On-Page SEO Optimisation: What It Is & Why It Matters
Success in organic search today requires optimising a combination of ranking factors that search engines consider essential. These include technical SEO, on-page SEO, and off-page SEO. Over the years, we have seen a significant increase in off-page techniques.
These include link building, content marketing, and other technical methods. However, off-page SEO won’t do much good if your website ignores the fundamentals of on-page SEO factors.
A Smart SEO practitioner will know that on-page optimisation should constantly be on the list. The search engine landscape is always changing. Keeping your on-page SEO knowledge and content up to date is important.
This post will look at on-page SEO. We will discuss why it is essential and the key factors for website success.
On-page SEO optimises your web pages and articles to improve visibility on Google and boost organic traffic. It’s not just about publishing relevant, quality content. It’s also about ensuring your website has a strong level of expertise, authority, and trust.
On-page SEO also includes optimising headlines, HTML tags (title, meta, and header), and images.
It considers over 200 page aspects that, combined, improve your search ranking and keyword position.
Why is It Important?
On-page SEO is important. It helps search engines understand your website and its content. This way, they can see how relevant it is to a searcher’s query. As search engines get smarter, they focus more on relevance and meaning in search results pages (SERPs).
Google is now better at understanding what users want when they type a query. It delivers search results that match user intent. Its algorithm is ever-evolving, and this is where an experienced SEO comes in and constantly follows these changes.
To adapt to these algorithm updates, you need to ensure your website and its content are well-optimized. This includes what users see on your pages and elements only visible to search engines, like HTML tags and structured data. Keep everything up to date.
If you invest your time and budget in on-page strategies, you will see more traffic. This will improve your search presence, especially with a strong off-page approach.
So, let’s review what we think are the most important elements of on-page SEO. By focusing on these areas, you will improve your content and authority. This will help increase your rankings, traffic, and conversions. That is what we want for our business!
E-E-A-T
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust. It’s part of the framework that Google raters use to assess content, webpages, and websites.
The industry is still not sure if this is a big ranking factor. They also don’t know how Google and other search engines use this signal. Google has always put a premium on high-quality content.
Understanding and fulfilling search intent is crucial in creating such content. It aims to make sure that high-quality content sites get better rankings. It also wants to make low-quality content sites less visible.
A clear relationship exists between what search engines consider high-quality content and what appears in the search results. E-E-A-T is important for Google’s search results. No one knows exactly how it works, but you should include E-E-A-T in your SEO campaign.
Producing SEO Content
Writing solid SEO content requires an art; it involves more than just keyword research and filling in the blanks. SEO writing means making content for both users and search engines. It uses important keywords to show search engines what the topic is.
Merely producing content for the sake of it won’t do. Remember that you’re writing content for people and want them to spend time reading it. When you create content, it must be high quality, meaningful, and relevant to what the user is looking for.
Constant Content Audits
Most SEO content creators focus on creating new content and often forget to audit clients’ existing content. And this is a mistake.
Auditing and updating your existing content is essential because it helps you:
- Check whether your existing content is achieving the goals it was created for.
- Check if the information in your content is still accurate or has become stale (or even outdated).
- Determine what types of content are working on your site.
You should conduct content audits regularly to significantly enhance your SEO strategy. Using an on-page SEO strategy helps your content match what searchers want. It also targets important keywords. As an SEO agency, we check all content every month.
Title Tags
The title tag is an HTML tag found in the head section of each web page. It gives the first idea about the page’s main topic. It features prominently in the SERPs and the browser window.
The title tag impacts organic rankings, so you should not overlook it, especially when including the primary keyword. Missing, duplicate, and poorly written title tags can hurt your SEO results. Make sure you optimise this element.
Meta Descriptions for SEO
Since the beginning of SEO, meta descriptions have been a vital area of optimisation. Meta descriptions are meta tags describing what the page is about, displayed in the SERPs below the page’s title.
Google says that meta descriptions do not directly affect search rankings. However, better descriptions can improve CTR (click-through rate).
Optimising meta descriptions helps your pages stand out in search results. Use this important space wisely.
Page Title Headlines
Do you want your website content to perform well in searches? Then, it would be best to start writing good, compelling headlines. A great headline can make the difference between a click and just an impression. So, it is important to create them with SEO in mind.
Your headlines should grab attention. This helps them stand out to users on search results pages. When they catch interest, users are more likely to click and read your content.
Page Header Tags
Header tags are HTML elements (H1-H6) used to show your website’s headings and subheadings within your content. Header tags aren’t as crucial for your site rankings as they used to be. However, these tags still serve an essential function for your users and SEO. So you still need to pay attention to these as they can indirectly impact your rankings:
- Making your content more natural and much more enjoyable for visitors to read.
- Provide keyword-rich context about your content so search engines can better understand it. Using internal links in your content helps users navigate your website. It also helps search engine crawlers index all pages.
Keyword Cannibalisation Issues
Focusing on one keyword across many web pages can lead to “keyword cannibalisation.” This can harm your on-page SEO. When several pages rank for the same keyword, your website competes with itself, as search engines will not fully understand which page to rank.
It’s important to learn if keyword cannibalisation is happening on your website. You should fix it quickly. This helps the right pages rank for the target phrases.
Also, managing internal links is important. Don’t forget that external links help improve your site’s authority and relevance.
Image Optimisation
Adding images is an excellent way to make your web pages more appealing. However, not all images hold the same quality; some can even slow down your website on mobile devices. Your website CMS often changes image sizes. This keeps the ratios small if the image is just a thumbnail.
Optimising images with no empty alt tags and good titles will help you make the most valuable SEO asset. Image optimisation has many benefits. It can help you rank better on Google Image Search. It also improves user experience and speeds up page load times.
Your images should not be an afterthought. Use images that improve your content and user experience. Include descriptive titles and keywords in your alt text.
Bounce Rate
Enhancing your website’s on-page SEO elements, in all honesty, is only part of the battle. The other focus is to keep users from leaving. Instead, they should keep viewing your content, interacting with it, and hopefully returning for more.
Retaining engaged users is one of SEO’s biggest challenges. To boost user engagement, focus on site speed, user experience, and content optimisation. Make it easy for users to navigate and find new content. Link to other relevant articles and pages.