Of the more than 200 SEO ranking factors, many of the most important ones involve on-page optimization. And how you optimize your website will dramatically affect your search engine visibility. When combined with keyword research, technical SEO, and outline markup, quality content writing can greatly improve on-page SEO. If you’re looking to improve your business’s search engine placement, it’s worth examining why on-page factors are important and how you can optimize them for the best results.
Why on-page SEO is essential for a business website
On-page SEO helps search engines understand the content of a website, allowing Google, Bing and other search engines to accurately display pages for the most relevant searches. Optimizing each page will also provide users with relevant, high-quality information and a positive user experience.
Of course, off-site factors like backlinks, directory citations, and social signals are also integral to SEO. However, what happens on your website is completely under your control, allowing you to build a solid foundation on fast load times, easy navigation, and informative content.
How to apply on-page SEO techniques for optimal results
As we discussed in a recent post on why technical SEO is a must, website backend functions are critical to SEO. Today we’re focusing on the visible factors of on-page optimization, from content to anchor text and more.
1. Content writing
Before writing any content, consider user intent. Is the searcher looking for information or buying a product or service? Knowing the answer allows you to create user-tailored content, integrating primary and secondary keywords without compromising readability.
2. Headings
H1, H2, and H3 tags with embedded keywords help search engines categorize page content. This approach also makes the content more digestible for the reader, typically increasing engagement and reducing the bounce rate.
At Rocks Digital, we tell those new to writing to think about an essay they would write in high school.
The title of the page would be the title of the essay. The H1 can be the same as the title or similar.
H2s would be topics that the writer plans to cover within the essay paragraphs. They must support the title and H1.
H3s would fall under the respective H2 and support the H2 above. Note that you won’t always have H3 on a page.
You will always have one degree, just one H1, and we recommend at least two H2s. We prefer three H2 if possible.
3. Formatting
Good formatting will directly influence whether users stay on your page or click the back button. Taking a few extra minutes to work on formatting goes a long way to improving the on-page experience.
Best practices include using short paragraphs, adding bullet points, using numbered lists when it makes sense, and leaving plenty of white space for easy browsing.
Using these elements (and/or questions and answers) will also improve the likelihood of getting a featured snippet in search results.
4. Pillar pages
Pillar pages are complete pieces of content built around a broad theme. For business websites, these pages will likely be about the main services in the industry.
Subsequent blog posts and additional pages can link to the pillar page, helping to increase your authority and search engine visibility.
Both creating supporting content on the website and creating content off the website using off-page SEO are essential.
5. Anchor text
Anchor text is an important ranking signal because it helps search engines and users understand the content of a page.
Professional SEO services perform keyword research and create a site hierarchy, so internal links with natural descriptive anchor text can pass authority and relevance throughout the website.
At Rocks Digital we always try to include keywords in our anchor text links. If you review the text of the links above, you will see that they are all related to SEO, and at least one will be related to the main topic through on-page SEO.
On-Page SEO Specialists for Local Businesses
If you want to improve your search engine visibility and increase website traffic, talk to the SEO team at Rocks Digital. We offer comprehensive content writing, SEO strategy, on-page SEO services and more. Call (214) 989-7549 or request an SEO assessment today.
Lissa Duty
Lissa Duty is a social media coach, author, speaker and trainer. 20 years of experience in marketing, administration and management working to grow your business.
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