On-page SEO: A guide for beginners

What is On-page SEO?

On-page SEO (sometimes called on-site SEO) is the process of optimizing parts of your website so that those pages can rank higher on search engines and get more search engine traffic.

This includes updating on-page content, page title, internal links and more.

Search engines like Google look at keywords and other on-page SEO signals to check if a page matches a user's search intent. And if the search engine determines that the page will be useful to users, it will display it higher on search engines such as Google.

Below we will cover how to do on-page SEO optimization and a number of on-page SEO examples.

What is the difference between On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO?

On-page SEO covers everything you can do on a website (or internally) to improve your rankings.

While off-page SEO covers everything you can optimize outside of your website (or externally) to boost your rankings. Backlinks are perhaps the biggest off-page SEO factor. Other examples include social media and public relations (PR).

Both are important parts of any good SEO strategy.

But you have more control over on-page SEO factors. So focusing on these is a good place to start when building your SEO strategy.

Why is On-Page SEO important?

Search engines use keywords and other on-page SEO elements to check if a page matches a user's search intent.

And if the page is relevant and useful, Google will show it to the user.

In other words, Google takes on-page SEO signals into account when ranking pages.

Google's algorithm is always changing, but Google continues to prioritize user experience. Google recommends focusing on "human-first content."

Which means that creating valuable content that matches user intent is more important than ever.

Now, let's look at how you can update your content using on-page SEO best practices.

How to optimize your content for On-Page SEO (+ Examples)

On-page SEO is about much more than just adding keywords to your website.

Here's a brief explanation of how the ranking process works:

Google starts by browsing and rating pages online.

Then Google can "index" the page. It uses many factors - including on-site SEO factors - to determine what the page is about and how it should rank.

If Google decides to index a page, it can then be accessed via Google Search.

But Google does not guarantee that every page will be indexed. Or appear in search results at all.

Therefore, it's important to adjust the on-page SEO elements covered below to maintain the best possible communication with Google. 

That way, it can rank you for relevant searches in search results.

Let's get started.

Write unique, optimized content

One of the most important on-page SEO steps to consider is creating high-quality content that matches your readers' search intent.

Start by researching relevant keywords to write about relevant topics.

For this example, we will use Semrush's Keyword Magic tool.

Enter the topic you want to research and click"Search". We will use the keyword "electric bike" as our example.

You will get a list of keywords sorted by search volume.

You may want to focus on keywords with high search volume. But pay attention to the keyword's difficulty level (KD%). It's much harder to rank for more competitive keywords (which have higher KD% scores).

Focus on less competitive long-tail keywords. They often have lower search volume but lower difficulty level (KD%). Which will make the ranking 

The Keyword Magic tool automatically sorts related keywords into relevant categories.

They are located on the field to the left. You can narrow your analysis by selecting one.

Once you've chosen your keywords, it's time to create great content.

In the meantime, you can find relevant practices to follow to create optimized, high-quality content:

• Introduce keywords naturally in your content (avoid excessive use of the same keywords)
• Ensure that the content matches the users' search intent 
• Respond comprehensively to your content - your content should be useful to users
• Write unique content that your competitors don't offer
• Include visual content (we'll look at that later)

Tip: When planning content, come up with topic clusters, or groups of posts and pages that revolve around a central topic. This will help you brainstorm key topics that you should cover. And make sure you cover all relevant sub-topics.

Place the target keyword strategically

Now that you have your target keywords ready, it's time to place them strategically on your content.

Google scans your content to see what the page is about - and readers are likely to do the same.

So here you should include your target keywords in these areas:

• H1
• First paragraph
• Subheadings (H2s, H3s, etc.)

This will help Google understand what the page is about. And users will quickly be able to tell if the page matches their search intent.

You can start analyzing your content with Semrush's On Page SEO Checker.

Start by configuring the tool for your website.

Once you have completed the setup, you will see a page that looks like this:

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You can click on a specific one from the recommended"TOP pages to optimize" list, or look through the"Optimization ideas" tab for a complete overview.

