On-page SEO is fine-tuning various website components to help search engines crawl, understand, and rank pages for relevant queries.
While off-page factors like backlinks and brand signals are critical, optimizing on-page elements lays the groundwork for maximizing search visibility.
Beyond the content itself, on-page factors signal a page’s relevance and quality. The website architecture, including site speed, mobile-friendliness, and URL structures, impacts on-page SEO.
On-page SEO matters because:
- It helps search engines find and show your pages to users.
- Higher-ranked pages get more clicks and visitors.
- Good rankings boost your brand’s trustworthiness.
- It enables you to create content that meets your audience’s needs.
- It’s the foundation for other SEO efforts like building links.
This guide explores 13 essential on-page SEO elements, from E-E-A-T and keyword semantics to HTML tags and site architecture.
13 Essential On-Page SEO Factors
On-page SEO can be divided into content, HTML, and website architecture. We’ll look at each individually.
Content
You’ve heard it before: Content is king.
SEO without it is like a beautiful new sports car without an engine; it might look nice, but it’s going nowhere. But not all content is created equal.
Here are the content factors you need to consider to maximize your on-site SEO:
1. E-E-A-T
One way Google weights your site is based on E-E-A-T, or experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.
As highlighted in Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines, E-E-A-T evaluates the first-hand experience, subject matter expertise, authority, and trustworthiness demonstrated by a website and its content creators.
Google added experience as a new component, signaling the increasing value placed on content created by those with relevant credentials and direct, real-world experience with the topic. This is especially critical for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics like health, finance, safety, etc.
While Google has only confirmed a few E-E-A-T elements like PageRank and links, it’s generally accepted that factors like author expertise, topical authority, transparency, and hands-on experience play a significant role in E-E-A-T evaluations.
2. Keywords
Creating content that includes the words and phrases your target customers are searching for is essential.
However, with advancements in AI and natural language processing, you’ll need to think beyond individual keywords.
Optimize for:
- Semantically related phrases and topics (entities): For example, if you offer cloud data storage services, related entities could include backup solutions, disaster recovery, data management, etc.
- Contextual meaning and intent: A search for “cloud migration” could have different intents, such as technical how-to guides, pricing/cost info, migration strategies, etc.
- Providing comprehensive answers: Cover related subtopics to address customer journeys fully.
Use keyword research tools to identify relevant entities and related queries around your main topics.
Get started by downloading our ebook on keyword research.
3. SEO Writing
Creating content that prioritizes search engines and converts human visitors to your site is an art.
Writing copy that reads well and adheres to SEO best practices can be challenging unless you’ve done it before.
We have an entire piece dedicated to helping you master the art, but some of the key takeaways include:
- Emphasize readability: Your content should be easily scannable so users can quickly find the information they want.
- Don’t overuse keywords: Keyword stuffing is a technique used by unscrupulous SEO professionals to game the system. Google looks down on sites that overuse keywords. If caught, your page could be demoted in SERPs or removed altogether.
- Keep sentences and paragraphs brief: If you’ve ever clicked on a webpage only to be assaulted by an unbroken wall of text, you know how hard it is to read lengthy pieces of copy. Avoid driving users away by keeping your sentences and paragraphs short.
- Use subheadings: Subheads stand out because of their size, attracting attention from people scanning your page. Use an ample amount of content to guide readers down the page.
- Use bulleted lists: This may feel very meta, but bulleted lists are an excellent way to break information into easily digestible chunks. Use them whenever they make sense.
- Add personal experience: Where relevant, discuss the author’s experience, background, and hands-on knowledge related to the topic to demonstrate experience credentials.
4. Freshness
For rapidly evolving topics, keeping your content fresh and providing new value as you learn more about your audience’s needs is critical.
Google rewards sites that maintain their content rather than letting it become stale or outdated.
Some tips:
- Update content regularly with new information, insights, or angles.
- Fix inaccuracies or outdated information promptly.
- Expand content to cover newly discovered areas of audience interest.
- Consider content exports or opt-in offers for frequently updated content.
5. Visual Assets
Adding pictures, videos, charts, and other eye-catching visuals makes it more attractive for visitors and improves its appearance in search results.
Optimizing images can also help you to gain more visibility through image search and in the SERP image carousel.
To make your content easy to find in text searches and image-based searches, here are some tips:
- Provide contextual information and relevant details in image captions.
- Implement schema markup for images, videos, products, etc., to enhance search visibility.
- Ensure visual assets are high-quality, original, and relevant to the page content.
- For ecommerce sites, provide multiple clear product images from various angles.
As computer vision models advance, search engines will better understand and surface relevant images and videos.
Optimizing for visual search now can help future-proof your content.
Read More:
HTML
HyperText Markup Language or HTML is the standard markup language used to structure your webpage and content. It tells the user’s browser where to display what on the page and it also tells search engines what your page is about.
Here are the on-page SEO HTML factors you need to consider:
6. Title Tags
This is one of those areas where it’s essential to focus on the details.
On its own, this snippet of code probably isn’t going to have you shooting up SERP rankings.
However, when combined with other on-page elements (like the ones discussed here), title tags can help you provide context and demonstrate your site’s relevancy.
For a more thorough look at how to optimize your title tags, read this.
7. Meta Description
A veteran SEO professional is throwing up their hands at the screen. “Oh, come on,” they’re saying, “Everyone knows meta descriptions aren’t an SEO ranking factor.”
They’re only partly correct. While it’s true there’s a lot of evidence against meta descriptions as a ranking factor, they’re wrong about everyone knowing that.
But, don’t let them dissuade you from adding meta descriptions to your site.
Despite their relative lack of SEO use, descriptions offer two key benefits:
- They can help Google understand what your webpage is all about.
