10 Oct The Triple Beginner SEO Guide: Starting Local with On-Page SEO
One can never actually master SEO entirely; it is a continuous ever-changing process, there is ALWAYS something new to learn as Search Engines, like Google, keep tweaking their algorithms.
However, you can be an expert with comprehensive knowledge in how search engines work and why you need each of the many types of SEO, and more importantly, with adaptability.
Therefore, we gathered all you need to know about SEO in a series of guides, starting with On-Page SEO, which is arguably the simplest part.
Let’s start with the definition …
What is On-Page SEO, Why is it Important?
On-Page SEO represents the tactics you use on a webpage to rank high on the Search Engines Results Page; SERP, including both the visual content and the HTML source code.
There was a time when On-Page SEO was as direct as sprinkling keywords all over your content, but it’s not the case anymore, you need to convince the algorithm that your content is more relevant to the search query than any other site.
While Keywords remain the main signal of relevancy, Google Search states:
“Beyond looking at keywords, our systems also analyse if content is relevant to a query in other ways. We also use aggregated and anonymised interaction data to assess whether Search results are relevant to queries.”
Basically, to rank your website, you need to create and optimize your content for:
- User Experience
- Page Loading Speed
- Search Intent
- Click-Through-Rate; CTR
- Dwell Time and Bounce Rate
Which brings us to “How?”
How to Create SEO Content:
Before diving into optimization technicalities, you should ensure to write content worth ranking, and that is content worth reading by the user.
It’s simple, put yourself in the user’s shoes …
Consider you are looking for a certain search query, what you probably expect to find is content that is compatible with what you meant to search for, rich with all the information you need, and different from what others offer.
Let’s dissect these characteristics and how to apply them to your content.
Search Intent
We already agreed that Google pays close attention to how relevant your content is to the search query. Therefore, you need to understand how people use the keyword you’re trying to rank for in terms of content type, format, and angle.
It takes a bit of an analytical mindset, type in the keyword and study what comes out as results. Do people mostly use that query to search for a blog, video, product, or a category! Do they expect a how-to article, a listicle, or a guide!
For instance, it is not logical to try and rank for a keyword in a blog post when most users search it to find an e-commerce product, right!
And last but not least, is there a specific perspective of the query the user is searching for that would be a selling point! For example, when users search “Workout Routines”, are they looking for ones they can do at home! If yes, adding “At Home” to your keyword would make a rank difference.
Comprehensive Content
Not that you know what the user is expecting to find from the search query, and you set up your keywords accordingly, your content should deliver.
Why give a fragment of what the users need and push them to navigate other websites for the rest when you can create the go-to content that includes all that they expect in detail?
Be thorough.
However, there is no need to cover topics outside the search intent. An easy way to get an idea of what to include in your content is to look into what top-ranking similar pages offer. Navigate through their subheadings as they apparently are satisfactory for the user in the eyes of Google.
Other ways are to search the subtopics of a keyword, and to analyze the SERP featured snippet and PAA – People Also Ask.
Be The Odd Duck
It’s the world of the internet, there are thousands of petabytes of data out there; you can’t be the only one offering that content.
So, Why You?
You should find a way for your content to be distinguished from any other site, to be unique. You can achieve that whether by writing style, design, videos, subtopics other sites missed, or anything that keeps the user engaged really.
The approach you take can be as simple as making your content readable and user-friendly by using:
- Clear Fonts.
- Bullet Points.
- Original Designs.
- Short Paragraphs.
- Expressive Graphs.
- Simple Wording.
Make your content clear and special, and VALUABLE.
Even if you have an e-commerce website, selling products other stores might have, there are many methods to achieve a unique impression. For instance, you can have better products’ photography, reviews, or descriptions.
Whatever you do, just keep the user in mind.
READ MORE: What Is The Role Of SEO In Digital Marketing
How to Optimize Content
Now that you are finished with the hard part; creating the content, you can move on to do some tweaks for optimization.
