What is On Page SEO?
On-page SEO is an optimization technique performed directly on a website to make it easier for search engines (like Google or Bing) to understand the content of your website. Its primary focus are content, HTML structure, and user experience.
In contrast to off-page SEO which relies on external factors, on-page SEO is completely under the control of the website administrators/owners.
On-page SEO optimization helps search engines understand a page’s topic more accurately. As a result, the related page has a better chance of ranking higher in search results (commonly called Search Engine Results Page or SERP in SEO).
In addition, on-page SEO also improves visitor experience through relevant, structured, and easy-to-read content.
Important Elements in On Page SEO
1. Keywords
Keywords are the most important element in on-page SEO. This is because they need to be placed in almost every other element, such as:
- Heading (H1, H2, H3)
- The content itself
- URL
- Meta title
- Meta description
It should also be remembered that in a content, keywords should not be used excessively because they can have negative impacts on its quality.
Keywords also need to be readable and feel natural with the sentences and words they are connected to.
2. Content (and Heading as well)
After knowing the keywords you want to target, the next step is to write your content which is related to those keywords.
The challenging thing about this element is to balance the SEO needs with user experience.
Sometimes, writers need to be clever about how to avoid repetitive keywords, which can bore readers, while still adhering to good SEO principles.
3. Meta Title and Meta Description
Meta title and meta description are sentences that will appear in search engines which will represent your page.
The following image is an example of a meta title and meta description :
The top part in blue with larger font size is the meta title, while the bottom part in black font color is the meta description.
Meta title and meta description will be displayed with their own maximum character limits.
In the meta title, generally the character limit is 60, while in the meta description, the character limit is generally 160.
4. Slug (URL in On Page SEO)
Slug is a URL that is usually managed in on-page SEO.
This slug generally also contains the targeted keywords, making it easier for search engines to identify the page content.
5. Internal Links
Internal links are links that connect one page to another.
These links serve to improve user experience and surf your website longer.
It should be remembered that internal links should be relevant to the topic.
Pages that get internal links from other pages will tend to be more easily detected by search engines.
Here is an example of internal link that is relevant to the topic of this article:
6. Images
If a page has images in its content, it is best to also set the alt text for each image.
Of course, alt text needs to be adjusted to the targeted keywords.
Therefore, do not use images that are not relevant to the written content because it will only reduce the quality of the content.
Conclusion
On-page SEO is the main foundation in SEO optimization strategies on a website.
With proper keyword management, quality content, and good page structure, the chances of getting a higher page ranking in search engines will be higher as well.
Consistent on-page SEO optimization not only helps organic traffic, but also increases the credibility of the website in the long term.