Click the green"X ideas" button to see the recommendations.

The content section will tell you if you have used your keywords in important areas such as H1 and the body of the page (and if keyword stuffing has been detected):

If the tool detects problems, it will make recommendations:

It also provides useful information about semantic (related) keywords that you can add to your content that will help optimize it more.

When you're ready to update your page, you can use the SEO Writing Assistant, which will assess your content for readability, SEO, duplication and tone of voice.

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Optimize title tags

Title tags are pieces of HTML code that indicate what the title of a page is. And further displays this title in search engines, social media and browser tabs.

In addition, title tags are a ranking factor. And can influence whether a user decides to click on a page.

They look like this on the SERP (search engine results page):

Here are some tips to follow when writing your title tags:

• Keep it short. We recommend keeping title tags between 50 and 60 characters so that Google doesn't cut them off.
• Include your target keywords. This helps both Google and users understand what your page is about.
• Be unique. Avoid duplicate title tags so that each page's purpose is clear to Google (and users know what they are clicking on).
  

To find duplicate title tags, go to the"Issues" tab in the Site Audit tool.

You will see a list of errors that you should fix on your website.

Site Audit also checks for duplicate title tags. Click on the highlighted blue text to see which pages have duplicates.

The report will show you which title code appears on multiple pages.

Write engaging meta descriptions

A meta description is an HTML element used to describe the content of your website.

It usually appears on the SERP below the title of the page. Here's how:

Meta descriptions do not directly affect Google rankings.

But they can be the deciding factor in whether a user clicks on your page or chooses another. That means they can encourage more search traffic.

And if your meta description doesn't match the user's search intent (or the content of the page), Google can choose its own description for the SERP.

Therefore, it's best to follow the points below to increase your chances of Google using your chosen meta descriptions:

• Consider mobile devices. Google cuts meta descriptions after about 120 characters on mobile. So it's best to write them up to 120 characters.

• Include your keyword. This helps users determine if their page matches their search intent. Google also highlights keywords (and synonyms of keywords) that match the user's search query.

• Use active voice. Active voice saves space and communicates your message more clearly.

• Add a CTA (call to action). Entice users to click with CTA phrases (like "try for free" or "find out more").

And check Site Audit to see if you have any duplicate meta descriptions.

Use headings and subheadings to structure your pages

H1 tags and subsequent headings allow users to easily skim read your page. And allows Google to understand the hierarchy of your page.

See how hard it is to read a page without organized headings (compared to one that has them)?

To the right is an example of on-page SEO done the right way. It's easy to read with specific information.

Headings also help Google understand your page's structure and determine whether your page matches a user's search intent. Which can help you rank higher for relevant keywords.

You can use keywords and keyword variations in headings to show Google the structure of your page and what information you cover.

Use H1 on the page title or heading of your content, and include H2 to cover subtitles. If you need to write content in further detail, use H3, H4, etc.

Optimize URLs

Google recommends using simple URLs that don't look "cryptic" or intimidating. In other words:

Use words that are relevant to your content so that users can know what your page is about.

And not random numbers, publication dates or full sentences. Website themes will often use these by default, so it's important to update your URL before publishing.

Using the main keyword in the URL is a good way to ensure that the URL matches your content.

A "not friendly" URL might look like this:

And this is how you could update it to be more relevant and understandable:

The more context Google has about a particular page, the better it can understand it. And if Google understands what a page is about, it can match it with relevant searches.

Add internal links

Internal links are hyperlinks that point to different pages on the same website. This is what an internal link looks like on a website:

Internal links are an important part of on-page SEO optimization. Here's why:

• They help search engines understand the structure of your website and how the pages are related to each other
• They allow Google crawlers to detect and navigate to new pages
• They signal to Google that the linked page is valuable
• They help users navigate through your website (and lead to more time being spent on the website)

Adding internal links from one page to another signals to Google that these pages are related to each other. And helps Google understand if the pages could match a search intent - which can help your rankings.

