Are you ready to take your website to the next level but you’re feeling overwhelmed with all the technical jargon and SEO talk? Don’t worry! We took the time to make this to guide you through the basics of on-page SEO.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking. “Ugh, SEO? That sounds boring.” But trust me, SEO doesn’t have to be a dry and dull subject. In fact, it’s quite fascinating (and profitable) once you get the hang of it.
Think of on-page SEO like a puzzle. With the right pieces in place, your website will fit together seamlessly and provide the best possible experience for your users. And even if you’re not a fan of puzzles, I know you’re a fan of increasing your relevant traffic, conversions, and revenue.
In this beginner’s guide, we’re going to cover everything from optimizing your keywords to building a mobile-friendly design. We’ll explore the importance of UX, structured data, and even website architecture. By the end of this guide, you’ll be well on your way to mastering on-page SEO and taking your website to the next level.
So, let’s dig in and get started!
On-Page SEO: Essentials
- Image Optimization
- Geotagging
- Keywords
- Mobile-Friendly Design
- Meta Description
- Writing for SEO
- Site Speed
- Structured Data Markup
- Title Tags
- User Experience (UX)
- Visual Assets
- Website Architecture
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Image Optimization
Whether it’s photos, infographics, or other visual assets, images are a critical part of any website’s content. But did you know that they can also play a big role in your on-page SEO?
First and foremost, you need to make sure your images are properly optimized. This means choosing the right file format and size, including descriptive alt tags, and customizing file names. By doing so, you’ll ensure that your images load quickly, are easily crawlable by search engines, and can help improve your site’s relevancy.
But that’s not all. Images can also help you attract more traffic to your site. As we mentioned earlier, over a third of consumers use visual search when shopping online. By including high-quality images on your site, you’ll be better positioned to capture those users’ attention and drive them to your site.
Additionally, images offer an excellent opportunity for backlinking. By making your images shareable, you can increase the likelihood of other sites linking back to your site. And as we know, backlinks are a crucial part of building your site’s E-A-T and improving your search rankings.
Geotagging
Let’s dive into one specific strategy that can help boost your visibility in local search results: geotagging.
Geotagging involves adding location data to your website and other online assets, so that search engines can better understand where your business is located and what areas you serve. This is especially important for small and medium-sized businesses that rely on local customers.
There are a few ways to incorporate geotagging into your SEO strategy. One easy way is to make sure that your website includes your business’s physical address and phone number, and that this information is consistent across all of your online listings.
Another tactic is to add location-based keywords to your website’s content, such as mentioning your city or neighborhood in your blog posts or product descriptions. This can help signal to search engines that your site is relevant to local users.
Finally, consider creating location-specific landing pages or subdomains for your site. For example, if you have multiple physical locations, you could create separate pages for each location with targeted content and keywords.
Keywords
We always recommend identifying the keywords your target audience is using to search for your product or service and incorporating them into your website content.
But hold on, don’t run out and start stuffing those keywords into the content just yet. Search engines are smart enough to identify and penalize keyword stuffing, which isn’t something that helps users find the answer to their search query. Instead, you need to use your targeted keywords naturally in your content, including in your page titles, meta descriptions, headers, and body text.
Google speaks frequently about E-A-T: Expertise, Authoritativenss, and Trustworthiness. Google values this highly and changes your rankings based on it. They heavily emphasize that the best content for ranking is the best content for the user.
Keep in mind is that you should always prioritize the user experience over trying to optimize your site for search engines. Your website should be easy to navigate, visually appealing, and provide valuable content that answers your audience’s questions. At ‘corePHP’ we always create highly targeted content to answer the users’ search queries that we have identified as high-conversion keywords.
Part of keyword optimization is to use long-tail keywords, which are more specific phrases that people search for. These longer phrases have less competition and are more likely to match the exact queries of your target audience. Including these long-tail keywords in your content can increase your chances of showing up in search results.
By optimizing your website for the keywords your target audience is searching for, you can improve your visibility in search engine results and attract more relevant traffic to your website.
Mobile-Friendly Design
If you’re looking to optimize your website for on-page SEO, one of the most important things to consider is making your site mobile-friendly. With the rise of mobile devices as the primary way people access the internet, having a site that works well on smartphones and tablets is crucial for both user experience and search engine rankings.
Luckily, making your site mobile-friendly doesn’t have to be a daunting task. There are a few simple steps you can take to ensure that your site is optimized for mobile:
- Choose a mobile-responsive design: When selecting a design for your website, make sure you choose one that is optimized for mobile. This means that the site will adjust to fit the size of the device it’s being viewed on, whether that’s a smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer.
