On-Page SEO

What is On-Page SEO?

On-Page SEO is anything you can do on the page itself to improve its rankings. It focuses on helping Google and searchers better understand and digest your content.

 

Why is On-Page SEO Important?

Google looks at things that you can influence with on-page SEO to decide if your page is a relevant search result. These include whether keywords from the query are on the page and how searchers interact with it. Although Google looks at keywords on your page, repeating keywords is not on-page SEO. Doing too much of this will actually harm your rankings. So let’s run through some sensible optimizations that will make a positive difference.

 

Use an H1 tag for your Page Title

Heading tags, including the H1, helps Google understand the content on your pages. It’s best practice to use one H1 per page for the title.

To find pages with missing or empty H1 tags, crawl your site with Ahrefs’ Site Audit and go to the Content report. You can do this for free with an Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (AWT) account.

 

Use H2-H6 tags for subheadings

Improve your content’s visual hierarchy by wrapping subheadings in H-tags. Use H2s for subheadings, H3s for sub-subheadings, etc. It makes it easier for searchers to digest and skim.

 

Write a compelling title tag

Title tags are often the main piece of information used to decide which result to click on. This is why you need to make them compelling. Here are a few tips:

• Keep them short. Under 70 characters is best to avoid truncation.
• Match Search Intent. Tell searchers you have what they want.
• Be Descriptive. Don’t be vague or generic.
• Don’t Clickbait. Make sure they align with your content.
• Include the keyword. Use a close variation if it makes more sense.
• Include the year. For topics that demand freshness.

 

You should set a title tag on every indexable page. If you like, you can use Ahrefs’ Site Audit to find pages with title tag issues like being empty or too long. All you need is a free AWT account. Once you’ve signed up and crawled your site, go to the content report to check for issues.

 

Write a Compelling Meta Description

Meta descriptions aren’t a ranking factor, but can bring more clicks and traffic. This is because Google often uses them for the descriptive snippet in the search results. Here are a few tips for writing them:

• Keep them short. Under 160 characters is best to avoid truncation.
• Expand on the title tag. Include USPs that you couldn’t fit there.
• Match search intent. Double down on what searchers want.
• Use an active voice. Address the searcher directly.
• Include your keyword. Google often bolds this in the results.

 

Set SEO-Friendly URLs

If you’ve set up your website for SEO success, your URL structure should be sound. But you still need a descriptive slug for each page. Google says to use words that are relevant to your content. Often the easiest way to do that is to use your target keyword. 

 

Key Takeaways

• On-page SEO is anything you can do on the page itself to improve its rankings.
• It isn’t about repeating keywords. That can hurt your rankings.
• It is about helping Google and searchers better understand and digest your content.