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To learn more about internal linking strategies and best practices, read our guide to internal linking.

Add external links

External links are links on your website that link to other websites.

External links are important because they improve the user experience and build trust with your users.

There has been debate about whether external links directly affect rankings.

But Google has said that, adding links to authoritative external sources is a great way to provide value to users.

And providing a solid user experience is always a good thing.

So, make sure you include links to authoritative and trustworthy websites in your content. A good rule of thumb is to link to sources you've used, but you'll likely find other opportunities for external linking.

Include and optimize images

Including images in your content will give you a higher chance of ranking on Google Images - which accounts for 22.6% of all searches. This is a great way to get more traffic.

A good place to start optimizing your images is to write descriptive alt text for them.

Alt text (short for alternative text) is text included in the HTML code that describes an image on a web page.

It has two main purposes:

• It provides a context for search engines
• It allows users who use screen readers to hear descriptions of the images
  

Here's an example:

Here are some tips for writing good alt text:

• Keep it concise. Screen readers stop reading alt text after about 125 characters.
• Include a main keyword. Include your main keyword with a context (but don't spam the keyword, just for the sake of it).
• Do not add alt text to decorative images. Graphics such as horizontal page breaks, a magnifying glass in a search box, etc. do not require further explanation.
• Do not include "image of." Alt text implies that it describes an image, so there is no need to use unnecessary characters on these phrases.
  

To find missing alt text on your website, go to the "Issues" report in the Site Audit tool.

You can search for "alt attributes" in the search field if you want to make it easier.

Aside from adding optimized alt text, there are a couple of other ways to optimize your images:

• Write descriptive file names. Google learns about a page's topic through file names, captions and more. So something like white-dress-pants.jpg is more useful than a generic name like IMG353.jpg.
• Compress images. Use free options like ImageOptim to compress images for faster loading times. You can also use lazy loading, which tells browsers to wait to load images until the user scrolls to them.
  

Find more tips in our guide to image optimization

Optimize for user engagement

Google may also rank your pages higher if users spend more time on it. If users leave your pages too early or without completing certain actions, Google may think there's something wrong with your page.

You may have heard of terms like "average time spent on site" and "bounce rate", but do search engines really care about these metrics?

They certainly do. Google uses what it calls "interaction data" to determine whether a search result is relevant to a search query.

This data helps Google analyze the relevance of a page via machine learning.

One way to ensure that users get what they're looking for when they land on a page is to put important written content "above the fold" (where users can see the image before they scroll).

Like this:

The above example addresses the request directly. So that the user gets their answer right away.

Starting your page with an ad or a large image, on the other hand, can create a poor user experience.

Like this example, where you can't see any written content without scrolling down:

It's also helpful to write content that's easy to skim.

Most users won't read every single word on your page. So you need to make it easier for them to skim to find the information they need.

Intermediate titles can contribute a lot to readability:

As well as short paragraphs:

And bulleted lists:

And, of course, include useful images and visual aids to support your written content.

Another way to encourage user engagement is to include relevant CTAs (calls-to-action) in your content. Say a user has just read an article about on-page SEO (like this one).

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A logical next step would be to review their own content for on-page SEO factors. Which they can do with the Semrush tool in the CTA below:

Just make sure your CTAs don't dramatically increase page load time or negatively impact the user experience.

Advanced On-Page SEO Tactics

Once you've got the basics down, you can try out more advanced SEO page optimization techniques.

Let's start with an important on-page SEO factor - page speed.

Optimize for page speed

We may never know every Google ranking factor. But we do know that page speed is a confirmed ranking factor.

So it's more important than ever to optimize a website for page speed.

You can use Google's free PageSpeed Insights tool to get an overall performance score for both mobile and desktop, as well as suggestions for improvement.

This tool assesses Google's Core Web Vitals, which is a set of specific factors that Google considers important in a website's overall user experience.

