Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the most effective long-term strategy for driving traffic to your website and turning visitors into customers. It’s the practice of improving your website to increase the number of visitors through organic search engine results. Reaching Google’s top spot places a business at a massive competitive advantage, with a 39.8% click-through rate (CTR).
Yet SEO strategies fall into a couple of distinct categories: on-page and off-page. On-page SEO covers everything you can do on your site itself while off-page SEO covers all the external measures including backlinks, social media and public relations. Far from opposites, on-page and off-page SEO have a synergistic relationship with some crossover between SEO strategies. However, as a marketer, you definitely have more immediate control over your on-page SEO factors.
As a full-service creative marketing agency, Anchor has years of experience using both on-page and off-page SEO to improve results for our clients. Here’s our guide to how to improve your on-page SEO so you can please your potential customers and, by extension, the search engines.
The Elements of On-Page SEO
The most common on-page SEO factors that make a strategy successful include:
Keywords
Choosing the right keywords and topics is the first step to ensuring that your content aligns with your SEO goals. Keyword research involves finding and analysing the terms people enter into search engines and using that data for SEO and marketing purposes. Keywords are used throughout your content to address users’ inquiries and indicate to search engine bots what the page is about.
Visual content
Visual assets like images, charts and graphics make a page more interesting to look at, make content easier to scan and digest and help drive traffic from image search results.
Titles
Your website’s page title (or “title tag”) is an important SEO element that tells both web users and bots what’s on your site. Make sure you incorporate your most important keyword into the title and make it as natural as possible.
Headers
Also known as body tags, headers give your content a logical flow and structure, making it easier for web users and search engines to navigate. Headers break up your page and separate the information into categories so that it’s easier to understand and provide vital context for keywords.
Meta descriptions
Meta descriptions are the brief descriptions that appear under the title in search results. Their purpose is to provide a brief summary, 160 characters or less, of what a page is about. While they’re not a ranking factor for SEO, their presence often plays a big part in whether or not a page gets clicked on.
Image alt-text
Providing alt-text for your website’s images tells Google what they’re about, which is important as Google now delivers twice as many image-based results as text-based ones.
URLs
A URL is the address of a specific website or file, and it’s what users type in their browser to access your resource. To optimise a URL, use the HTTPS protocol, logically organise your site’s subfolders, and ensure your keyword is in the URL.
Internal links
Internal links are links to other pages on your own website. They come in handy for showing search engines your site is a valuable resource by guiding readers to spend more time there.
Mobile responsiveness
Mobile-friendly content performs better than content that isn’t optimised for mobile, and the statistics bear that out. The web hosting service, the site design, and the theme should all be easy to read and navigate on mobile devices.
Site speed
You’ve probably heard the statistic that most web users will bounce from your site if it takes more than three seconds to load. One thing’s for sure: if your site is slow, users won’t stick around, which takes its toll on your conversions and return on investment (ROI). There are several ways to optimise your website speed, from optimising your images to evaluating your current hosting provider.
How to Improve Your On-Page SEO
With the right kind of SEO strategies, you can improve your rankings, your conversions and the reputation of your brand. If you’re wondering how to improve on-page SEO, here are the most effective techniques.
Write helpful original content
Unique, original content that prioritises users’ search intent is a ranking factor. Google’s August 2024 core update was designed to prioritise genuinely useful, well-written content while cracking down on spam. Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) is the framework that Google uses in its Quality Rater Guidelines. Creating content that lives up to Google’s people-first principles leads to increased brand authority and ranking rewards.
Use targeted keywords strategically
Both readers and search engines will scan your content to get a clear overview of each page's content. Strategically including keywords in your heading, first paragraph, and subheaders will give Google context and help users see immediately if the context matches their search intent.
Optimise your title tags and meta descriptions
Title tags are brief pieces of HTML code that specify a webpage’s title and are displayed as part of the search snippet. Meta descriptions are brief summaries of the page that show up under the search results. Title tags should be short and unique and include your target keyword, while meta descriptions need to be a concise, clear summary of the page to help users understand the page while also using compelling language to encourage clicks.
Use headings and subheadings
Headings and subheadings allow both users and Google to scan your site and understand the layout of information. Keywords and keyword variations within in headings and subheadings provide additional information about what the page is about.
Optimise URLS
Use brief but descriptive URLs that describe your content and include your main keyword.
Add internal links
Internal links make it easier for users to navigate your website and find the information they need. They also signal the relevance of the linked page to Google.
How to Measure the Results of On-Page SEO
No matter how much content you create or how many elements you optimise, you simply won’t get the most out of your strategy unless you track your results.
Programs like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and SEMrush make it easy to view and track queries, as well as on-page experience, rankings, search engine clicks, and more.
SEO isn’t a “set and forget” strategy; continuous monitoring and adjustments are required to maximise your return on investment. Adjusting your strategy involves examining the areas in which you fall short. For example, a low conversion or click-through rate can be a sign that you need to revisit your meta descriptions or title tags. Many SEO tools will offer suggestions on where you can make improvements. But if you still need a helping hand, Anchor has the skills and tools to take your SEO strategy to the next level.
Improve Your On-Page SEO with Anchor Digital
Anchor Digital can transform your business and help you achieve consistent results with our SEO marketing services. Using best-practice SEO aligned with your brand identity and your story, we’ll help you answer the questions your potential customers are asking. We provide content written for humans instead of just being designed to please bots and focused, intentional A/B testing to ensure your strategy consistently remains as strong as possible.
The most effective SEO strategies can change as the industry evolves, and Anchor keeps up to speed with the changes and adapts when necessary. If you need to build a marketing strategy from the ground up, we focus on the right tools and techniques to build a brand that aligns with your values and the story you want to tell the world. We’ll help you get clear on your goals and your target audience so you know exactly what you want and who to reach, with an approach backed by data and research.
For help with your on-page SEO factors that help you move up the search engine rankings, contact the Anchor team.