We will go through many On-Page SEO tactics you can follow to rank higher on SERP; some of which are indirect and are meant to make your page more clickable by the searcher, and in turn more convincing to Google.
Keywords Frequency
Notice that we used the word “Frequency” not “Density”, you don’t want to stuff your content with keywords. Seriously. Don’t!
There was a time people did that to rank higher, but Google tagged them as Spam. Plus, it would create a terrible user experience, and we already agreed that Google is all for the user.
However, you should include your keyword in the title and in the first 100 – 150 words of your content. Google puts so much weight on the terms that show up early on your page and uses them to estimate your content’s relevancy to the search query.
Heading Tags Make Your Page Neat
This step doesn’t actually make a noticeable difference in your SEO; it doesn’t make it or break it.
However, it does help Google “Spiders” to understand the structure of the page, which leads to better crawlability.
Therefore, it is a good idea to wrap your title with an H1 tag, and your subheadings with H2.
Don’t Neglect Your URL
The best way to clarify this is with an example, consider these two URLs:
- uranus-agency.com/blog/d/2285546sdh5-KN675ghjn
- uranus-agency.com/blog/on-page-seo
Which one would you click on?
Of course #2.
Optimize your URLs and make them short and descriptive, also try to include the keyword in the URL or a variant of it in case it was long or unsuitable.
Title Tag & Meta-Description
What’s the first thing you see when you search for something on Google?
The “Title Tag” and the “Meta-Description”.
Hence, it is a no brainer to put some effort into those, right?
Your title tag is the same as your content title. However, if the latter was too long, you should alter it a bit and make it shorter even if that means using a variant of the keyword.
As for the Meta-Description, it’s an expansion of the title tag that includes the keyword as well. It is also what the searcher first reads about your content, so it needs to be concise and compelling. Try to match the searcher’s intent and use an active voice to raise clickability.
Images are Not Only for Visual Effect
True, images can give a better user experience, but that’s not their only role in your content. Images rank in Google Image Search and send the searcher to your page, bringing you more traffic.
Two things you should consider when including an image in your content; name and alt text.
Here are some keynotes for you to follow:
- Make them short, accurate, and descriptive.
- Use dashes.
- Include keywords, just no stuffing.
- Avoid stating it’s an image.
Note: Compress the images you use for faster page loading.
Build Relationships with Internal and External Links
Internal links take the user to another page on your website, while external links drive them to a whole new one.
Some argue that external links are actually bad for business, but we beg to differ.
External links are actually one of the factors that help Google identify the topic of the page. Moreover, when you put some effort into it and link to authenticated websites, you are proving the quality of your content, which is also a factor in Google’s algorithm of ranking.
As for internal links, it’s a powerful On-Page SEO tool when used cleverly. You can use it to boost a low-rank page of yours by inserting its link in a high-authority one.
Tip: Make sure to use a keyword-rich anchor text when you create an internal link.
Links are not to be created randomly, take your time to assess the most suitable pages to link to whether internally or externally.
Optimize for Click Through Rate & User Experience
Again, even if CTR and UX aren’t a direct Google ranking factor, CTR drives more organic traffic to your website, and UX increases dwell time.
There are some steps you can take to improve CTR and UX, we already mentioned a few earlier in the guide, but here are they in a nutshell:
- Make your Meta-Description compelling.
- Use question title tags whenever you can.
- Add the year to your title tag if suitable.
- Keep the content above the fold.
- Organize your content into segments.
- Create an active community through comments.
- Create comprehensive content.
- Use LSI Keywords, which are synonyms for better relevance.
- Put effort into boosting page speed.
- Ensure your page is mobile-friendly.
Remember, On-Page SEO is not a one-time task to do; it’s continuous and in need of regular updates. Take everything we mentioned into consideration, do your research, and create an SEO strategy. If it all seems too much, you can always seek SEO services from an outside party.
Here at Uranus Agency, we provide diverse marketing services, including On-Page SEO. Feel free to browse our website, and don’t hesitate to contact us at any time.
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