On-Page SEO Optimization — 8 Golden Rules to Succeed

SEO is a must for all entrepreneurs to rank with their sites. And this post aims to help you get the essentials of on-page SEO optimization and its implementation to your resource.

By the data from Google Keyword Planner [1], a minimum of ten thousand people is searching for on-page SEO monthly. Even being revealed online, this branch of SEO is still challenging for web surfers to cope with the task without hiring out additional help.

That is why I decided to weed out all the must-haves related to on-page optimization in SEO and define eight golden rules that are required to succeed when improving your site. But let’s dive into the topic step by step.

What is on-page SEO optimization?

Well, it is necessary to mention that general SEO splits up into two essential branches such as on-page SEO and off-page SEO. Unlike the last one, the on-page SEO optimization allows you to perform various techniques on-site, right on every page of your resource, to help it rank well in SERPs (search engine results pages).

Essentials before you get started

Remember that all the things I will represent further in this post will be beneficial for your website only if the one is mobile-friendly and has a fast loading speed. These two points take a significant place among other SEO ranking factors in 2019 [2], so that are pivotal. Thus, pay attention to them to have a well-performing website, enhanced from every angle.

Now, fasten your seatbelts and let’s get closer to the on-page search engine optimization.

Rule 1. Consistent, SEO-friendly URLs

When creating a new page on your site, its URL is the paramount thing you need to optimize. Making a signal to the search engine on what your page is about, the URL must be concise and SEO-friendly. Thus, ensure the entire web address of every page is relevant, has a proper length (under 100 characters), and contains a focus keyword.

See two URLs below and guess, which will not perform well for the site.

• http://www.example.com/services/fine-art-history-timeline

• http://www.example.com/subfolder/745683_30

No wonder that the second web address is useless as it is unable to tell Google or any other search engine about the content displayed on the page. Thus, avoid poor URLs and create descriptive ones that are remarkable for users and meet the mentioned-above requirements.

Rule 2. Accurate page titles and heading tags

Let’s practice title creation first, see some examples of title tags and define inappropriate ones in your opinion.

• On-Page SEO Optimization Guide of 2019 — BrandName

• Best Tips and Tricks to Incorporate SEO Into Your Website Pages — Complete SEO Guide — BrandName

• BrandName SEO Checklist — SEO Optimization — SEO Tips and Tricks

Do you want a self-check? Well, only the first title fits the on-page optimization rule. The second one is too long and contains a possible primary keyword far away from the beginning. Meanwhile, the last one looks spammy as even doesn’t have a consistent sentence. Moreover, it brings the brand name to the first place which is also not good.

The page title is crucial as it appears on the top spot in Google SERPs — above the URL and meta description. The meta title has to be intelligible and unique for each page. Thus, avoid spamming it with keyword phrases. Use one specific keyword at the beginning of the title tag and keep the entire page title under 60 characters [3]. Regarding your brand name, it is a great way to boost the CTR (click-through rate) so feel free to use it in your title, but only at the end.

Besides the page title, there also are heading tags like H1, H2, H3, etc. You need to use them right in the text to divide it into several logically structured parts. Notice that every page of your site should include only one H1 tag. When Googlebot crawls your site pages, heading tags help to show that the content is relevant to the main topic presented in the title.

Furthermore, I advise you to implement heading tags in a way that will form a tree from your page content. Here the H1 is the top of the tree, the H2 is the main branch, and H3 is secondary. For example, it all can look like that:

• Title

• H1

• H2

• H3, H3, H3

• H2

• H3, H3, H3

• H2

Do not neglect the page title and heading tags as together they bring value to your site pages.

Rule 3. Proper meta description

A meta description is a short page summary which appears under the title and URL. It is essential just like the title tag and web address as it influences both the search engine and the potential visitor. That is why you need to create unique meta descriptions [4] for each page.

If you want to succeed with this rule of on-page SEO optimization, try to keep your meta description no longer than 160 characters. Doing this way, you let the search engine showcase it without any cuts. Additionally, do not forget to enhance the meta description with a primary keyword and make it catchy. So, Google will understand what your page is about, and the user will surely click on the link.

