With all these algorithms like Penguin, Panda, Hummingbird, Possum etc. Google ensures that it is showing the best results. Now, there are pages of the search results, which do not even have an exact match of the keywords in their Meta tags. This is because the overall on-page factors have started to mean more to Google.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a technique, which helps your pages to rank among the top search results displayed by the search engines. This helps the website to earn more relevant traffic and it also affects the conversion rate. There are two types of SEO techniques- On-page SEO and Off-page SEO.
The on-page SEO refers to the optimization of the web content and the HTML codes, while off-page SEO is all about external link building and link exchanges. Here are 5 things that you should take care of for a great on-page SEO:
1. MetaTags
The meta tags are one of the most important aspects of on-page SEO. Meta tags involve the title tags, meta descriptions, and heading tags. They inform Google about what is on the page.
Title Tag
There are many tags on the page but the most important one is the Title Tag. The title tag is what users see on the search results page. Always keep your title tags descriptive yet short. The character limit of the title tag is 70 characters. It is also recommended that you use the core keyword in the title tag for better ranking.
Meta Descriptions
Search engines determine the page’s topic and content through these meta descriptions. A well-written meta description may increase the click-through rate. For the desktop, the character limit of the meta descriptions is up to 200 characters while on mobile it’s up to 172 characters. Keep the meta descriptions appealing. Clearly, outline what users will find on the page.
Heading Tags
Your page must contain multiple tags ranging from H1 tags to H6. H1 tag is the most important one. There should not be more than one H1 tag on the page. The headings should be used to structure the page and the content should support the heading.
Avoid keyword stuffing on the page and don’t use the same H1 tag on multiple pages. Make the presentation look cleaner by dividing your content through subheadings.
2. Unique and Authoritative Content
Your content plays a major role in engaging your users. The content should be relevant, unique and engaging. Your content should clearly explain what product or service you are offering. It should be descriptive regarding the topic you are dealing with.
There is an overlapping between the SEO and the content. The web content involves the usage of keywords and relevant content, which appeals the search engines. So, on-page SEO and content complement each other.
3.URL Strings
URL strings should be short and easily readable. It has been identified every now and then that pages with short URLs rank better. The shorter the URL, the easier it gets to share or embed it. Each word in the URL must be separated by a hyphen ‘-‘ rather than an underscore ‘_’. Try to use your primary keyword in the URL, but then again don’t stuff it with keywords. Also, the keyword should be relevant to the content on the page.
4. Internal and External Links
Earning links from high authority sites and quality sources strengthen the domain while interlinking enhances user experience and SEO.
Earning links from other sites comes under off- page, so keeping the focus on the on- page, interlinking will strengthen the keyword and enable Google to determine where to rank a particular keyword. It also improves crawl-ability of the site and keeps the users engaged.
5. Optimize the Images
Images engage the users and give them a better user experience. For a great on-page SEO, you should optimize the images as well. Your targeted keywords can be the alt text and create a title that is unique.
The alt tag is used to describe what’s on the image. Optimizing the alt tag as it gives Google an indication as to what is on the page. Don’t just post any image, the image should be relevant to the title or the topic of the page. Also, make sure that the images are scaled correctly and are of the right size.
6. Site Speed
Site speed is very important. If the site doesn’t load fast enough, the users tend to close it and visit some other site, which loads faster. Optimize the site and look at the following factors to see if they are hampering the site speed:
- Leverage Browser Caching
- Optimize Plugins & Images
- Use GZIP Compression
- Switch to Faster Hosting
- Clean Up HTML & CSS Coding
- Eliminate Ads
- Minimize Redirects
The faster the site loads, the better the engagement and user experience.
