On-Page Search Engine Optimization is an excellent marketing strategy that can help your website gain organic traffic. But for any beginner, the idea of on-site optimization can be a little daunting. Well, you’ve come to the right place! We’re going to teach you advanced on-page SEO techniques to help you improve your search engine rank.
What is On-Page SEO?
Also known as on-site SEO, it is a set of activities done on your website to improve its search engine optimization. On-Page SEO makes up twenty-five percent (25%) of an SEO marketing campaign. It involves some analytical, technical, and creative techniques to improve a site’s visibility on search engines. Its primary objective is to gain organic (unpaid) traffic to a website.
STEP 1 - Black Hat SEO and White Hat SEO
Before you start doing on-page SEO, you have to first learn about the two main categories of SEO - Black Hat and White Hat SEO
Black Hat SEO - Also known as spamdexing, this type of SEO is what you should avoid doing. Black Hat SEO are techniques that are not approved by search engines and could even get your site penalized. Some black hat SEO practices include keyword stuffing, using mirror websites, and generally anything that involves deception and is prohibited by search engines.
White Hat SEO - These techniques, meanwhile, are approved by search engines and should be the one you follow. White Hat SEO is what will legitimately increase your SEO ranking. Some techniques of White Hat SEO includes high-quality, relevant content and anything that follows search engine guidelines.
STEP 2 - Optimized Website Layout
Next, you should ensure that your site’s navigation is user-friendly and its loading speed is fast. It’s important that search engines can easily access your site’s content to index it. Furthermore, if your site is easy to navigate, fast, and is mobile-optimized, the more likely people want to spend time on it. Here are some things you could do:
Optimize your page for mobile use
Create more text content and fewer HTML elements
Avoid using frames and too many ads with JavaScript
Avoid unnecessary directories and try to keep your files as rooted as possible
Avoid fancy things like animated GIFs, Flash, Rollovers unless it’s essential
STEP 3 - Text Optimization
Now you are ready to begin some on-page SEO techniques. Assuming you’ve done the proper keyword research, it’s time to start the process of getting your pages ranked on search engines. When writing content, it’s important that you do not stuff your keyword everywhere. Rather, let them flow naturally. Search engine algorithms now rank “spammy” content lower on page results. Here are a few places you can put your keyword in:
Page URL
Title Tags (66 characters or less)
Meta Description
Meta Tags (166 characters or less)
Headers
Content/Text Body
Alt Tags
Comment Tags
Additional Tips
On-Page SEO isn’t just all about keyword and site optimization. It’s not easy and will require time and effort on your part. However, if done right, you will surely see results in traffic and can even turn into leads or actual sales. In order for it to truly work, you need to create content that people can actually use. Here are a few additional tips to consider:
Proofread Your Content. If you want search engines and readers to find your site credible, then your content shouldn’t contain any grammatical or spelling mistakes.
Use Social Media. Consider adding social media buttons to your site. This can make it easier for readers to share your content on social media, which can help your SEO ranking.
Blog. Blogging is one of the best ways to keep your site relevant by creating content that is optimized for search engines and on-page SEO. It is also an excellent way to build valuable links.
Other related content by SEO Moz: https://moz.com/blog/category/on-page-seo
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