Rule 4. Appropriate image alt

Alt text is handy if you want to add value to your pages by optimizing the images, so that ensure the web accessibility. It helps to describe the image and specify it for the search engine crawling. Alt text for images is displayed when there are issues with the file loading. If you want to boost the image SEO [5], consider adding keywords to image titles and descriptions so they could appear when users search with Google Images.

Here is what you need to do when it comes to the images’ optimization:

• implement the focus keyword to the file name the alt attribute naturally;

• keep the alt text short, about 125 characters;

• make sure the description is comprehensive even being brief.

Rule 5. Optimal keyword density

Using relevant keywords in the copy surely is a priority if you want to have well-optimized texts on your site. Nevertheless, pay attention to keyword density as if it is overdone, you have big chances to get banned with your web resource. In other words, the frequency of keywords is a percentage of used keyword phrases related to the whole number of words in the article. So, how to deal with it?

Well, try to keep the density to one percent as Google is stringent to the spam. For example, implement your keyword up to ten times in a 1000-word article. All the keywords used in the content should look natural as your mission is to please users first.

Moreover, there are LSI keywords [6] that can help you to dilute selected phrases with matching synonyms. So, you save yourself from the ban, expand the copy with an excellent vocabulary, and have a relevant page that entirely covers the topic at the same time.

Rule 6. Original content

No doubts, content is the key. So, if you want to rank high with your website, evergreen, persuasive, and plagiarism-free content of the best quality is a must. If you have decent, long-lasting material, on-page SEO optimization is just your toolkit to spread it wisely.

To achieve your goals in this rule, enrich each page of your site with a copy that brings an in-depth view on the specific problem or topic. Moreover, do not forget to fine-tune it by implementing the main keyword to the page title, first paragraph, H1, some subheadings, and the body text, considering the keyword density rule above.

Besides, notice that the content length and readability matter a lot. Although the ideal content length [7] is a moot point, keep all your posts at least 2000 words. Providing valuable texts on your website, you undoubtedly get a better outcome. Compelling, easy-to-read writings boost social shares, increase conversion rate, help you get authoritative backlinks and even more!

Therefore, make sure you bring something new to the niche with your page copy and write thoroughly to engage users and make them stay on the page longer!

Rule 7. Wise internal linking

Unfortunately, entrepreneurs often underestimate the importance of internal links in on-page SEO optimization. Well, they are perfect for improving the entire site’s navigation for users. Besides, they come as your best solution to make sure that all pages of your web presence are crawled well by search engines. Performing internal linking correctly, you get such bonuses as positive users’ behavior flow on the pages and enhanced website architecture at the same time.

To cope with it correctly, add at least two internal links with matching anchor text [8] to each page of your site. The main thing here is to incorporate links naturally so that they do not look inappropriate both by place of implementation and meaning.

Rule 8. Decent outbound links

The thing is that outbound links [9] on your website pages are not only essential for on-page optimization in SEO, but also for bringing value to readers. When adding outbound links, you take care of users providing them with additional material to expand the knowledge base on a specific question. Beyond that, you make a signal for Google that the content on the page is relevant and worth reading for a broad audience.

The only thing you need to bear in mind here is the authority of the resource you want to employ. Find the most useful and popular sites with the related information and link to them from your page. Well matched outbound links, in any case, are beneficial for SEO.

Summary

So, what do you think of it all? I hope that these eight explained to you the pillars of on-page SEO optimization and turned it into a cakewalk. I named these rules golden ones just because neglecting any of them makes all your efforts go down the drain.

On the contrary, their full accomplishment on pages allows you to enjoy a fully-optimized site that brings a steady flow of organic traffic which only grows. Therefore, learn on-page SEO and have majestic sites that everyone wants to feature!

References:

1. https://ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner/

2. https://optinmonster.com/seo-ranking-factors/

3. https://moz.com/learn/seo/title-tag

4. https://yoast.com/meta-descriptions/

5. https://yoast.com/image-seo/

6. https://backlinko.com/hub/seo/lsi

7. https://www.smartinsights.com/search-engine-optimisation-seo/seo-content-strategy/what-is-the-ideal-content-length-how-it-affects-seo-infographic/

8. https://moz.com/learn/seo/anchor-text

9. https://yoast.com/outbound-links/