On page SEO (search engine optimization) is one of the core practices of organic SEO. It refers to the internal strategies websites employ to improve search engine performance. This is in contrast to off page SEO, which focuses on external factors such as link building.
Website Keywords
On page SEO includes adding keyword search terms to the visible content of webpages, as well as the behind-the-scenes HTML code:
- Tittle tags
- URLs
- Headings
- Alt tags
- Meta descriptions (for click through rather than rankings)
When properly optimized with keyword search terms, a web page garners more visibility in search engine rankings and in turn drives relevant traffic to your website.
SEO Keywords
The cornerstone of on page SEO is keyword optimization, which starts with keyword research.
By digging deeper with online search tools, you discover which keywords searchers are typing into the search engines to find what you offer. Using those keywords within your content increases your chances of getting noticed by search engines. It also makes your site more user friendly by providing information in searchers’ own “language.”
Through the keyword research process, you discover the best phrases to use for optimization. You then sort, organize, and assign those phrases to web pages based on searcher intent. You don’t want to send someone who is just doing their initial research to a page where the content is trying to drive home the sale. Nor do you want to send someone who is ready to buy to a page full of information they already know.
Content Optimization
Optimizing content for search engines involves using keywords throughout the pages they are assigned to, but in a natural way.
It’s not about keyword density. Getting the keyword on the page x number of times won’t guarantee you the #1 ranking.
What improves your search engine performance is writing unique, authoritative content that thoroughly addresses the topic represented by the core keyword phrase, naturally weaving in your core keyword and its supporting search phrases.
It’s important that your site includes keyword-rich content on all relevant pages. One common question we get is “Why do I need text when my competitor’s site has top rankings and no text at all?” The simple answer is that there are no magic SEO content optimization rules that move you to the top. But there are certain elements that are known to work and work well.
While you may be able to achieve top rankings with little or no text, that is unusual. If you have no text, thin content, or if your most important keywords are not represented on the page effectively, the search engine assumes that the relevance of your site for your keywords is relatively low. Effective content optimization ensures this doesn’t happen.
Where Should You Start with On Page SEO?
As is often said, to know where you are going, you need to know where you’ve been. We recommend an SEO & Website Architecture audit to examine your current search engine performance. This audit provides actionable recommendations for on page SEO and identify any critical issues that could be holding your site back in search engine performance.