If you have a website for your business online, you likely know and understand the basics of SEO, or search engine optimization. You might even have an SEO campaign in place. But do you understand the different parts of SEO, and that there is both off-page and on-page SEO?

What is on-page SEO? It's a component of SEO that focuses on optimizing elements on your website, like page speed and keyword density, versus factors outside your website, like backlinks.

On this page, we'll talk more about on-page SEO, from what it is to how to do on-page optimization so that you can maximize your efforts to see the best results.

If you'd like to speak with a specialist about on-page SEO services for your website, you can reach us at 888-256-9448 or contact us online!

On-page SEO refers to any optimization that you control and include on your website. With on-page optimizations, you aim to make your website more usable and valuable to users to improve your rankings or visibility in search results on Google, Bing, and other search engines.

On-page SEO leads to higher search rankings, increased traffic to your site, and more conversions. The results of on-page SEO take time, but once your on-page SEO strategy gets off the ground, it can make your online rankings and sales soar.

What on-page SEO ranking factors should I optimize?

With on-page SEO, you have several different ranking factors. You want to optimize all these factors. Taking the time to optimize each of these factors will improve your rankings in search results and make your website more competitive and difficult to beat.

On-page optimization factors you should focus on include:

Example of some on-page SEO action items include:

Optimizing your title tags and meta descriptions

Writing in-depth, quality content

Cleaning up your site’s code

Streamlining your site’s navigation

Speeding up your website

Keep reading to learn how to do on-page optimization for each of these on-page SEO factors!

How to optimize for on-page SEO

Now that you know what factors influence your on-page SEO, you can start optimizing them. Remember, it will take time to optimize your site, as well as see the results from it. Following best practices for these factors, however, will help you create a website that can endure algorithm updates.

What is a URL? Your URL is like an address, but for a page on the Internet.

URL example for on-page SEO

URLs for your website’s pages should include brief descriptions of the page’s topic.

For example, if you have a page about dog daycares in Daytona Beach, a good URL for that would be www.yoursite.com/dog-daycares-in-daytona. Or, if you have multiple locations, you may use the following format: www.yoursite.com/locations/daytona/dog-daycare.

Including your keyword in your URL instead of a long string of jumbled numbers also makes your site easier to navigate and gives people a better idea of your page topics. 

Which of the following URLs would you rather visit, for example? 

https://www.example.com/category/subcategory/keyword.html

https://www.example.com/125typu4f5ww56fifl6639j875fe.html

Use clean, organized URLs — like the first example above — to improve your site’s architecture and help you rank higher in relevant search results. 

What is a title tag? Your title tag is your page’s title, but it only appears in search results.

Title tag example for on-page SEO

In order to show your website in search engine results pages (SERPs), Google has to know what your page is about. Using specific keywords in the title tag of each page (<title>, </title>) makes it easier for search engine crawlers to understand your website.

For example, if you’re targeting the keyword, “dog daycare daytona beach,” you may create the following title tag: “Top Dog Daycare in Daytona Beach | Company Name.” For the best results, limit your title tag to 55 characters to prevent Google from cutting it off in search results and use your targeted keyword at the beginning.

What is a meta description? Your meta description is your page’s summary and appears in SERPs.

Meta description example for on-page SEO

A meta description doesn’t influence your on-page optimization directly. It’s a feature that helps users, however, learn more about your page. The fact that Google will bold user search terms that appear in your meta description is another reason to optimize your meta description for on-page SEO.

Include your core and related keywords in your meta description for the best results. Your page about dog daycare in Daytona Beach, for instance, may use the following meta description: “Looking for dog daycare in Daytona Beach? Come to Rover’s for dog daycare, dog grooming, and more!”

For the best results, your meta description should stick to 160 characters.

HEADING TAGS

What is a heading tag? Heading tags break up content with H2s, H3s, and H4s to improve its readability.

Heading example for on-page SEO

When it comes to heading tags, you want to use them for search engines and users. Use heading tags throughout your content to break it up and make it more readable and skimmable for users. You can also add your core or related keywords to provide search engines with more context for your page.

For example, a post about dog daycare may use the following headings:

What does dog daycare include?

How much does dog daycare cost?

How to find the best dog daycare

When writing your heading tags, remember to target your core keyword in your H1 tag.

What is an alt tag? Alt tags provide more information for multimedia, like images and videos.

Alt tag example for on-page SEO

Search engines can’t see multimedia, so they depend on alt attributes to tell them what multimedia is.

For example, if you have a photo of an apple, your alt tag could say “red delicious apple.” Beyond that, you can add descriptive names to the image files themselves so Google can get a better idea of your multimedia.

Always include an alt tag for your multimedia content. Besides Google, your alt tags also help users that can’t see or interact with your content. Using alt tags makes your content accessible to everyone browsing your site.

KEYWORDS

What are keywords? Keywords describe words used in SEO to target valuable user queries.

Keyword example for on-page SEO

Each page on your site should include text content that discusses the page’s topic.

Even pages that are typically not optimized, such as the “Contact Us” page, can help your business gain recognition online. Using keywords throughout the body text of your page helps Google read it and rank it appropriately.

You should research and compile keywords for each page on your site. Keyword research tools like KeywordsFX and Keywordtool.io can help you understand the keywords people research related to your products and services.

Look at helpful metrics, like monthly search volume and competition, to determine which keywords offer you the most value.

In most cases, smaller companies will focus on long-tail keywords or keywords with three to four words.

Long-tail keywords often have lower monthly search volumes, but they also have lower competition. It’s typically easier to decipher the search intent behind long-tail keywords since they are more specific. 

For example, if someone searches the short-tail term, “dog treats,” it’s hard to identify exactly what they want to find. Maybe they’re researching the best dog treats for small dogs, or they might want to try a dog treat recipe. 

On the other hand, if someone searches the long-tail phrase, “buy dog treats for puppies,” you know exactly what they want to find — and that they’re ready to purchase.

High-performing SEO campaigns contain both short and long-tail keywords — and the terms you choose to target will depend on your business and goals.