If you plan to run a business on the Internet, you will have to familiarize yourself with the concept of search engine optimization (SEO). By adapting your web pages to the current algorithms of these services, you increase the likelihood that they will reach the top positions for certain user requests. And the biggest role in this work is played by on-page SEO, that is the internal optimization of your resource.
Let’s figure out what it consists of and what role each of its elements plays in the overall process.
Website Optimization: Structure and Navigation
Before we start delving into the topic, it is worth noting that modern search engine algorithms provide a comprehensive assessment of web resources. When compiling their rankings, they take into account not only the relevance of the content to specific queries but also the user experience (UX). Website structure is very important for on-page SEO because it is closely related to both ranking factors.
What Exactly Is The Importance Of A Well-Organized Structure For Website Optimization?
The main rule of modern search engine optimization is to work for people, not machines. First of all, the structure of your website is important for your users. Studies show that a confusing structure reduces the likelihood of performing a targeted action in 73% of cases and makes about 40% of visitors immediately close the current browser tab.
But the structure of the site is also important for search engine crawlers, who use it as a kind of map for indexing the resource. If it is too complicated and confusing, certain sections will not be processed by crawlers, which means that they will not appear in search results and will not attract the attention of potential visitors.
The current approach to on-page SEO emphasizes a flat website structure. This means that the main page should provide access to as many sections as possible. The vast majority of them should appear on the screen after 2-3 clicks. This simplifies navigation for both an average user and a search engine crawler.
To succeed in website optimization, you should pay attention to the following tips for its structure:
Group pages by content. For example, highlight the “Technology,” “Discussion,” and “News” sections in your blog.
Create a hierarchy of these groups based on simple logic. For example, the main page — cars — used cars.
Highlight the most important pages — those that encourage the user to perform the target action.
In fact, it is very difficult to assess the structure of a website based on a visual inspection alone. To conduct a technical audit and identify problems, you should choose an appropriate automated tool. Comparing services on the Top 10 SEO Software website will help you find the best option in terms of functionality and budget.
Website Navigation And User Experience
Make sure that the visitor can open all the pages by clicking on the links — from the main to the last hierarchy level. In no case should you leave “islands” — sections separated from the main part of the resource. If there are no links to them, they will not be accessible to the user and will not be indexed by search crawlers.
To succeed in on-page SEO, you should also create a user-friendly navigation system. It should provide information about where the user is now and how to open the required section. The following elements are used for this purpose:
A drop-down menu. It is accessible from any page and displays the site structure in a simple format. It is usually hidden under the “burger” icon — three horizontal lines.
Breadcrumbs. A separate line that contains the name of the current page and the previous elements of the hierarchy with active links. It allows you to understand at a glance where you are now and go back in one click.
Website Content Optimization
Content is the central element of on-page SEO and your marketing strategy, without which all other tools are ineffective. It is content that requires maximum attention because it performs the largest number of tasks: helps search crawlers categorize information, attracts and retains users’ attention, encourages them to perform a targeted action, and motivates them to give positive feedback.
Keyword Research And Targeting
Although search engines are trying to imitate the behavior of a living person using artificial intelligence technologies, they still rely heavily on keywords. The essence of this mechanism is quite simple: if your website contains the same phrases as the search query, your page will be displayed in the rankings higher. A full match is considered a significant advantage, although similar and related phrases are also taken into account.
But it is important to know that blindly saturating your site with keywords can have the opposite effect. If there are too many of them, they are used unnaturally, or they do not correspond to the general subject of the resource, the search engine will penalize you. This means a significant decrease in the site’s ranking or even exclusion from indexing. The latter measure is used rarely, but you shouldn’t forget about it either.
To achieve effective on-page SEO, you should follow certain recommendations:
Search for keywords using specialized services — both paid tools and free web applications are available to you.
Use keywords naturally — the way you would use them in your everyday speech, trying to convince your interlocutor.
Use a balanced mix of short, medium, and long keyword phrases. The longer the “tail” of the main word, the smaller your audience, but the higher the likelihood of getting into the list of leaders.
