You need an optimized website to gain visibility in search engines and attract qualified leads for your business. This means, you need to check the technical, on-page, and off-page elements of your website.
On-page SEO involves activities that take place on your website to make it Google-friendly. For instance, optimizing metadata and images, implementing schema markup, and checking your internal links. These efforts help Google understand the content of your page and determine its relevance to users’ search queries.
While optimizing technical and off-page elements is tricky, you can improve the on-page or visible content and source code of your webpages to rank higher. You can optimize individual page content better when you’re familiar with common on-page SEO terms.
We have explained these terms for you!
Title Tag
The title tag is a part of metadata that appears at the top of the HTML source code of your webpage. The tag serves as the title of your page that search engines, like Google, display in results.
Your title tag should clearly describe your page content to search engines and users. Each page should have a unique descriptive title that is compelling enough to make the user click through.
Also, check that your title includes the primary keyword you want the page to rank for (ideally at the beginning). It should not exceed the standard length, i.e., 50 to 60 characters with spaces, as Google truncates lengthy titles.
Meta Description
This HTML attribute is the second part of the metadata that describes your page. While it’s not a ranking factor, Google may display your description as a snippet in search results. So, your description should tell the user what to expect when clicking on your page.
Make sure to add the primary keywords in your meta descriptions to make them relevant. Stick to the recommended character length as Google truncates long descriptions:
- 120 characters for mobile SERPs
- 160 characters for desktops
Your description can include a CTA or summarize the content of your page. The clearer the description, the higher the chances of attracting more clicks. Google may generate metadata for your page, but you can still write a default meta title and meta description.
Header Tags
Header tags are elements in the HTML source code that separate headings from the rest of the content on your page. The heading tags work in a nested hierarchy system, which means they appear in order of their importance from H1 to H6.
H1 is the most important or main header tag reserved for the page title; it should include the primary keyword. Each page of your website should have a unique H1 tag that tells the search engines and users about its content. Note that an H1 is not the same as the title tag, as it only appears on the page and not in the SERPs.
Unlike a title tag, there’s no character limit for a header tag as long as it makes sense to the reader. So, focus on the visitor when creating header tags. You can use subheadings to introduce a new sub-topic and break the rest of the content to make it easy to scan for readers.
Also, it is okay to use secondary keywords or phrases in your header tags naturally. Using relevant and appropriate tags helps search engines understand your page’s structure. You can add as many sub-header tags from H2 to H6 as needed, depending on your content’s depth.
Schema Markup
Schema markup is a code or microdata that tells search engines about the different types of content on your site so they can present it in rich snippets. In other words, the structured data on your webpages helps Google to understand and show your content in a more attractive way.
These codes help Google generate rich snippets of your page and display them in enriched search results. Ranking in these search results leads to higher visibility and increased click-through results. You can use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper to add schema markup to your pages manually.
Google supports different types of schema, including
- Article
- Carousel
- Event
- FAQ
- Imagedata
- Local Business
- How-to
- Organization
- Product
Internal Linking
Internal links are the links connecting two or more pages of the same website. The internal linking structure helps Google and users to navigate your site and find their way to different pages. In simple words, internal links help search engines understand, crawl, and index your webpages.
You can insert internal links on your webpages, in the sitemap, or in the navigation menu. These links can also help to indicate the importance of different internal pages. For instance, a particular page with a high number of internal links pointing to it will tell Google that it’s more important than pages with fewer internal links.
It’s important to use descriptive anchor texts to attach internal links instead of generic words like click here. The text should be natural and tell search engines about the destination page. Avoid using the same anchor text for multiple internal links, as it may appear as an attempt to manipulate your page’s ranking.
Image Optimization
Optimizing the images on your webpages is as important as optimizing the written content. Large images can slow your page loading speed, forcing your visitors to leave the page.
Google can’t understand or see images like a human, so it’s better not to present important text or information as an image. However, you can follow some simple tips to make your images SEO-friendly, such as
- Add a descriptive alt text to each image so search engines and screen readers can understand its content.
- Resize or compress large images to improve the page loading speed. You can try different image compression options to see what works for you.
- Choose the right format for your images. For instance, use a GIF for animations, PNG for high image resolution, and JPEG for low-resolution images.
- Don’t forget to optimize thumbnails, especially if you’re an e-commerce site.
Image ALT Text
Image alternative text is an HTML code that search engines and screen readers use to understand the contents of an image. In other words, an alt attribute is an accessibility feature that describes an image to search engines and visually impaired people.
An alt attribute starts with “alt=” and contains the description in quotation marks. Make sure that your alt texts are screen-reader friendly, describe the image clearly, and read naturally.
URL Structure
URL, or Uniform Resource Locator, refers to the locations for individual pages or pieces of content across the web. It’s important to have optimized URLs as they appear on the SERPs. Moreover, a good URL structure helps Google and other search engines understand and rank your site better.
Your URLs should ideally match your site structure. Choose a unique and clear URL for each page that tells what the page is about. The location folders can also send signals to search engines about the type of content. So, organize your pages carefully and avoid nesting them under irrelevant folders.
Some other important things to consider include
- URL length: a descriptive but shorter URL is more clickable and easier to copy-paste.
- Keyword placement: use the primary keyword in the URL but avoid stuffing multiple keywords.
- Use of separators: It’s best to use hyphens (-) as separators in your URLs; avoid using underscores (_), plus signs (+), or spaces (%20).
- Keep them static: Avoid the overuse of numbers, symbols, and parameters in your URL to make them easy to read.
- Case sensitivity: Some search engines treat URLs as case sensitive. So, use only lowercase letters, as mixed case URLs can lead to page duplication issues.
- Graphic modifiers: if you’re a local business, mention the city name, neighborhood name, or other geographical descriptors in your URL.
- Protocols: Obtain an SSL certificate, so you can use HTTPS protocol for your URLs.
Now that you know the basic on-page SEO elements, check our Knowledge Center to learn about different content terms.
The Core SEO Audit Team is dedicated to producing high-quality, SEO-focused content that empowers users with the latest trends, insights, and strategies in the ever-evolving digital landscape. By delivering accurate and up-to-date information, the team helps businesses stay ahead of the curve and achieve greater success in their online endeavors.
