Enhance Visibility and Rankings: Unleashing the Power of On-page SEO Techniques

Optimization of the On-page SEO elements is requisite for higher visibility, traffic, and rankings. You will learn how to master content, headings, and URLs, among others.

Introduction

On-page SEO, which is sometimes called on-site SEO, is the process of fine-tuning a page’s content, tags, and internal links to improve search visibility and increase traffic to it. In other words, it is a means of optimizing [making fine adjustments] your website to help search engines better understand your website.

According to the article written by Pital and Pital ( 2018), published in the 2018 IEEE Global Conference on Wireless Computing and Networking (GCWCN), of all the available search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Ask, among others, the most popular search engine is Google.

Moreover, it has been established that more than 76% of all searches are from Google’s worldwide web. Furthermore, it has been established that “84%” of Google searchers never go beyond the second page of search results, while 65% hardly ever click on paid or sponsored results. This implies that getting the top position in search engine results is critical to the constant flow of users/visitors to the websites, highlighting the real value of Search Engine Optimization.

Specifically, the search engine algorithm’s daunting task involves parsing and analyzing HTML pages in order to categorize them such that relevant pages are found. With the continued need to categorize web pages and increase their visibility, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has increased in popularity in recent years.

On-page SEO Elements

Any page or post on a website is governed by the following elements: overall content that is further broken into: [keywords, page/post titles, headers (H1, H2, H3, etc.), meta description, content lengths & readability, image Alt-text, and structured markup; page/post URLs; internal linking, mobile responsiveness, site speed, and social media signals,

These elements, collectively influence how search engines identify relevant pages for specific searches and impact the user experience of visitors. Therefore, optimizing these elements is essential for easy and effective discovery and display of any pages/posts.

Moreover, when these elements are optimized, they determine the ranking of the website (what content does it provide and in what quality?), and indexing of the websites as well as the content on the website (does the content answer the search queries?, is it quality and original content?, etc).

As pointed out in Google’s own “How Search Works” “The most basic signal that information is relevant is when a web page contains the same keyword as the search query. If those keywords appear on the page, or if they appear in the headings or body of the text, the information is more likely to be relevant”.

Let us delve deeply into the techniques of optimizing the on-page elements enumerated above and how such tasks will positively impact the visibility as well as the user experience of users/visitors to our web pages.

On-Page SEO Techniques

The goal of on-page SEO is to ensure that the content of a page is as relevant as possible to the search terms [keywords] that users/visitors are likely to use to find it [the page]. A major factor influencing this technique is how relevant the web page is to the query submitted by the user to the search engine.

When done proficiently, SEO will not only improve their [pages] visibility, but it will also enhance their ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). Typically, On-page SEO technique involves optimizing such website elements as the content, CSS (for Cascading Style Sheets” [CSS is a computer language for laying out and structuring web pages (HTML or XML). This language contains coding elements and is composed of these “cascading style sheets” which are equally called CSS files (. css).]), internal links, and the HTML source code of a page.

A major factor influencing this technique is how relevant the web page is to the query submitted by the user to the search engine. Therefore, by putting in effort and employing effective strategies for On-page SEO, one will not only boost website traffic, but will also increase the website’s presence in search engine results.

Here are some of the most important On-page SEO techniques:

Meta tags:

Simply stated, Meta tags are pieces of information one uses to tell the search engines and those viewing his/her site more about the page and the information it contains. The most important meta tags for SEO are the title tag and the meta description. The title tag is the text that appears at the top of a search engine results page (SERP), and the meta description is the summary of a page that appears below the title tag.

• Title tags: Title tags should be concise, descriptive, and relevant to the content of the page. They should also be optimized for the target keywords that you want the page to rank for.
• Meta descriptions: Meta descriptions should be informative and persuasive. They should give users a good idea of what the page is about and why they should click on it.

High-quality page Content:

The content of the page is the heart of Search engines. As an affiliate, your goal is to provide high-quality, informative, and relevant content to your audience. In optimizing your page content, focus on the relevant keywords, the length of the content as well as its readability.

• Keywords: Keywords are the words and phrases that users are likely to use to search for your page. During optimization, include keywords in your title, meta description, and throughout your page. That said, avoid the temptation of stuffing our content with keywords.

This can be overcome by including semantic keywords in the content on your page. Semantic keywords are words or phrases that are conceptually related to a given keyword or topic. It means that those other keywords carry the same intent and if visitors used them in the search, they would still land on your page.

Using effective keywords in the content also helps improve visibility in search engine results.

Choosing your keywords well is the first step in creating high-quality content. I have prepared a post on keyword research, and I advise that you consult it for more information.

Length and readability of the content: There are varying opinions on the ideal length of the content on a page. What should govern the length should be the problem or questions you are addressing as well as the needs of your audience.

There is a general agreement that when your content length is less than 300 words, it is regarded by search engines as poor-quality content. There is also a general agreement that the overall average for the ideal length
of blogs and articles is between 1,500 to 3,000 words total, with the sweet spot being around 2,500 words.

So, what this suggests is that craft your content with the correct insight on your target audience and their needs.

Finally, on this point, do not forget to optimize your content for readability. Do not write very big paragraphs. Use short paragraphs, short sentences, and a good font. This will greatly improve readability, and hence user experience shall be improved.

