If you run a website, I am sure by now you have realized how important SEO is. If not, here is your wake-up call. The following is valid for all businesses, regardless of their industry. Having a solid SEO foundation helps drive customers to your website and, in turn, to your business. If you want organic traffic, you need to optimize your On-Page SEO.
This article will be dishing out some On-Page SEO tips that can dramatically change the profitability of your business. If you don’t want customers visiting your website, this article is not for you. But for us business owners who enjoy increasing our revenue and making sure clients find our website, this will be our go-to article.
Before we look at these tips, I want you guys to become familiar with an essential key term we will be discussing: keywords. A target keyword is a word or phrase that summarises the content of your page. It’s what your potential customers will type into their favorite search engine to find a business like yours.
For Example: Where can I find the nearest Starbucks. The portion I highlighted would be the keyword. Google and other search engines will use that keyword to find and deliver accurate information to the user.
Now that we know what a keyword is, let’s go ahead and take a look at some On-Page SEO tips that are guaranteed to boost the visibility of your website.
Keyword In The Title Tag
Generally, always add your keyword. Plain and simple. Add your keyword phrase to your title tag for optimal results. Above all, Google needs to know what is on your page and one of the easiest ways to let Google know what information you are displaying is by including your keyword in the Title tag. Chances are you landed on this page by typing in On-Page SEO or some version of that keyword. Some tips on title tags:
- Need to be less than 60 characters, or else you will cut off text
- 50-60 characters are the sweet spot
- Add the keyword
- Try to grab the readers attention
Target Keyword In The First 100 Words
Also, here’s an often-overlooked On-Page SEO tip. Add your keyword within the first 100 words of your article, webpage, or other online content. Now go ahead and look at the first 100 words of this article, and I bet you’ll sniff out our target keyword. Using the keyword phrase within the first 100 words will clarify what this page is about to the search engine. Of course, the rest of your content is essential but placing your target keyword within the first 100 words puts you on the right track. But do not overdo it.
On the other hand, some people think adding their keyword every other sentence or ten times in a 500-word article will lead to success. Google’s algorithm is too intelligent for that. You’ll get flagged for keyword stuffing, and chances are you won’t even get ranked for that piece of content.
Pro Tip: Using software such as Storychief.io or Textmetrics can help you identify how many times you should feature your keyword in your content. Use keywords your target audience uses. Find those keywords your target audience is more likely to type into the search engine. Ideally, the best way to optimize a page with keywords or keyphrases your audience will likely search for is to think like your audience.
Using software such as Storychief.io or Textmetrics can help you identify how many times you should feature your keyword in your content. Use keywords your target audience uses. Find those keywords your target audience is more likely to type into the search engine. Without a doubt, the best way to optimize a page with keywords or keyphrases your audience will likely search for is to think like your audience.
SEO Friendly URLs
Your URLs need to be friendly to search engines and users. Long and Sloopy URLs can lead users astray and not give great insight into what type of content you can expect on that page. Also, URLs should include your keyword or keyphrase and help the search engine identify what you will be talking about on your webpage.
At this point, you’re probably starting to notice a common theme: Help the search engines and your users know what is on your webpage before they even click on it. Here is an example of a well-put-together URL: hhtps://www.shoes.com/shoe-repair/ instead of hhtps://www.shoes.com/learn-more-about-our-shoe-repair-services/. The more concise your URL is, the easier it will be for Google to decipher its relation to the webpage content.
Unique Meta Descriptions
Making sure each page has a unique meta description is vital for On-Page SEO. If you want your pages to perform as high as possible, they need these meta descriptions. Yes, it is true that if you omit a meta description, then Google will automatically generate one for you. But by crafting your own, you can better entice visitors to visit your webpage and see what you have to offer. A well-crafted meta description will leave the viewer wanting to know more information about the topic. A meta should be a sneak peek into the abundance of information your webpage will be offering. Meta description tips:
- No more than 160 characters but no less than 140
- Add your keyword or keyphrase
- Entice your visitors to click on the link
Here’s an example of a dog walking service. The keyword is “best dog walker in town“:
Looking to find the best dog walker in town? Dog Walker Innovations has over 30 years of experience and has the best-certified trainers.
Write For Humans Not Search Engines
So here’s the thing. All this optimizing for SEO is great, but if a visitor lands on the page and can’t understand what’s going on, they will be leaving immediately. The excellent news is search engines are becoming more and more intelligent every day. And because of this, writing like you are talking to a person often means maximizing your SEO possibilities. So when crafting your great On-Page SEO content, don’t forget about the people who will be reading and using your products and services.
