on-page-seo-best-practices

On-Page SEO Best Practices: Optimising Content, Meta Tags, and URL Structure

Why there is such a big fuss about on-page SEO? Why do all experienced web designers and SEO specialists follow on-page SEO best practices?

The answer is simple.

Starting on-page SEO from the beginning helps you establish a solid foundation, save time and resources, improve user experience, attract organic traffic early on, and stay ahead of the competition.

In this guide, you will learn:

What is On-Page SEO?

On-page SEO, or search engine optimization, refers to the practice of optimizing individual web pages on your website to rank higher and gain more relevant traffic in search engines like Google. It involves optimizing content, meta tags, and overall website structure.

Now, let’s explore the key reasons why it’s crucial to begin on-page SEO when creating your website:

Establish a Strong Foundation

Just like building a house, it’s essential to lay a solid foundation for your website. Starting on-page SEO right from the beginning ensures that your website is designed with search engines in mind. This will make it easier for you to improve your rankings and visibility over time.

It is like helping Google to understand your website and rank you faster.

Save Time and Resources

When you integrate on-page SEO during the website creation process, you save valuable time and resources.

Instead of having to go back and optimise your pages later, you can focus on creating quality content that appeals to both search engines and your audience from the get-go.

Improve User Experience

On-page SEO is not only about pleasing search engines, but it’s also about enhancing the overall user experience.

By focusing on factors like site speed, navigation, and content organization from the outset, you’re setting the stage for a positive experience for your visitors.

Attract Organic Traffic Early On

The sooner you start optimizing your pages, the sooner you’ll begin to see results!

Implementing on-page SEO during website creation will allow you to start attracting organic traffic early on, which is essential for growing your online presence and establishing credibility.

Stay Ahead of the Competition

In today’s digital landscape, competition is fierce. By prioritizing on-page SEO from the moment your website is created, you’re positioning yourself to stay ahead of competitors who might not be as proactive about their SEO efforts.

On-Page SEO Best Practices

The best part about on-page SEO is that you can do it yourself. With a bit of learning and practice, this can be your second nature.

Below are the most common on-page SEO practices that will help you rank faster with Google.

Keyword Research

These days keyword research is a must and businesses that don’t do it will simply not rank fast.

“Everything starts with a keyword with SEO.”

Brian Dean

Identifying the right keywords is crucial to your on-page SEO efforts. By targeting relevant, high-volume keywords, you’ll attract more organic traffic and increase the likelihood of ranking higher on search engine results pages.

We have already mentioned why keyword research is important, so simply refer to the link to read more.

There are several tools available to help you with keyword research, such as Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and SEMrush.

These tools can provide valuable insights into search volume, competition, and related keywords, helping you make informed decisions when choosing target keywords.

Example of effective keyword research: Suppose you run an online store selling eco-friendly products. By using keyword research tools, you discover that “sustainable living tips” have a high search volume and low competition.

By targeting this keyword in your content, you can potentially drive more traffic to your website and increase your visibility in search results.

Content Optimisation

Content optimization for SEO is the process of refining and enhancing your website’s content to make it more attractive and valuable to both search engines and your target audience.

Below are the most essential content optimisation tips.

  1. Crafting engaging and informative content: To keep readers interested and encourage them to share your content, make sure it’s engaging and informative. Address their questions and concerns, offer solutions, and provide valuable insights.
  2. Proper use of headings (H1, H2, etc.): Headings not only make your content more readable but also signal its structure to search engines. Use H1 tags for your main title and H2, H3, etc., for subheadings, ensuring that they’re relevant and contain your target keywords when appropriate.
  3. Incorporating keywords naturally: Avoid keyword stuffing, as it can harm your rankings. Instead, incorporate keywords naturally throughout your content, aiming for a keyword density of around 1-2%.

“Better content is outweighing more content.”

Rand Fishkin

Image Optimisation

Image optimization for SEO is the process of adjusting and fine-tuning images on your website to improve their performance, load times, and visibility in search engine results.

