On-Page SEO is a set of actions aimed at optimizing the content of web pages to improve their positions in organic search results. On-Page SEO is the opposite of Off-Page SEO, which focuses on improving a website's position through actions outside of the website. Internal SEO involves improving the content and HTML code of the page. In addition, On-Page SEO includes:
- improving website loading speed — search engines evaluate loading speed when ranking pages, and a slow website cannot be successful;
- optimizing the mobile version of the website — Google uses mobile-first indexing to evaluate websites, meaning it determines a website's position in search results based on its content on the mobile version;
- setting up a sitemap — for pages to appear in organic search results, they must be indexed, and a sitemap will inform search bots which pages to scan;
- adding microdata markup — microdata markup helps create an attractive rich snippet for the page in search results and attract user attention;
- choosing H1, title, and description — they will immediately inform the client about the content of the page;
- setting up user-friendly URLs — a readable page address inspires user trust;
- creating effective internal linking — this allows for link building and keeping users on the website.
The main focus of On-Page SEO is given to the quality of visible content on the page. The content must meet a number of requirements in order for the page to rank high in search results and be popular among users.
- Relevance. This is one of the main ranking factors in search results. Search engines strive to show users content that will best match their query. The content on the page must fully reveal the topic of the query and provide answers to the user's questions. For example, if you want to rank for the query "How to choose running shoes", but your article only talks about the five best models for running, this content is irrelevant. Users make queries with certain intentions, and the search engine decides if they match the content of the page. If they don't match, the content needs to be optimized.
- Value. The content must be useful to readers, otherwise, it will be pointless. If a page is supposed to rank for queries related to a particular problem, the content must offer real solutions. The advice should be specific and focus on the user's query, without getting distracted by other topics.
- Readability. It is important for users to be able to easily understand the content of the page - this depends not only on the essence of the content but also on its design. The page should be divided into headings and subheadings, the text structure can include lists with theses and images that help to better understand the text. Otherwise, the informativeness and value of the content will simply be lost behind the walls of the text.
- Uniqueness. Complete plagiarism of someone else's text is a mortal sin that the search engine will not forgive. Successful content is one that is independently created from start to finish. If it is just a rewrite that contains nothing of its own, such content will not succeed in organic search. Even if it is impossible to come up with something completely new on the topic, content can be presented in different ways, in a unique style.
The success of search engine optimization largely depends on On-Page SEO. If the site owner wants to seriously engage in SEO, it is better to involve an SEO specialist for a full range of work.
