Getting your website ranked high on Google can feel like a daunting task. There are a ton of resources out there to show you how to improve your SEO, but how do you nail down what is essential and what isn’t? 

On-page SEO is accomplished by optimizing your website to gain organic traffic and improve your site rankings in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). A comprehensive site audit will point out parts of your site that are lacking SEO value and help identify where you can improve your rankings.

The actual content of your website pages creates the most SEO value. Anything within your website falls into the realm of affecting SEO. This includes text, metadata, images and multimedia, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more. All of these things put together are called content, though some marketing experts use the word content to mean the main text on a page, specifically, so make sure you understand the context of the advice you’re reading.

No matter what you consider content, the fact remains that content is king and needs to be optimized for website traffic and viewership. Once people are driven to your site via SERP, those visitors can be converted into customers/clients.

Don’t let your site keep you from reaching your audience and keeping them coming back for more. Let’s take a look at the top five on-page SEO factors you need to know.

1. Content

As we said before, content is king. Well-written content using the right keywords both attracts search engine queries and matches the needs of customers and viewers. A few things to keep in mind when creating content are:

  • Provide useful information on your site – pages should be written clearly and accurately so that viewers can easily understand your content, product descriptions, and other offerings.
  • Think about words users may type in a search engine to find you, use those words in your content.
  • Allow site assets that significantly affect pages to be crawled. For example, use CSS and JavaScript files that affect the understanding of the pages for a crawler.
  • Create pages for your users, not for search engines. Just because you want to rank higher doesn’t mean that keyword-spam content will be useful to people looking at your site.
  • Find what makes your site unique, valuable, and engaging. Stand out from others by creating an easily recognizable brand and keep that brand consistent throughout your website.

2. Title Tags

Title tags are the second-most important part of your website after content. A title tag is an HTML element specifying titles on your page. These tags are displayed in SERPs and provide the clickable headline in the result. Your title tag should be an accurate and concise description of the content on your page.

Search engines typically display 50-60 characters of a title. Keep your characters under 60 to ensure that it displays fully in the search results. When creating a title tag, give each page of your website a unique title, place important keywords first, and write for your customers. 

3. Metadata

Metadata is HTML code on each page that includes your page’s title tag and meta description. These parts of your page are used in search engine results to list your page. When a search engine looks up a query, the meta title and description are located in the link to the page. When your metadata is optimized with relevant keywords and detailed content, users and search engines will know what your website and pages are about.

When you correctly optimize your meta description, you improve:

  • Your click-through rate – how many people see your ad and click the link to view your website page.
  • Perception of quality – the more quality you have on your website, the greater the perception of visitors that you’re providing products and services relevant to them.
  • Perception of what your website offers – viewers will come back when they know you consistently provide products, services, and blog posts that are relevant.

4. Keywords

Gone are the days of just stuffing keywords into your website to try and attract web crawlers to index you. Most search engines are programmed to detect keyword stuffing and rank you lower in results if your page is guilty of this internet-era cardinal sin. This includes hiding keywords in code, alt-text, and metadata. 

You can still use Google’s Keyword Planner to find the most commonly searched keywords and phrases for your niche. But these keywords shouldn’t be the end-all-be-all of your content. Use your keywords in line with your users’ intent and the overall objectives of your business.

Today’s on-page SEO needs to use keywords and strings carefully and deliberately. No matter how many keywords you put into your content, if it isn’t relevant, engaging, and informative, viewers will leave and not return, and Google will take notice that users are not engaging with your content, pushing your search ranking even lower. 

5. Optimized Images

Having images on your site is a great way to attract customers and keep them engaged with your content. However, if images are large, it can slow your site down and make it difficult for viewers to see.

You can limit the size of the images you upload or use a compression tool, but keeping them an appropriate size should be first on the list when adding images to your site. In addition to compressed images, they can also help increase your search engine ranking, create a better user experience, and keep your site loading quickly.

Partner With The On-Page SEO Pros 

SEOHive is a service dedicated to providing a transparent and proactive service to equip you with the tools to sell and deliver SEO contracts. Our On Page Pathway enables your agency to launch new websites with proper SEO foundations in place as well as optimize existing sites under your care. 

Each month we start with a technical health and site audit report. From there, our team outlines an action plan based on the highest-priority issues and areas of opportunity. We’ll then spend five (5) hours of hands-on work each month improving overall site health while optimizing content, site speed, and countless other on page-related tasks. We can also apply our monthly work allotment to any specific needs that your agency may need assistance with.

We understand the need of small and medium-sized agencies to stabilize cash flow by providing regular and recurring services without the burden of delivering all the work in-house. Our on page pathway gives your agency everything you need to build recurring revenue and provide high-quality SEO optimization services to your clients. We do the service level work for you while you focus on your business. We are your white-label partner. Get started today.