Search engine optimisation (SEO) includes a wide array of strategies, which can be labelled under two main categories. One is off-page SEO, that is, elements outside of your website that is usually out of your control. The second is on-page SEO.
In most cases, when people say that they need to improve their SEO, they are referring to on-page SEO. Read along as we talk about what on-page SEO is and why it’s important in this (digital) day and age.
On-page SEO – What is it?
On-page SEO refers to the processes of optimising web pages in order to rank higher in SERPs (search engine results pages) and attain more organic traffic. This includes anything from optimising the metadata of web pages to creating high-quality, relevant content. Combine all of the elements of on-page SEO together, and you’ll have yourself high-ranking web pages.
And as we have mentioned above, off-page SEO is a completely different beast. It includes elements such as backlinks, brand mentions, social media presence, and more. Back to our main subject, however, on-page SEO is primarily focused on the actual content and components of a web page.
Why on-page SEO is important
Search engines such as Google rely heavily on the current on-page SEO status of your web pages to better link it to the billions of search enquiries being made every day. Google continuously updates their algorithm so that it can better understand and meet the needs of its users. And with every development that happens, whether minor or major, your website should develop too.
In other words, it’s crucial that your website and all of its content (text, images, media) are optimised to the latest practices used by search engines.
Besides content, you should also focus on things such as HTML and meta data. Those are elements that only search engines can access. This ensures that search engines can better understand the structure and well-being of your website.
Regardless of whether you run a small or big business, on-page SEO is extremely important. That’s because it basically determines your presence online. Indeed, nearly 53% of all trackable web traffic comes from organic search. In other words, without proper on-page SEO, you could be missing out on a lot of organic growth.
Just to make matters clearer for you, here are 5 benefits of on-page SEO that every business out there should consider.
5 benefits of on-page SEO
1. Generating more traffic
The first benefit of on-page optimisation is the fact that it can help improve your ranking on SERPs. And the higher your ranking is, the more traffic you will get.
The brilliant thing about all of this is: once Google takes notice of you getting more traffic, they will automatically assume that your content is relevant to the users’ enquiries, boosting your ranking further as a result.
This, in turn, will help you get more and more traffic in the future, generating more leads and conversions as a result.
2. Build brand awareness
Ranking higher on a search engine results page places you in a superior position than that of the competition. Not only will people see your company’s name and logo more often, but they will also fall under the impression that whatever you offer is inherently superior to that of competing businesses.
As a result, consumers will start to associate your brand with whatever product or service you offer. And this equals more brand recognition than ever since people will perceive you as the primary source of accurate information for the foreseeable future.
3. Drawing more local customers
Nowadays, most web searches include location. And most of the people who look up a local business online end up visiting it within a day. So, it would be rather illogical to miss out on such a game-changing opportunity.
With proper on-page SEO practices, you can make sure to reach as many local customers as possible, which will greatly benefit your business.
4. Better click-through rates (CTRs)
As we are going to mention later, one crucial part of an on-page SEO strategy is working on your title tags and meta descriptions. If done properly, these two elements will help you to generate more clicks than ever.
And with more clicks come more conversions and better rankings. In other words, not having a clear on-page optimisation strategy might cause people to avoid visiting your site even if it miraculously lands on their search engine results page.
5. More revenue
Getting more organic traffic will inevitably lead to more sales, and eventually, a better ROI (return on investment). Indeed, on-page (and off-page) search engine optimisation is one of the most cost-effective ways to grow a business.
5 important on-page SEO elements
We have briefly mentioned some important on-page SEO components above, and in this section, we’re going to thoroughly go through our top 5 elements…
1. Content
Creating high-quality content is the first and perhaps most important element of on-page SEO. If your web pages don’t have high-quality content with excellent headings and title tags as well as well-placed keywords, then don’t count on having much organic traffic.
Search engines such as Google will do everything in their power to make sure that the enquiries of their users are answered with pages containing relevant, high-quality content.
If you manage to keep pace with the ever-evolving needs of users, then search engines will reward you with better rankings as well as superior conversion rates.
2. Keywords
Keywords are perhaps the most discussed aspect of search engine optimisation since they happen to be the backbone of it all. Without focusing on a specific keyword or a set of keywords, you cannot create content that will rank.
That said, you should not focus on a single keyword that you would repeat over and over again. Instead, you should target a multitude of different keywords as well as rely on variations of said keywords. Not only will this help you keep your content looking natural and fresh, but it will also ensure that you rank for more than just one keyword.
The overall structure of your website is yet another important aspect of on-page SEO. As a webmaster, you should do everything in your power to make sure that your website is user-friendly.
Now, there are many ways of achieving this. For instance, you should focus on the navigation of your website in order to provide visitors with a clear way around your site. Of course, a priority should be placed on more important pages, but that doesn’t mean that you should neglect less important ones.
Additionally, the structure of your website should also make sense at the level of the pages themselves. What we mean by this is that the structure of your content on each page should be easy to scan through on both mobile and desktop devices. In other words, avoid using huge blocks of text and rely on things such as bullet points and more.
4. Meta data
In the field of SEO, meta data usually refers to two things: meta descriptions and title tags.
The first, meta descriptions, have long been a topic of hot debate in the SEO community. Some believe that they are a ranking factor, while others do not. The people over at Ahrefs did a piece on this back in 2020. They have since concluded that meta descriptions are not a ranking factor, but are still quite important in generating traffic.
In case you are one of the few people who have no clue what meta descriptions even are. Well, a meta description is a short summary of the content on a particular web page. The description would appear during search results.
In other words, whatever you put in your meta description will be seen by users. So, it’s of great importance since it can entice them to open your page. So, you should try your best to avoid having bland, generic meta descriptions since they can push users away.
Then we have title tags, which, as the name suggests, are basically the title of a particular web page that users will first see. As you know, first impressions are key in the world of SEO. That’s why you should try your best to create unique and descriptive title tags. Such a feat will push more and more people to click on your website in order to explore more.
5. Mobile-friendliness
Search engines such as Google have long regarded the mobile-friendliness of a website as a do-or-die situation. This is unsurprising due to the fact that more than half of global web traffic today happens on mobile devices.
So, when handling the on-page optimisation of your website, always keep in mind that every 1 in 2 visitors of your website is using their phone. In other words, your site with all its content (text, visuals) should look good on both desktops and phones.
Also, keep in mind that Google, for instance, is very much capable of detecting the mobile-friendliness of any given website. And the better it is, the more likely that website will rank higher.
The topic of mobile-friendliness is a huge and complex one. As a result, we recommend that you look up the different steps that go into it. But if we were to put it briefly, simply make sure that your site is easy to navigate and use on mobile devices.
Feeling confused? We can help
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the new information about SEO, worry not, as that’s normal. Contact us today, and our experts will show you how they can optimise both the on-page and off-page SEO of your website.
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