We’ve covered the basics of how on-page SEO works; now let’s get into the nitty-gritty. Use these strategies to up your on-page SEO game.
1. Optimize keywords effectively
Keywords are what users search for in search engines. By using keywords in your content, Google will know for sure what your piece is about, making it more likely that your page will appear higher in results for those terms.
But you can’t stuff keywords into every sentence and call it a day. Google looks for content that is natural and well written. Place your keywords naturally in targeted areas, including headers, intro, and meta data.
2. Use metadata to your advantage
Speaking of metadata, it’s another way to make it clear to Google what your page is about. Metadata includes both the meta title, the title that Google displays in the SERPs, and the meta description, the small piece of information that Google displays under the meta title of a SERP.
Google typically cuts off meta titles longer than 60 characters, so keep yours below that limit. The same goes for meta descriptions: 160 characters is a good limit. When writing them, keep your voice active and engaging to engage readers. Also, don’t forget to include alt tags for your images: snippets of text that explain what the image is to search engines.
3. Structure your page with a clear hierarchy
Google usually scans your page for relevant information, and this is much easier to do when you have your page organized with clear headers. Start with an H1 for the page title, then move to H2 and H3 as needed to structure the information. Readers will also appreciate it as it helps them easily locate the information they are looking for.
4. Create URLs that are easy to understand
Remember how Google wants your page to be trusted? Having a URL that clearly describes the page can help a lot with this.
By default, some content management systems publish new pages with dates and folder names embedded in the URL. This isn’t very helpful to users as it doesn’t tell them what the page is about. Instead, consider renaming your slug with a long-tail keyword phrase.
5. Maximize internal and external linking
We mentioned how Google tries to understand the structure of a page, but it also wants to know the structure of a site. Using a good amount of internal links (links to other pages on your site) gives Google a better idea of how everything is connected. Also, to Google, pages with more links pointing to them look more valuable.
Google also looks for authoritative content, and you can prove that what you’ve written is worth it by linking to authoritative external links—links to pages outside of your site. For example, linking to a government website can increase your site’s credibility.
6. Add bylines to your content
Search engines want to make sure that the content is coming from someone with experience and knowledge. Providing bylines for your content is one way to demonstrate this, especially if you have content written by industry experts.
To further increase your author credibility, include author bios that explain their background and experience, as well as an “About Us” page detailing your business experience.
[ad_2]
Source link