It involves compressing file sizes, using descriptive file names and alt tags, and selecting the appropriate image format.

Below are the basic things you can apply to images.

  1. Using descriptive file names and alt tags: Descriptive file names and alt tags help search engines understand the context of your images. Include target keywords in both the file name and alt text, ensuring they’re relevant to the image content.
  2. Compressing images for faster load times: Large image files can slow down your website, negatively impacting the user experience and SEO. Compress your images using tools like Optimizilla to maintain quality while reducing file size.
  3. Example of well-optimised images: An online store selling eco-friendly products optimised their images by using descriptive file names (e.g., “reusable-cotton-tote-bag.jpg”), including keyword-rich alt tags, and compressing the files for faster load times. This resulted in improved user experience and search engine rankings.

Meta Tags Optimisation

There are two areas where you optimise metadata: meta title and meta descriptions.

The meta title is the first thing users see in search results, so it needs to be engaging and relevant. Including your target keyword in the title not only informs users about the content but also signals its relevance to search engines, potentially improving your rankings.

Keep your meta title between 50-60 characters, including spaces, to ensure it displays properly in search results.

The format should be [Primary Keyword] – [Secondary Keyword] | Brand Name.

Example of a well-crafted meta title: “10 Practical Sustainable Living Tips – Green Home Ideas | EcoPlanet”

The meta description should provide a brief summary of your content, enticing users to click through to your page. Make it informative and relevant, addressing the users’ needs and expectations.

Always include your target keywords in the meta description, as search engines often highlight them in search results. This can help users understand the relevance of your content and increase click-through rates.

Meta descriptions should be no longer than 160 characters, including spaces. Focus on providing valuable information and incorporating keywords naturally, without keyword stuffing.

Example of an effective meta description: “Discover 10 easy sustainable living tips for a greener home. Learn how to reduce your environmental impact with practical eco-friendly solutions. Start your green journey today!”

URL Structure Best Practices

  1. Keeping URLs short and descriptive: Short, descriptive URLs are easier for users to read and remember, and they signal the content’s relevance to search engines. Aim for a concise URL that accurately represents the content of your page.
  2. Incorporating target keywords in the URL: Including your target keywords in the URL helps search engines understand the context of your content and improves its visibility in search results. Make sure the keywords are relevant and accurately describe the content.
  3. Using hyphens to separate words: Hyphens are the preferred method for separating words in URLs, as they improve readability and are recognized by search engines. Avoid using underscores or spaces, as they can create confusion or lead to indexing issues.
  4. Example of a well-structured URL: https://www.cloude.au/fortitude-valley-seo-services/ – This URL is short, descriptive, and includes the target keyword “fortitude valley SEO services.” It also uses hyphens to separate words, making it easy to read and understand for both users and search engines.

The above on-page SEO best practices are only the basics of on-page SEO you can perform. For the full list reach out to our SEO checklist.

on-page-seo-best-practices-list

Supporting Your On-Page SEO Efforts with Data and Expertise

Monitoring your on-page SEO efforts is crucial to determine what’s working and what needs improvement. By tracking your progress, you can make data-driven decisions to optimise your content, meta tags, and URL structure further, ultimately leading to better search engine rankings and increased organic traffic.

There are several tools available to help you monitor and analyze your on-page SEO performance, such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Ahrefs.

These tools can provide insights into user behaviour, keyword rankings, and overall site performance, allowing you to identify areas for improvement and measure the impact of your optimisation efforts.

Also Read:
SEO Checklist for Beginners and Experts
The Complete SEO Guide For Your Business
How To Avoid Keyword Stuffing In Your Content

On-page SEO Best Practices – Final Word

In the final word I have to say only one thing – don’t wait with on-page SEO optimisation. Do it from the start of your website. Only by doing it you can stay in front of your competition and rank faster.

On-page SEO is pretty simple and doing things like keyword research, content optimisation, image optimisation, meta tags, and URL structure, can be done even by someone who is starting a new website.

Usually medium to large businesses, outsource all SEO as with a bigger number of pages it can be time-consuming.

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