- They have an outsized influence on your CTRs.
Better meta descriptions give searchers a better understanding of your page, leading to more click-throughs. So, don’t neglect them.
8. Image Optimization
We discussed the importance of visual on-page assets on your page, now it’s time to examine their technical aspects more closely.
Here are some tips to help optimize yours:
- Include SEO-friendly alt tags.
- Choose the proper format and file size for fast loading.
- Customize file names instead of using something like IMG_08759.
- Ensure your images are mobile-friendly.
Once again, we have an excellent resource for more in-depth information on HTML image optimization. Read it here.
9. Geotagging (For Local Search)
It may be a global economy, but most business is still done at a local level. Connect with the people in your neighborhood by optimizing your on-page local SEO.
There are three main SEO tactics to consider when focusing on local traffic:
- Optimizing listings and citations, including name, address, phone number (NAP), website URL, business descriptions, and getting reviews.
- Optimizing local content, including accommodating “near me” searches, providing location-based content, or buying a local website or blog.
- Building links with other local businesses and organizations.
Some additional local SEO tactics to incorporate:
- Implement localized schema markup for local business listings, events, special offers, etc.
- Optimize Google Business Profile with up-to-date info, photos, posts, Q&A, and locally relevant content.
- Leverage proximity and geolocation data for mobile search.
- Create location-specific pages, content hubs, or microsites.
Examples of effective local SEO could look like:
- A restaurant featuring locally sourced food specialties on dedicated pages.
- A service provider’s site with geo-pages for all service areas.
- An ecommerce store highlighting inventory available for local pickup.
For more information on building your geotagging SEO strategy, read this.
Read More:
Website Architecture
Having a well-structured website is essential for two reasons: First, a website laid out logically will be crawled more effectively by search engines, and second, it will create richer user experiences.
Here are the factors to consider when optimizing your site’s architecture:
10. Site Speed
A clunky, slow-loading site does more than frustrate and drive away visitors – it hurts your search ranking, too.
Search Engine Journal investigated the effect of a page’s loading time on SEO and confirmed that page speed is a ranking factor in search results.
However, the minimum speed your site needs to meet is constantly changing.
This can be achieved by meeting Google’s Core Web Vitals minimum threshold. If your site isn’t currently meeting these standards, there are several steps you can take, including:
- Enabling compression.
- Reducing redirects.
- Optimizing images.
- Leveraging browser caches.
11. Responsive Design
Mobile search volume surpassed desktop in 2016 and has only grown since then.
Because more users are on mobile devices, Google followed the logical path and began prioritizing sites with designs that adapt to mobile screens.
While ranking in search results without a responsive design is still possible, Google strongly recommends having one.
You can read more about the effect site responsiveness has on search results here.
12. URL Structure
There was a time when URLs played a prominent role in SEO. Businesses would include keywords in domain names to help them rank higher.
But Google, doing what Google does, changed the algorithm. What was once so important to rankings now plays a much smaller role.
That’s not to say it doesn’t matter. Search engines still include your URLs in your overall score – they just don’t hold the same prominence they once did.
However, there is evidence they play a role in a site’s initial ranking, and some professionals believe they’re used to group pages. While they shouldn’t be your top SEO priority, you don’t want to ignore them.
Read more about how URLs factor into Google rankings here.
13. Links
Remember E-E-A-T from way back at the beginning of this article?
One of the best ways your website can establish it is through links from other reputable websites.
Think of it this way: Who would you rather trust your 401(k) to – a financial advisor who manages Warren Buffet’s portfolio or your cousin Jimmy, who lives in your aunt’s basement? Jimmy might do a fine job, potentially even outperforming Buffet’s guy. But he doesn’t have the credibility that comes with a strong co-sign.
Links work in the same way.
There are three main types you need to know about for SEO:
Of the three, inbound links are the most important for boosting E-E-A-T signals. High-quality, relevant inbound links, especially from authoritative and experienced sources, can help demonstrate your site’s expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.
SEO professionals use various methods to generate quality incoming links, including social media, creating sharable infographics, and even asking for backlinks.
But beware: Not all inbound links are helpful. Some, especially those from link farms, forum posts, and guestbooks, can be fake links that cheat the rankings system. If you don’t disavow these, it can hurt your ranking.
Here’s information on how and when to disavow links.
Read More:
On-Page SEO Vs. Off-Page SEO
We’ve talked a lot about on-page SEO, but there’s also something known as off-page SEO. The difference, as you could probably tell by the names, is where it happens.
On-page SEO is everything you can do internally to boost your rankings, including keyword optimization, meta descriptions, title tags, alt text, and website structure.
Off-page SEO refers to all external factors that impact your site’s rankings. This includes backlinks, E-E-A-T, local SEO, social media mentions, and pay-per-click.
You have much more control over your on-page SEO, but it’s also important to consider off-page SEO – you need both to achieve your goals.
However, it would be best to first focus on building a good, relevant webpage that’s fully optimized for search engines before you begin investing a lot of resources into building links and promoting your site.
Conclusion
As search algorithms evolve, the need to create high-quality, relevant content and optimize technical elements persists.
Key takeaways to remember:
- Focus on creating valuable, user-centric content that demonstrates E-E-A-T.
- Optimize technical elements like HTML tags, site speed, and mobile responsiveness.
- Maintain a logical site structure and use internal linking effectively.
- Regularly update and refresh content to maintain relevance.
- Remember that on-page SEO works with off-page factors for overall SEO success.
Approach this as an ongoing process rather than a one-time fix.
Consistently implementing these tactics will considerably improve your chances of ranking well in search results.
More resources:
Featured Image: BestForBest/Shutterstock
