of the page’s content.
9) External links
External links are hyperlinks that take users from one webpage or online resource to another that resides outside of the original domain or website. These links are often used to provide extra information, supporting evidence, or similar content that may improve the reader’s understanding or provide further exploration of a specific issue.
External links are frequently signified by anchor text or clickable icons and are used to connect several websites, online documents, articles, multimedia content, or other digital entities. They are critical in broadening the scope of information available to consumers and facilitating cross-referencing between diverse sources across the internet.
10) Optimize for featured snippets
Optimizing for featured snippets is the practice of structuring and optimizing site content to increase the likelihood of appearing in the desired featured snippet position on search engine result pages (SERPs).
Featured snippets, also known as position zero, are informational summaries that appear at the top of organic search results, providing consumers with quick answers to their questions without requiring them to visit a specific website.
Several strategies can be used to optimize for featured snippets, including:
Answering questions straightforwardly and concisely: Create information that directly answers frequently requested questions or answers a specific query. Make sure the information is presented concisely, preferably within a paragraph or a bulleted list.
Using headers to structure content: To divide the information into logical sections, use descriptive headings and subheadings. This helps search engines comprehend how the content is organized and increases the likelihood of getting highlighted.
Readability formatting: Use brief paragraphs, bullet points, and numbered lists to make the text easy to read and understand. Use important keywords and phrases naturally throughout the material.
Using schema markup: Use schema markup on your web pages to provide additional structured data about the content to search engines. This can help search engines identify and extract relevant information for featured snippets.
11) Always use the table of content
The phrase “always use the table of contents” refers to the practice of making use of the table of contents of a document, book, or other organized written material. The table of contents serves as a roadmap for the content, listing the key sections and chapters as well as their page numbers or locations. Readers can save time and improve their overall reading or reference experience by using the table of contents to swiftly browse certain sections or subjects of interest.
12) Keyword Density
The percentage of times a single keyword or phrase appears inside a given text about the total number of words in that text is referred to as keyword density. It is frequently used as a search engine optimization (SEO) indicator to assess the relevancy and prominence of keywords within a piece of content.
The density of a term is calculated by dividing the number of occurrences by the total word count and multiplying by 100. It is crucial to remember, however, that high keyword density can lead to keyword stuffing, which is frowned upon by search engines and can harm a website’s ranking. The density of keywords in the article is approximately 2%.
Conclusion
On Page SEO is a critical aspect of digital marketing that ensures your website is optimized for search engines and users. You can improve your site’s visibility and rankings by focusing on key elements such as keyword usage, meta tags, internal linking, and high-quality content. Regular updates and adherence to best practices can significantly enhance your site’s performance, driving more traffic and engagement.
On-page SEO checklist includes optimizing content, titles, meta descriptions, headings, URL structure, image alt text, and ensuring mobile responsiveness.
On-page SEO includes optimizing content, meta tags, headings, URL structure, image alt text, and ensuring mobile-friendliness for better search engine visibility.
Content quality is the top factor in on-page SEO, influencing search engine rankings and user experience.