On-page SEO is crucial for improving web positioning. It involves optimising elements within your site so that search engines find it more relevant.
Factors such as keywords, website structure, and loading speed are essential. Creating quality content and improving the user experience are also important.
In this article, you’ll discover the key factors of on-page SEO. You’ll learn how to apply them to improve your visibility on Google and other search engines. Read on and optimise your website effectively.
1. Keyword Research and Search Intent
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Keyword research is the foundation of any SEO strategy. Hiring a specialised agency will help you conduct your research properly. Today, it’s not enough to simply find relevant terms. It’s essential to understand the search intent behind each query. Intents can include:
- Informative: The user is looking to learn something.
- Transactional: The user is ready to purchase.
- Navigational: the user wants to reach a specific site.
Google also prioritises pages that meet search intent. Therefore, you should tailor your content to meet those needs. This will improve relevance and ranking in search results.
2. Web Architecture and URL Structure
Good web architecture is key to national SEO positioning. If your site has a clear structure, Google will be able to better understand the content and improve its visibility.
Web architecture defines how your site is organised, including pages, categories, and links. This type of structure makes navigation easier for both users and search engines.
Likewise, friendly URLS are important. These should be short, descriptive, and reflect the hierarchy of information. For example, www.yoursite.com/blog/seo is much clearer than www.yoursite.com/post12345.
3. Meta Tag Optimisation (Title and Description)
Meta tags (Title and Description) are crucial to improving your visibility in Google search results, especially when working on SEO strategies for businesses.
- Title Tag: This is the title that appears in the results. It should be clear, include the main keyword, and clearly describe what the page is about.
- Meta Description: This is the brief description that appears below the title. While it doesn’t directly influence ranking, an engaging description can increase CTR (click-through rate), encouraging users to visit your page.
Optimising these tags helps both Google and users better understand your content, thereby improving your rankings and click-through rate.
4. Quality Content and Long-Form Content
Quality content remains one of the most important factors for SEO. Google values original and useful content. SEO writing is essential for creating texts that rank well. Long-form content (more than 1,500 words) is more likely to rank higher. It covers the topic thoroughly and in detail. Plus, well-structured content improves the user experience.
Use SEO copywriting to include relevant keywords, subheadings, and internal links. This will improve both your site’s SEO and navigation.
5. Optimisation for Featured Snippets and Rich Results
Featured Snippets are highlighted answers that Google displays at the top of the page. To appear in them, it’s essential to optimise your content. A web SEO audit helps you find the right content to highlight.
Rich Results are other types of results that include more details, such as prices or ratings. To get them, you must use structured data (Schema Markup). This tells Google how to display your content in a more visual way .
Performing a web SEO audit allows you to fine-tune your site for these results, improving your visibility and click-through rate (CTR).
6. Strategic Internal Links
Internal linking is a strategic way to improve navigation and distribute authority on your site. With SEO consulting , you can optimize these links. By linking to related pages, you help search engines understand the relevance of your content.
Additionally, internal links guide users to additional content. This increases time on site and reduces bounce rates.
It’s important to use clear and relevant anchor text. You should also avoid excessive linking to avoid diluting the page’s authority.
7. Loading Speed and Core Web Vitals
Loading speed is key to user experience and SEO. Google now takes Core Web Vitals into account. These metrics include:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures the time it takes for the main content to load.
- First Input Delay (FID): evaluates the interactivity of the site.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): measures visual stability.
Slow pages can increase bounce rates and affect rankings. To improve loading speed, optimize images and minimize code. This is essential for improving SEO performance.
8. Mobile Optimisation (Mobile-First)
With the rise of mobile usage, Google adopted mobile-first indexing. This means it prioritises the mobile version of your site for crawling and indexing.
Your site should be fully responsive. It should adapt to different screen sizes and offer a fluid experience. Make sure your content looks good on mobile devices, loads quickly, and is easy to navigate.
A mobile-optimised site improves SEO and user experience.
9. Multimedia Content (Images, Videos, Podcasts)
Multimedia content is key to the user experience. Images, videos, and podcasts make content more engaging and increase time on page , which improves SEO.
Images should be optimised: use appropriate sizes and alt text with keywords. Videos also improve engagement, but they should be optimised for fast loading times and good quality.
Podcasts and other multimedia formats can appeal to a diverse audience.
10. Quality External Links
External links (backlinks) remain a key factor in SEO. Getting links from relevant, authoritative sites increases your page’s credibility.
Backlinks improve PageRank and are trust signals for Google. It’s important to get links from sites with related content. Google sees them as a vote of confidence.
Avoid toxic links (from low-quality sites) to maintain a solid SEO strategy and avoid penalties.
11. Local SEO ( Google Business Profile )
Local SEO is essential for businesses with a physical presence. Optimize your Google Business profile and ensure that your information (name, address, phone number) is consistent across all platforms. This improves your visibility in local searches.
Use local keywords in your content and meta tags to help Google associate your site with a specific location.
Encouraging positive reviews and keeping your information up-to-date also impacts your local ranking.
12. Proper Use of Heading Tags (H1, H2, H3…)
Heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) are essential for organising content. They help users and search engines better understand the page structure.
The H1 should be unique and contain the main keyword. H2 and H3 tags are used to organise subtopics and divide the content into clearer sections.
