On-page SEO is an extremely important tool to master as it can help your website gain a higher ranking on the search engine results page (SERP). On-page SEO consists of multiple techniques like content and title tags that are aimed to help bots understand your website and attract users. This can in turn lead to gaining organic traffic as well as higher rankings.
For this article, we will be talking about the different on-page SEO techniques you can implement to rank higher on the SERP.
What is On-Page SEO?
On-page SEO is a technique used to optimize the content as well as the structure of a webpage. Sometimes known as on-site SEO, it aids bots that crawl your website to better understand the content and context of your website.
On-page SEO is important as it gives search engines a defined way or process to deeper understand the content of your website. For example, when search engines crawl and index your website, they are specifically looking for certain keywords that they can use to associate your website with a user’s query on the search page(a method known as phrase-based indexing). Almost all the ranked pages on the SERP include a keyword relating to the user’s query in their title or description.
The image below shows how the top-ranking pages use the search term “SEO services” in their title tag and meta description.
However, including keywords is just one element of on-page SEO. The impact of optimizing the content and structure of your website is thus particularly important.
What Is The Difference Between On-Page SEO And Off-Page SEO?
On-page SEO is quite different from off-page SEO and knowing the difference can help you pinpoint what you need to work on for your website.
As the name suggests off-page SEO consists of all activities not relating to your website. These could include things such as building backlinks, social media marketing, or guest blogging. Off-page SEO is more about convincing the search engine bots about your website’s quality and usefulness. Whereas, on-page SEO is about letting the robots understand the meaning and context of your page.
3 On-Page SEO Techniques for Higher Rankings
Now that you understand what on-page SEO is and why it is important, we can focus on implementing the following techniques to help your website rank higher on the SERP.
1.Optimize Page Titles and Meta Descriptions
When search engines crawl your page, they almost always look at the page title and the description of a website. This helps them get a general idea of what the page is about and use it as well as other factors to rank your page for various keywords.
Each page has a unique title that gives an insight into the page which is helpful to users and search engines. A page title is normally what is seen at the top of the browser window and in SERPs. Right below the page title on the SERP is the meta description. The description gives further information on what the page is about.
To optimize your title tag, make sure to make it short and descriptive; the general amount of characters is anywhere between 60 to 90. It is important to be within this limit since Google does not completely show the title on the SERP if it is longer. You also want to include important keywords and your brand name in the title tag because this can directly impact ranking.
Meta descriptions, on the other hand, do not directly impact ranking but are vital in getting a user to click on your page. You want to include a call to action as well as a description of the service you are offering in the meta description. This helps with user engagement thus, leading to a higher ranking.
2.Optimize Page Content With “Search Intent” Keywords
Content SEO is part of an on-page strategy and refers to creating content to attract search engine traffic. To optimize the content on your website you want to include keywords that will help you rank on the SERP.
The first step to do this is to conduct keyword research to understand the relevant search terms that users are looking for. After deciding on some target keywords, you would want to come up with other related keywords that can be included in your page content.
Most search engines are looking for keywords that match the content on your website. Thus, it is extremely important to include keywords and organize them in a way that not only helps the bots but also improves the user’s experience.
3.Publish Fresh And Topical Content
The content on the page is a crucial part of any site and can ultimately lead to a better ranking. To search engines the content matters immensely as that is what the user came to see on your site.
To enhance your content, you must write original content that could include text, images, or videos. Original content that is relevant to your website will keep the user engaged when they are on your site inadvertently leading to a higher ranking. Moreover, you want your content to remain fresh as search engines like Google take the freshness of a site’s content seriously. Updating your content frequently and making sure that it is relevant are essential elements of content strategy.
Overall, there are multiple techniques that you can implement to increase the ranking of your site on a search engine result page. To understand more about how to apply on-page strategies to your site, visit our SEO Webpage Analysis Tool.
Written by Harleen Kaur, ELITE Intern
