Want to boost your search rankings? Start with On-page optimisation. Understanding why on page seo matters is key, as it helps Google know what your page is about and how valuable it is. As a foundation of good SEO it will get you results fast and make the most of any opportunity for your site to rank.
On Page Optimisation
In simple terms this is the process of optimising your content to target a specific search term or keyword. Meta tags are a big part of on-page optimisation by making your web pages visible and rank in search engine results.
Search engine optimisation is based on three main pillars:
- On-Page Optimisation
- Technical Optimisation (e.g. site speed)
- Off-page optimisation (e.g. backlinks)
Local SEO is also important and can be the fourth aspect of search engine optimisation but depends on your services, products or market.
The other aspects of SEO focus on the site’s authority, volume, technical aspects, quality, type of content on the site or optimising that content for a specific location. But On-page optimisation is a very focused approach that makes sure every single page is as optimised as it can be for a specific keyword topic. Internal links are key in on-page optimisation as they help search engines understand your site structure and guide visitors to relevant content.
As a site owner you should know that on-page optimisation is one of the easiest ways to improve your site’s SEO. Again it’s one of the areas you have most control over as a business owner. So if you’re new to SEO On Page optimisation is for you. Again it’s a way to apply advanced techniques to supercharge your results by incorporating target keywords naturally into your content.
On Page Optimisation Helps Search Engine Rankings
Many business owners want their websites to rank well in search engines. All they need to do is start by focusing on individual pages being optimised for specific phrases or keywords. Ultimately when a user searches they get to see a list of related pages instead of being directed to the main website.
Optimising content for search engine crawlers means the pages get indexed correctly and ranked properly.
So focusing on individual pages to target specific keywords will get you results in today’s SEO.
As a result of this approach a website can rank for multiple keywords. The information on the homepage of a business website for example might be a general summary of the business or it might feature a range of products and services.
Doing On Page optimisation for your homepage is a good idea. But the best SEO results will come from inner pages individually optimised for a more specific keyword target.
To illustrate this let’s say an entrepreneur is targeting people looking to buy luxury stationery. Luxury stationery might be a good description of his product category, giving the search engines an idea of what’s on the site. But his potential customers might be using specific phrases when searching.
By doing On-Page Optimisation the entrepreneur can optimise pages for specific terms like Luxury Week-to-View Pocket diary or Luxury A4 Diary. If those pages are optimised for those terms they will rank higher for those searches than the broad or generic keywords.
Doing On Page enhancements with keyword research to find relevant keywords can be a powerful way for a website owner to increase visibility and get more users to their site. On-page optimisation can get you search engine rankings.
On Page Elements to Optimise
Now that you know the benefits of this type of optimisation you might be wondering how you can make these changes to your site pages and see results. Page SEO is key to optimising individual pages for search engine rankings and user experience.
Content optimisation tools are a big part of on-page optimisation by improving content quality and performance.
Here are the areas on every page of your site you can simply optimise to boost your search results:
URL
A great place to put your target keyword is in the page URL. A URL is an address or link that directs internet users to your page. In SEO the URL is also a marker. Pay attention to the text in the URL is one of the On Page optimisation practices that can improve your page’s search results. When creating new content make sure to craft the URL to include your chosen keywords. But for content you published earlier without your target keyword you can 301 to another URL that is optimised and more relevant.
Page/Meta title
The Page Title and Meta Title are strong indicators of the content of the page so they are another important part of On Page Optimisation. The page title usually reflects what your content is about. It gives the search engines an idea of what you’ll be including in the entire page. When you optimise the meta title or page title by adding a target keyword you’ve put your page in a position to be seen as a relevant source for that term so search engines can rank it.
Meta Descriptions and Meta Tags
Another part of On-Page Optimisation is editing the meta description and title of every page. That’s a great chance to give the search platforms more signals. That’s to give more details about the topics, themes and details in your content. If you give the search engines precise information there’s a higher chance your pages will be matched with the right audience.
Headings
Sub headings or headings are great for On-Page optimisation. They give more details about the content of the page. That means they can reinforce the primary keyword with secondary phrases or keywords related to what the page is about. Although this is a great opportunity to optimise, don’t keyword stuff. Just shove your keywords into all possible places.
Image Title and Alt Tags
When search engines are trying to figure out what your content is about image title tags can come in handy. Tagging your images with the right keywords reinforces your content theme and that can improve your SEO. As you tag those images you’re making your content more accessible to users who have sight issues.
As a business owner you can use On-Page optimisation to get your site visible in search results. If you do it right results will come relatively quickly, which is what makes on page SEO important. You’ll also improve your positions and make your site more authoritative so search engines will select your site and show it to your target audience.