- Use a mobile-friendly layout: In addition to using a responsive design, it’s also important to use a layout that is easy to navigate on a mobile device. This might mean simplifying your menu or using larger fonts and buttons.
- Optimize your images: Large images can slow down your site’s loading time, which is especially problematic on mobile devices where internet speeds may be slower. Make sure to optimize your images by compressing them and reducing their file size.
- Test your site on mobile devices: Finally, it’s important to test your site on a variety of mobile devices to ensure that it works well and looks good on each one. You can use tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check your site’s mobile-friendliness and identify any issues that need to be addressed.
By taking these steps to optimize your site for mobile, you can ensure that your site provides a great user experience on all devices and is well-positioned for search engine success.
Meta Description
Meta descriptions are one of those little details that can make a big difference when it comes to on-page SEO.
Despite their relative lack of importance as an SEO ranking factor, they can still have a huge impact on your click-through rates (CTR). This is because a well-crafted meta description can help give searchers a better understanding of what your page is all about.
To write a good meta description, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind. First, make sure you’re using the right length. Google typically displays up to 160 characters of your meta description, so aim for something in that range.
Second, try to use your meta description to sell your content. What makes your page unique or valuable? Why should someone click through to learn more?
Finally, be sure to include your primary keyword in your meta description. This helps reinforce the relevancy of your content to both search engines and searchers.
If you’re using a platform like WordPress, there are plenty of plugins available that make it easy to create and edit your meta descriptions. Just make sure you’re taking the time to craft something that’s informative, engaging, and optimized for search.
Writing for SEO
When it comes to writing content that is both user-friendly and search engine optimized, it’s easy to get lost in the details. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
The key to successful SEO writing is to prioritize readability for your users while also incorporating best practices for search engines. Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Use simple, clear language: Your content should be easy to understand, even for people who aren’t experts in your field.
- Don’t overuse keywords: Overusing keywords can make your content feel spammy and turn off users.
- Make it easy for users to read quickly: Use subheadings, short paragraphs, and bullet points to break up your content and make it easier to read and skip anything they aren’t interested in.
- Use internal linking: Link to other relevant pages on your website to help users find related content and boost your website’s overall SEO.
- Focus on quality over quantity: Instead of creating a lot of low-quality content, focus on creating high-quality content that provides value to your users.
By following these tips, you can create content that is both user-friendly and search engine optimized. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things, and always remember to put your users first. With a little practice and patience, you’ll be well on your way to mastering the art of SEO writing.
Site Speed
Site speed is a crucial factor when it comes to on-page SEO. Why? Because Google and other search engines want to provide their users with the best possible experience, and a slow-loading website is a poor experience.
Think about it. Have you ever clicked on a search result and waited and waited for the page to load? If you’re like most people, you probably hit the back button and looked for another result. That’s why site speed matters so much.
In addition to its impact on user experience, site speed is also an official Google ranking factor. This means that a slow site could actually hurt your rankings.
So how do you make sure your site is speedy? There are a number of factors that can influence site speed, including image size, website hosting, and the amount of content on each page.
Here are a few things you can do to improve your site speed:
- Use a fast and reliable web hosting service.
- Compress your images and other media files to reduce file size.
- Minimize the use of plugins and scripts that slow down your website.
- Optimize your website’s code and remove unnecessary elements.
- Use a content delivery network (CDN) to improve loading times for users all over the world.
Improving your site speed is a critical step in optimizing your website for search engines and users. Not only will it help your site rank better, but it will also provide a better experience for your visitors.
Structured Data Markup
You might be wondering what structured data is and how it can help your website. Simply put, structured data is a type of code that allows search engines to better understand the content on your website. It can help improve your visibility in the search results and increase the chances of your website being displayed as a featured snippet.
The implementation of structured data can be achieved through the use of schema markup. Schema markup is a set of tags that you add to your website’s code to help the search engines identify and understand the content of your website.
So, why is structured data important for SEO? Well, it provides the search engines with a better understanding of your website, which can lead to improved visibility in the search results. Additionally, structured data can help improve the click-through rate (CTR) of your website, as it provides users with more information about the content of your website.
Implementing structured data can seem intimidating at first, but it can be a simpler than you think. There are many tools available that can help you with the implementation process, and you don’t need to be a coding expert to get started. But you might need a tool like RankMath installed on your site to get started quickly in adding it to your website.