Using these tags correctly improves usability and helps Google understand the hierarchy of your content.
13. EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
The concept of EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is increasingly important, especially in areas like health, wellness, and finance. Google rewards sites that demonstrate authority in their field, with expert-created and trustworthy content.
To improve your site’s EAT, it’s important to offer well-researched content, backed by reliable sources, and updated regularly. It’s also advisable to include recognised authors or testimonials that support your content’s credibility.
14. UX (User Experience) Optimisation
User experience (UX) is a priority for SEO. A well-designed website with intuitive navigation, fast loading times, and responsive design improves satisfaction and encourages engagement.
Google values factors such as bounce rate, time spent on the website, and ease of navigation. These elements directly affect ranking. Make sure users can find what they’re looking for quickly and easily.
The better the user experience, the more likely you are to increase conversions and improve your rankings.
15. Canonical URLS and Duplicate Content Prevention
Duplicate content can reduce your page’s authority and negatively impact your SEO. Google penalises pages with duplicate or highly similar content.
To avoid this, use canonical URLS (rel=canonical) to point Google to the original version of a page. This helps concentrate SEO value on a single page and prevents penalties.
It’s also key to ensure your content is unique and relevant. This prevents accidental duplication and keeps your SEO strong.
16. Use of Pop-Ups and Intrusive Advertising
Excessive use of pop-ups and intrusive ads can affect user experience and your SEO ranking. Google penalizes pages that interrupt navigation, especially on mobile devices, where pop-ups are more annoying.
While pop-ups can be useful for capturing subscribers or promoting offers, make sure they don’t block your main content. Pop-ups should be easy to close.
Use pop-ups at strategic moments, such as when the user is about to leave the page. This improves the experience without affecting SEO.
17. Backlinks and Domain Authority
Quality backlinks remain a key factor for SEO. Obtaining links from relevant and trustworthy sites increases your page authority and improves your ranking.
Domain authority is also important. Google values trusted domains and considers them more relevant.
Your link-building strategy should focus on obtaining natural links. This can be achieved through valuable content, collaborations, and guest posts on sites in your industry.
18. Dwell Time and Bounce Rate
Dwell time and bounce rate are essential metrics for measuring user engagement.
A high bounce rate (when users quickly leave the page) may indicate that the content is not relevant or does not satisfy the search intent.
Instead, a longer dwell time suggests that users are engaging with the content and find it valuable.
Google uses these signals to evaluate page quality and adjust rankings. Improving content and UX can optimise these metrics.
19. Optimisation for Voice Search
Voice searches have increased with devices like Alexa , Google Assistant , and Siri . These searches are more conversational, so content should respond naturally to specific questions.
Use long phrases and frequently asked questions (FAQS) that match the most common voice queries. Also, optimise your pages for local search intent, as many voice searches are related to nearby businesses.
Clear, well-structured answers improve your chances of appearing in voice search results.
20. Schema Markup and Structured Data
Schema markup, or structured data, helps Google understand your content. This makes your site more visible in search results.
Structured data highlights key elements such as events, products, recipes, or articles. These elements can be enriched with stars , images , or prices .
This also improves CTR (click-through rate) because your content is displayed more attractively. Also, using Schema correctly improves long-term SEO.
21. Quality of Content and Its Update
Fresh content is crucial to keeping it relevant. Google rewards pages that are updated with new and useful information.
It’s not just about creating new content, but also about reviewing old content that’s already performing well. Update it with new statistics, current links, and relevant examples.
Keeping your content fresh ensures it stays aligned with trends and changes in Google’s algorithms. This helps you maintain good rankings.
22. Website Security (HTTPS)
Your website’s security is critical to protecting user data. It’s also important to gain Google’s trust.
Since 2014, Google has considered HTTPS (secure protocol) a ranking factor. Sites that use SSL (Secure Socket Layer) have an advantage.
HTTPS encrypts communication between the server and the browser, protecting user information and preventing malicious attacks. Implementing HTTPS not only improves SEO but also increases user confidence in your site.
23. Domain Extension Optimisation
Local domain extensions ( .es, .mx, .co, .uk) are important for international SEO . Using a local extension helps make your site relevant to an audience in a specific region.
While global extensions (.com, .org) remain popular, local extensions can improve your visibility in searches for that country or region. For example, if you’re targeting users in Spain, using .es can improve your ranking in local Google searches.
International SEO benefits from this strategy because Google associates your domain with a geographic location, which improves relevance for users in that area.
24. Performance on Different Devices
Your site’s performance on mobile, tablet, and desktop is key to a good user experience. Google prioritizes mobile-optimised sites because of its mobile-first indexing approach.
This means your design should be responsive, adapting well to different screen sizes. Make sure your content is easy to read and that interactive features, such as forms and buttons, adapt to all devices.
Good performance across all devices improves the user experience and your position in Google rankings.
25. Usability and Accessibility
Usability and accessibility are important for SEO and user satisfaction. An accessible site should be easy to navigate, with clear content, legible text, and intuitive navigation.
It’s also important to improve accessibility for people with disabilities, such as those who use screen readers. This helps improve search engine rankings.
Be sure to follow the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and test to ensure all users can interact with your site without issues.
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