On-page Optimization – Your Guide to Reaching Google’s Top Rankings
When you’re aiming to appear on the first page of Google, on-page optimization is your best friend. To maximize your chances of landing in the top three search results, which receive around 50% of all organic clicks, it’s important to understand and apply on-page SEO techniques to your website. In this post, we’ll give you an introduction to what on-page optimization means and share 18 concrete tips to improve your website.
What is on-page optimization?
On-page optimization, or on-page SEO, is all about the actions you take on your own website to improve its visibility in search engines. It’s the opposite of off-page SEO, which focuses on external signals that affect your website’s ranking.
To summarize on-page optimization:
Relevant content: Make sure your pages are relevant to the keywords you want to rank for. A thorough keyword analysis is essential to increasing relevance and attracting traffic.
Targeted Posts: Understand users’ search intent and create landing pages that answer their specific questions.
Content for Spiders: Structure your website in a way that makes it easy for search engine spiders to understand your website and its content.
18 Tricks to Improve Your On-Page SEO
To help you along the way, we’ve put together 18 practical tips to optimize your website. We’ve also created an infographic that you can find below. Start by skimming through it for a quick overview, then move on to the more detailed descriptions below.
Basic techniques for on-page optimization
The techniques we present here are basic but crucial to building a solid on-page SEO strategy. While there are many more advanced techniques to explore, these tips will give you a good start on improving your website’s visibility and attracting more visitors from search engines.
By following these guidelines, you can increase your chances of reaching the top of Google and getting the most out of your SEO strategy. Good luck with your optimization!
1. Shorten URLs with keywords
Strive to keep your URLs
as short and concise as possible. This doesn’t mean your URL structure has to be flat or lack multiple levels, but you should carefully consider the structure to ensure that the URLs:
Are precise and relevant.
Contain the keywords you want to rank for.
Avoid irrelevant characters or words.
Have a logical structure if you use multiple levels.
Short URLs with keywords are beneficial for SEO. What counts as “short” can vary depending on the structure of your site. If you have multiple levels of URLs, the URL can become longer, like in the example: yourdomain.com/product-collection-page/product-category/product.
Make sure the URL is targeted and logical, and follow the tips above if you notice any problems. Ahrefs research shows that shorter URLs often rank better!
2. Include the keyword in H1
The main heading (H1) is crucial for both search engines and visitors as it explains what the page is about. Including the keyword in your H1 confirms that the visitor has come to the right place and can affect your ranking on Google. When creating your H1, make sure that it both contains important keywords and captures the user’s interest.
3. Keywords in the first paragraph
Just like the main headline, it is important to mention the keyword early in the text. Try to include the keyword within the first 100 words in a natural way. If that is difficult, make sure it is among the first 200 words. Placing the most relevant information at the beginning of the text helps to integrate the keyword naturally.
Note: Avoid excessive use of keywords (keyword stuffing)!
4. Long-tail keywords
Long-tail keywords, or long search phrases, are effective because they provide a deeper understanding of visitors’ problems. These are often longer phrases with low competition that can generate valuable traffic. By using long-tail keywords, you can reach more related searches and improve your traffic potential. Also, use synonyms to create variation in your text.
5. Related search terms
In addition to long-tail keywords, it is important to include related search terms (LSI keywords) in your content. Google’s algorithms analyze the entire text and identify contextually relevant terms. When writing SEO texts, focus on covering the entire topic rather than just one keyword. This will happen naturally, especially if you are knowledgeable in the subject.
6. SEO-title
The SEO title, which appears in search results, is crucial for getting clicks. A well-written title can affect your ranking and how often your result is selected. Backlinko’s research shows that pages with keywords in the title often rank better. Make sure your SEO title is optimized to attract clicks and improve your on-page SEO.
7. Meta description
The meta description is the text that appears below your SEO title in search results. It’s a chance to get the visitor to click on your link instead of your competitors’. A good meta description is well-worded and engaging. Include relevant keywords if appropriate, but make sure it sounds natural.
8. Relevant images that support the text
Images are important for the user experience and can also impact SEO. Use descriptive and visually appealing images to enhance your page. Search engines can understand what type of content is most relevant to a particular search phrase, and multimedia can sometimes be the most appropriate type of content. Make sure your images are relevant and high-quality to optimize for more conversions.
9. Alt texts to describe images
Alt text is important for search engines to understand what your images are about. Write short and concise descriptions in your alt tags to improve SEO and accessibility.
10. Optimize images for speed
Web page load time is critical to the user experience. Images are often large files that can increase load times. To optimize:
Don’t upload unnecessarily large images.
Compress image files to reduce their size.
This can make images up to 90% smaller in file size and improve page load times. Use tools like Google Page Speed Insights to get tips on image optimization.
11. Make outbound links to rel=noopener
Mark outbound links with rel=noopener in the a tags to improve security and possibly performance, although it is not a critical SEO factor.
12. Internal links
Internal links help visitors navigate to relevant content on your site and can improve SEO by pointing to important pages. Use anchor text strategically to strengthen pages with relevant keywords. Avoid overusing the same anchor text to avoid potential penalties for search engine optimization.
13. Links to authoritative websites
Linking to credible and authoritative sites can increase the credibility of your content. Examples of authoritative sources include university sites, news media, and government sites. Don’t link to your competitors.
14. Responsive design
Responsive design allows your website to adapt to different screen sizes. Google recommends responsive design to ensure that users get the same content on all devices. A responsive design improves user experience and mobile SEO.
15. Scale down images for smaller screens
Adapt image sizes to screen size. Use advanced technical solutions to send images at the optimal size or upload images that are the maximum size for the intended viewing area.
16. Sufficiently large clickable elements
On mobile devices, where screens are small, it is important that clickable elements are large enough and that there is enough space between them. Material.io recommends 7-10 mm between clickable elements to prevent false clicks and improve navigation.
17. Sufficiently long content
Longer content tends to rank better according to Backlinko’s SERP study, which shows that the top results have an average content of 1890 words. Write long enough to answer the search query and avoid thin content.nehåll.
18. Search intent
Understand what visitors are looking for when they arrive at your site via search engines. By meeting their needs, you can improve your bounce rate and thus your ranking according to SEMrush.
Extra: Hero image
A hero image is not necessary for SEO but can improve the user’s first impression of the page. A good hero image engages and confirms that the visitor is in the right place, which can be crucial for the first impression.
I hope these tips help you with your on-page optimization! For more information, consider doing a full SEO analysis.