A popular tool is Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper. This tool allows you to easily add schema markup to your website by highlighting specific elements on your website and selecting the corresponding schema markup tag.
Another tool that can help you with structured data implementation is the Schema App. This tool provides a more comprehensive approach to schema markup, with the ability to add markup to multiple pages on your website and the ability to track the performance of your markup in the search results.
Title Tags
When it comes to on-page SEO, there are many elements to consider, but one of the most critical is your title tags. These tags are one of the first things search engines look at to understand what your page is all about.
To optimize your title tags, start with the basics. Make sure you’re using relevant keywords that describe the content on your page. Also, keep your title tags concise and to the point, ideally between 50-60 characters.
Another important thing to keep in mind is the order of your keywords. Put the most important keywords at the beginning of your title tag to ensure that search engines recognize them.
Finally, don’t forget to use your brand name in your title tags. Not only will it help to establish your brand’s identity, but it can also help to boost your click-through rates.
Overall, your title tags are one of the most critical on-page SEO elements, so it’s worth taking the time to get them right. With a little bit of effort, you can create title tags that accurately reflect your content and help you rank higher in search results.
User Experience (UX)
User experience (UX) is becoming an increasingly important aspect of on-page SEO. A website that is easy to navigate, aesthetically pleasing, and intuitive will not only make your visitors happy, but it can also help your search engine rankings.
When users visit your site, they want to find what they’re looking for quickly and efficiently. If they can’t find what they’re looking for or if they’re having trouble navigating the site, they’re likely to leave and go to a competitor’s site instead.
To improve user experience, make sure your site is easy to navigate, with a clear and consistent layout. Use descriptive and user-friendly URLs and make sure your site is optimized for mobile devices.
Make sure your site loads quickly, as slow loading times can significantly impact user experience. A quick loading time also sends a positive signal to search engines, which can help your rankings.
Lastly, pay attention to the content on your site. Make sure it’s high quality, engaging, and relevant to your users. Your content should be easy to read and well-organized, with headings and subheadings that break up the text.
Improving your user experience is not only great for your visitors but it can also help your on-page SEO. By creating a site that is easy to navigate and providing high-quality content, you can improve your search engine rankings and attract more visitors to your site.
Visual Assets
It’s no secret that visuals are an essential part of web design and SEO. People are visual creatures, and visuals can help make a website more engaging and easier to understand. That’s why optimizing visual assets is so important for on-site SEO.
From videos to infographics, visual content can help to keep users on your website for longer, as well as boost your website’s organic search engine rankings. Videos can be used to inform, educate and entertain; as well as offer a visual representation of your brand.
Infographics, on the other hand, can be extremely useful for making complex topics easier to understand; as well as giving your content the opportunity to go viral. Images can also be used to break up text, enhance the user experience and direct readers to other pages on your website.
As well as helping to boost engagement and shareability, visual assets can also be used to enhance your on-site SEO. By optimizing your images, videos and infographics with relevant keywords through alt tags, you can help Google to understand the content of your website. This in turn can help to improve your rankings and make it easier for users to find your website.
Website Architecture
Alright, let’s get serious here for a moment. I know it’s not the most exciting topic, but bear with me because website architecture is really important when it comes to on-page SEO.
Think of it this way: if your website is a house, then the architecture is the foundation, the walls, the roof, the layout, and everything else that makes up the structure. And just like a house needs a strong foundation and sturdy walls, your website needs a solid architecture to support all the on-page SEO elements that we’ve been talking about.
So, what does good website architecture look like? First and foremost, it should be easy to navigate. Users should be able to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily, without having to dig through confusing layers of menus or pages. This means having a clear and concise menu structure, with logical categories and subcategories.
But it’s not just about making things easy for your users. Google also uses your website’s architecture to crawl your pages and understand how your pages are related to each other, and what they’re about. That’s why it’s important to have a logical hierarchy of pages, with the most important pages linked from the homepage and other high-level pages.
Know you need SEO but afraid of ruining your website or rankings?
If you’re like most of our busy, successful clients, you understand the importance of optimizing your website for search engines. But you don’t have time to be spending hours sifting through technical jargon and analytics data and learning how to apply it, right?
That’s where we come in! Our team of SEO experts is here to help you take your website to the next level. We’ve got the experience, the knowledge, and the drive to help you improve your website’s visibility, drive more traffic, and ultimately grow your business.
So don’t hesitate to reach out to us and let us help you get started with your on-page SEO journey. Trust us, your website and your future customers will thank you for it!