That said, some users do not have the time, leave alone, the patience to read the whole content on your page!! Such users/visitors rather simply scan through your content and decide. So as an On-page SEO strategy, also optimize for the scannability, of your content.

Notably, scannability is affected by how the content is formatted and organized. For example, is your list in bullet format or is it written as a paragraph? The former is typically easier for readers to scan and digest.

The content that adds value to users is more likely to be shared and linked to, which, in turn, will positively impact your SEO efforts.

Heading tags:

Heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) are used to structure the content of a page. They separate headings and subheadings on a webpage thereby helping in identifying the main topics of the page, in order of their importance. This helps search engines understand the content of the page. In optimizing these heading and subheading tags, make sure your keywords are not lost sight of. It may not be the exact keywords within the title but rather other related alternative words or phrases that may still make the user land on your page.

URLs:

Make sure the URLs are concise, descriptive, and easy to remember. Do not forget also to optimize them for the target keywords that you want the page to rank for.

Images:

Images play a big role in making the content clear and understandable. This applies not only to still pictures but also to videos. Thus, incorporating them into the content strongly enriches it. For this reason, images need be optimized for SEO. This can be achieved by adding an Alt-text, with targeted keywords, to all of your images. Make sure to keywords rich unique titles for images. Surely, if these are done correctly, your on-page SEO will be enhanced.M

Mobile optimization:

More and more people are using their mobile devices to search the world wide web. It is, therefore, important to make sure that your website is optimized for mobile devices so that users can easily view it on their phones and tablets. Let’s face it: is this possible for everyone with an online business?

Perhaps you are not a guru in web design. But does this mean you have hit the end of the road? Certainly not. Mobile optimization is possible for everyone, even if you are not a web design expert. Managed WordPress hosting options offered by providers like Bluehost, SiteGround, ClickFunnels, and Wealthy Affiliate can help optimize your website for mobile devices.

These service providers will ensure that your website is optimized for issues such as both user experience (UX) and Interaction (IX). The overall design should ensure that mobile devices are catered for. So, if you are not versed in web designing, do not waver, and be discouraged. These services can be outsourced at a bearable cost.

Schema Markup:

In short, schema markup is a behind the scene code in the form of structured data that communicates the meaning of your page, elements, and how users should see it to the searching tool, and in a language, the search engine can understand. Implement schema markup to provide search engines with additional information about your content. This can lead to rich snippets in search results, making your page more appealing to users. For more information about schema markup and how to add it to your web pages, you may consult with this article on HostingerTutorials.

Internal linking:

An internal link  is a type of hyperlink on a web page to another page or resource, such as an image or document, on the same website or domain. In simple terms, internal linking is the practice of linking to other pages on your website from within a page. This helps search engines understand the structure of your website and the relationships between different pages.

Optimize your page by linking its content to any relevant page within your website, whose content further enhances the clarity and understanding of the content being sought by the visitor.

External Linking:

An external link is a type of hyperlink to a page outside the same domain or website. Thus, external  linking involves directing your audience to authoritative sources that are external to your website or domain. This is done by adding, within your page content, links to credible sources. This adds value to your content and signals search engines that your page is well-researched and trustworthy.

Social media signals:

Optimization of social media signals involves the incorporation of social media sharing buttons on your content to encourage users to share your pages across various platforms. Typically, social media signals also help improve your website’s ranking in search results. For instance, when people share your content on social media, it signals to search engines that your content is popular and relevant.

Note that:

Social media signals and external linking are usually classified under Off-page SEO, but have positive implications for On-page SEO as well. Let us take a closer look closely at “Social media signals” and “External linking” to understand their dual nature:

Social Media Signals: As already noted above, social media signals encompasses such activities and/or engagements your content receives on various social media platforms, such as likes, shares, comments, and retweets. While these signals are primarily associated with off-page SEO because they involve external interactions and occur on social media platforms (which are external to your website), they can also have implications for on-page SEO. For this possibility, it follows logically that one should optimize the page for this anticipation.

So, if users shared your content on social media, it should lead to increased visibility, more traffic, and potentially more backlinks from other websites referencing your shared content. It thus follows naturally that such actions will indirectly impact your on-page SEO by bringing more visitors to your site and increasing your overall authority and credibility, which search engines consider when ranking your pages.

On the other hand, as already established with social media signals, external linking too, is generally considered an off-page SEO technique because it involves linking to external websites. However, it can also have on-page SEO benefits, by enabling search engines to understand you content and niche better, hence improve your ranking in SERPs.

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Conclusion

I have briefly walked you through the elements of On-page SEO and the need to optimize them. This is not only a good practice, but will certainly improve your organic traffic to your website and also improve your ranking.

However, you should not forget that on-page SEO is an ongoing process. So, what does this mean? It simply means that staying up-to-date with the latest SEO trends and best practices shall always be an essential aspect for maintaining and improving your website’s visibility in search engine results.

Therefore, I advise that you stay informed about ongoing SEO trends and best practices, to maintain and improve your website’s visibility in search engine results.

I hope you have found this information helpful. Should you have questions, comments, or further suggestions on this topic, please you are welcome to make it. Thank you.

Cheers

Joseph Hawumba