The Secrets of On-page SEO

There’s a secret SEO tool hidden in your pocket.

Used correctly, it can be a magic wand that attracts links, draws traffic, and consistently holds high positions for crucial keywords.

But there’s a problem.

This SEO tool isn’t “secret” because no one knows it; it’s secret, because EVERYONE knows it. But very few use it right.

So here’s how to deploy the right on-page tactics to transform your approach to SEO - and achieve major increases in organic traffic.

So what is on-page, anyways?

Definitions can be boring.

But on-page SEO is a bit of a vague category, so it can be helpful to figure out what it means, exactly.

Ask any 5 SEO experts to give you a definition, and you’ll likely get 5 different answers. That said, on-page SEO generally consists of a number of factors including:

• Keyword optimisation

• URLs

• Meta description/title tags

• Internal/External links

• Image optimization

and a lot more besides.

One other way to define on-page SEO is to contrast it to off-page SEO. So what’s off-page?

The biggest examples tend to be digital PR, linkbuilding, ads, etc. Basically, all of the efforts that direct traffic to your page, without relying on content on the page itself.

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All About Control

What makes on-page such a powerful tool?

Unlike linkbuilding or PR, you control all the factors.

No schema on your page? You can add it.

Poor keywords? Research, find better ones, optimise accordingly.

Missing images? Add them in. Bad internal links? Fix them.

In every case, you can control the immediate problem and the potential solution. It doesn’t guarantee that you’ll see instant improvement, but you can ensure that your on-page game is in the best possible position.

On-Page Basic Moves

Start with the easy wins by making sure you’ve covered these on-page basics.

• H1: Yes, Google reads. Specifically, Google reads your headers. If you don’t have any, it’s harder for Google (and humans!) to process the info you have. Use H1s, H2s, etc. to organise and present your material cleanly.

• Title Tags: Title tags aren’t complicated; that might be why they’re so easy to overlook. The title tag is the well-known “blue” link that appears in the SERPs. It also shows up on, say, a browser tab. Often, it’s the same as the title, but a title tag is HTML, labelling and identifying your page for search engines and users.

• URL: Sensing a theme here? Oftentimes, on-page starts with the basics, and nothing’s more essential to your webpage than its address. An optimised URL includes the keyword, keeps things simple, and identifies to everyone what your page is all about.

Start with these basics, and get your page ready to be indexed, searched, and found by both Google and human users. But don’t stop with these; on-page has a lot more to offer.

On-Page Advanced Tips

Mastered the basics? Now’s the time for some on-page secrets to really set your site apart.

• Make Your Images Matter: Use unique images instead of stock ones, if possible. Optimise the image alt text. Make sure all your pages have at least 1-2 images. It’s impressive - and a bit sad - how many blog posts and web pages ignore images. Stand out from the pack!
  

• Embrace UX.UI: Too many sites only pay lip service to the user experience. The result is a website that doesn’t flow and pages that don’t draw and hold traffic
  

• SEO Testing: Tools like seotesting.com allow you to make changes to your site, and estimate what those changes will do to your ranking. More than just a hypothetical tool, proper SEO testing can play a vital role in supercharging your on-page efforts.

• Adding Video: Images are powerful. Video is even more powerful, and adding video to your pages can add dynamic elements while also diversifying your approach to content. Here’s what happened when we added some simple videos:
  

• Search Intent/Keyword Intent: This one’s more subtle. You can’t add a box for “search intent” to your page - but if you understand what people are actually searching for, you’ll have a much better chance of creating a page that answers the right questions and appears in more searches.
  

• Hub-and-Spoke: Advanced content marketing involves more than one page. Start with search intent, build pages that answer specific questions, and then use hub-and-spoke content hubs to establish authority and reward Google’s emphasis on E-EAT. (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust).

What Works With On-Page

Personally, I like to use an approach that doubles-down on the search intent side of things.

The basics play a huge role here, so don’t forget to optimise those URLs and title tags.

But once you’ve run a topic through Google Search Console, checked your tools, and grappled with the competition, then you’ll understand what people want enough to start creating content the delivers and drives more traffic.

That approach takes time and dedication. But done well, it turns on-page into one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal.

Ready to get involved?

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