Make Your Content Engaging
If you’re looking to keep people on your page engaged with your content, you need to keep it interesting. In addition to this, add pictures, videos, and short paragraphs to help the reader easily digest what is going on. Moreover, having 400-500 word paragraphs makes it difficult for your readers to remain focused and on topic. Interestingly, the stuff we learned in school on writing has little relevance to real-world technical SEO writing. So go ahead and add pictures, make the content engaging and focus on keeping your visitors on your page for as long as possible. Believe it or not, Google uses time on page as a metric for how well a page is put together and helps determine its overall ranking in the search results.
Consider Search Intent For On-Page SEO Success
Create the content that people want. People are not always looking to read a 1,000-word article about a “topic of interest.” Instead, people might want a quick video, a short post, or just a link straight to the product or service you are offering. The easiest way to see what people are already searching for is to do a quick Google search on the topic. Take a look at the top 10 search results for the keyword you are looking to rank. Then examine the content that ranks within the top 10. Is it articles, youtube videos, or some other form of content? You should do your best to take your content creation one step further.
Here’s an example of taking your content to the next level:
If you notice that the top 10 search results are all articles with little to no pictures, you should consider creating content with images. That small detail can end up being the difference in how high you rank in the search results. Remember, you are taking over someone who already holds that ranking. So being just as good as them is not enough. You need to take your content to the next level. Besides pictures, videos are a great way of driving customer engagement levels. Experiment and see which combination works best for you.
On-Page SEO: Internal Linking Tricks
Link to pages within your website. Creating a solid link bridge throughout your entire website is vital to your overall SEO success. When Google sees a website beautifully tied together with links pointing in all directions, they get bonus points. Don’t worry if you’re starting your journey and learning how to make engaging content. Once you start publishing blog posts, you’ll see linking opportunities that will better connect your website (you might notice we threw in a link in the sentence before).
These links should not just be random links thrown in to try and trick Google into thinking you are a well-connected website. Instead, these links need to point to other information that your users might find particularly useful. Internal links are a great way to boost On-Page SEO and get users to engage with other great content you have created.
Scout The Competition – The Oldest ON-Page SEO Tip
It’s time to do some recon. Scout the competition to see what competitors are doing. Look for places you can improve upon and create value-added content based on your findings. As stated before, notice what the top 10 search results for your target keyword are doing and create similar (but better) content. If people want articles, give them articles; if they want videos, create some videos. It would be best if you fed your audience what they want. Here are some quick tips to take into account when you are scouting the competition:
- How many words are on their page? (You need at least this many)
- What types of images are being displayed?
- How many times are they using the specific keyword?
- How many headers/titles do they have in their articles?
- Are they using calls to action?
- How long are the videos?
- How many images do they have?
Key in on what your competition is lacking and prove that you can provide the best content. Note: Don’t overdo it. For example: If your competition is using the keyword four times on their page. Please don’t go and use it 15 times. Google will quickly detect that you are keyword stuffing and most likely won’t even rank you in the top 10.
Make Sure Your Website Loads Fast
One of the most often overlooked factors of good on-page SEO is website speed. Your website needs to load fast. People want fast-loading websites plain and simple. As technology advances, people expect things to be given to them instantaneously. A slow website bores a user and will lead to a quick back click right out of your website. Take the time today to optimize your website by running a quick speed test. You can then focus on the areas of concern your speed test presents to you.
You can run a quick-speed text using GTMetrix. Ideally, your website will load in under 1 second, but 2 seconds is still acceptable. If it’s more than two seconds, then you have room for improvement. Other things to focus on:
- Optimizing images
- Optimizing videos
- Having specific scripts run at the correct time
- Not overloading your webpage with pop-ups and other “extras” that will slow down the load speed
There You Have It 10 On-Page SEO Tips
Finally, you now have an outline of 10 of the most powerful tips you can use to revamp your website’s search engine rankings completely. And guess what you know that these tips work if you find this article within the top 10 for your keyword search. On a final note, take your time. Do not rush your content, and understand that it can take months for your content to rank on Google. SEO is not an overnight remedy for your website. It takes time, dedication, and a lot of effort to get your website on its feet and running at its maximum potential. But once it is, the results you experience will be massive. As always, do not hesitate to reach out to us.
We look forward to hearing from you.