Core Web Vitals consists of three different assessment factors that are:

"Largest Contentful Paint" (LCP): This measurement is about how quickly the main content of a page loads. Ideally, LCP should happen within 2.5 seconds after the page starts loading.

"First Input Delay (FID): This measures interactivity, and how long it takes before the user can actually start interacting with the page after they click a link or button on the page. Ideally, FID should be less than 100 milliseconds.

"Cumulative Layout Shift" (CLS): This assesses visual stability. That is, it measures the amount of unexpected layout shift of visual content on a page. Ideally, pages should have a CLS of less than 0.1.

These indicators are considered by Google as part of their search algorithms and they can have an impact on SEO. Google has created these to give developers a guide on how to improve the user experience on their website.

To get started, enter your URL and click the"Analyze" button:

This is what the report looks like:

And here's the full list of errors that can slow down your website:

There is also an"Opportunities" report that provides suggestions for improvement:

For more in-depth information about technical errors, you can use the Site Audit tool from Semrush.

In Site Audit, find "Core Web Vitals" under "Thematic Reports." Click"View details."

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You will see the general presentation of your pages at different times.

In this report, you will also see technical details that we talked about earlier. Such as LCP and CLS.

The Core Web Vitals report includes Total Blocking Time (TBT) to accurately calculate FID.

Under each column you will find the top recommended improvements and the affected pages.
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Click on each suggestion to read more about the problem and how to fix it.

Run this report once a month to stay updated on any errors. You can also send automated reports to yourself or customers in the"My Reports" tab in Semrush.

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Target Featured Snippets

Because featured snippets appear in "position zero" above other organic results, they can help increase click-through rates (CTR).

There are various forms of featured snippets, including:

• Definitions
• Tables
• slats
• Videos

To check if a keyword has a current featured snippet, go to the Keyword Overview tool. We will use the example "can dogs eat watermelon."

Enter your keyword and click"Search."

You'll see information about search volume, keyword difficulty, and more.

Scroll down to the"SERP Analysis" section of the page.

To the right of this chart, you will see a link that says"View SERP." Click on that to see what the SERP looks like for that keyword when it's not influenced by location, user behavior, etc.

Now we can see that "can dogs eat watermelon" actually has a featured snippet. And which pages rank below it.

If you want to take the top spot, update (or create) your own page by following on-page SEO best practices.

Some ways to target a featured snippet include:

• Answer the request in a concise, user-friendly way
• Understand the user's search intent
• Format the response accordingly - could be a quick one or two sentence response, a table, a video, etc.

Add Schema Markup

Schema markup allows search engines to better understand the information on your website.

It adds code to a page that conveys the topic of the page. So you can convey to search engines that your page is about an event, contains a recipe, etc. And the SERP result can reflect that.

Using schema can provide rich snippets in the SERP. They look like this:

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In addition to taking up more valuable space on the SERP, schema markup can also improve your page's CTR.

The example above uses recipe schema markup. But you can add many different types to your pages.

Common types of scheme include:

• Reviews
• Products
• Events
• People
• Local businesses
• And more
  

You can find information about each type on Schema.org.

Let's look at an example of schema markup in action. Say you type "new york events near me" into Google.

The top of the SERP looks something like this:

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To improve your chances, you can use the "Event" schema markup.

Which communicates to Google with event date, address and location.

Google can then present these events above other results because they are more useful.

Here's Google's resource for adding Event structured data. And here's what the Event schema might look like in the page's code:

You can use Semrush's Site Audit tool to check if you have implemented structured data correctly.

To get started, set up a Site Audit project.

After running your audit, you will see a report labeled"Markup" under"Thematic Reports."

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Click on the"View details" button.

Site Audit will score any pages that have schema markup, break down pages by schema type, and alert you to any existing issues.

Hvis Site Audit markerer eventuelle problemer med din markup, anbefaler vi at du kjører de individuelle sidene gjennom Schema.org sin markup-validator. Den vil la deg vite om du har implementert markupen korrekt.

Du kan også lese om teknisk SEO.

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