On-page SEO includes all search engine optimization done on your site. It involves several factors. But which matter the most?
Most SEO experts will agree that certain core components of on-page SEO are essential. These are the factors that get your site found by both search engines and humans:
Title Tags
This may be the most important factor in on-page SEO. Why? A title tag tells search engines what the page is about; therefore it should always be unique to each page and should always include the main keyword for the page.
For example, if a page on your site is dedicated to a particular service, the title tag should include the name of the service. Your company name and location wouldn’t hurt either, i.e. SEO Copywriting Service | Smith and Smith - Chicago Il.
Keywords
A good keyword list is SEO gold. So, make sure that yours is accurate and always include your targeted keywords within the first 100-150 words of the page. Beware of keyword stuffing - make sure your content reads well. There are many free keyword density analysis tools out there that will help you make sure you aren't over-optimizing your pages!
Internal Links
Internal links are links within the content on each page that point back to other pages on your site. Your visitors love these because they make it quick and easy to navigate to another relevant page on your site. Search engines pay attention to internal links because they are another indication of what each page is about.
The key is to link anchor text. Anchor text is a keyword within your content that is hyperlinked. Simple enough. You’re adding keywords to your content anyway (see above), so you might as well give a few of them some link juice. It adds SEO power to your site, as well.
Header Tags
Header tags on each page are your headlines. Think of them as titles that summarize your paragraphs. Placing several H1, H2 and H3 tags on each page (preferable bolded to grab attention) makes it clear to both search engines and humans what your content is about. Include keywords here for extra impact.
High-Quality Content
Last on our list, but certainly not least, is your content. It cannot be understated how important useful, high-quality and original content is to your on-page SEO efforts. Search engines are looking for it, people demand it, and your site needs to deliver it. This is no longer an option but a necessity for every site marketing products and services on the web.
What is quality content? In a nutshell, quality content is well-written, informative, customer-centric information. It illustrates benefits, not features. Its sole purpose is to address the needs and concerns of the target market. If your content is telling people why they should buy your products, if it talks about how great your company is, it’s really just sales material.
These 5 on-page SEO factors are the most critical, but they certainly aren’t the only ones you need to think about. If you want to get more from your site, look into the many ways you can boost your site’s SEO power and get found by prospective customers.