Keep a moderate keyword density. The optimal frequency of their use is from 0.5 to 5%, depending on the topic and other factors.
Repeat keyword research and content optimization periodically. Trends are changing, and you have to follow them non-stop.
Creation Of High-Quality Content
To become a leader, it’s not enough to just fill your website with keywords based on quantitative parameters. Your content should provide the user with useful, truthful, accurate, and comprehensive information in response to their search query. Therefore, in on-page SEO, you need to focus on the EEAT formula created by Google. It means that the textual information on the website should be:
Based on real experience. Preference is given to articles that describe the author’s actions when using a particular product or service.
Expert. The text should fully cover the topic — be based on research and refer to sources.
Authoritative. The author’s reputation is of great importance, so it is advisable to indicate their name and profile on social networks.
Reliable. References to scientific sources, calculations, and evidence are needed to confirm certain facts.
Currently, the EEAT formula is not included in the technical criteria for ranking websites. However, its influence is growing with each update of search algorithms, so it is very important for optimizing content with regard to the future.
Working With Essential SEO Elements
Not all keywords can be seen on the page. In on-page SEO, they are often used in headings, subheadings, alternative image descriptions, and other text structuring elements. But in addition to the use of keywords, you must follow certain rules:
Make headings attractive to the user but not clickbait;
Write subheadings in such a way that they accurately and fully describe the text below them;
Be sure to add bulleted or numbered lists, tables, and infographics to draw attention to key messages;
Make short descriptions of images that accurately convey their content. Do not include commercial words like “buy,” “order,” or “subscribe.”
Unlike the previous recommendations for on-page SEO, these are aimed specifically at search crawlers. They help to optimize content from a technical point of view, making it more visible.
Title and Description Meta Tags
These are invisible elements that are written in the HTML code of the page. They, or rather their presence, are of great importance for on-page SEO. If you forget to write meta tags, the visibility of your site in search engines will decrease significantly, and the link to it will be less attractive to the user.
The Importance of Title Tags and Meta Description
To understand why they are so important, you should take a look at Google search results. The description of each result consists of two key elements. The first is a short line with comprehensive information about the site. Most often, it includes the Title meta tag.
Below it, you can see more detailed text — two lines that usually contain 2-3 sentences. They make it clear what exactly you will see if you follow the link. The Description tag is used to fill in this element.
It is clear that these meta tags will affect the clickability of the link, i.e. the likelihood of visiting your site. Therefore, they should never be ignored. If you leave the corresponding fields empty, at best, the search engine will pull out a certain line from your text, and at worst, it will leave the description blank.
Best Practices For Creating Effective Title And Description
Create interesting but not clickbait descriptions.
Keep your promises — provide true information about your site.
Be guided by the recommended length of Title and Description meta tags — 50-60 characters with spaces in the first case, and 130-160 in the second.
Be sure to include the main keyword phrase in both tags.
Add a call to action in the Description — motivate the user to go to the site without much hesitation.
Internal Linking
We have already mentioned above that all pages of your website should be linked to each other. But it’s not enough to just put all the pieces of the puzzle together to achieve effective on-page SEO. Let’s figure out how to build a website navigation strategy correctly.
The Importance Of Internal Linking For SEO
Like most other optimization tools, they are important for both user experience and search engines. In the first case, we are talking about the convenience of web surfing. The simpler and more pleasant the process of finding the required section, the more likely it is that the target action will be performed. In the second case, we are talking about providing access to all pages of the resource for its full indexing.
Strategy For Building Internal Linking
Each page should have links for end-to-end navigation. They are usually grouped in the header, footer, and menu.
In addition to them, the internal linking structure includes contextual links. They are used in the text where appropriate, organically directing visitors to other sections of the site.
The optimal number of contextual links is 3-4 per page or one for every 300-400 words.
Ideally, each page should have two links from different sections of the resource — this will provide convenient access for visitors and search crawlers.
In on-page SEO, there is a simple rule for building an internal linking structure. If the link is useful for the visitor, add it, but if it is used only for technical reasons, it is better to refuse it.
User Experience Optimization
You should know that search engines evaluate not only the content of a website but also its usability. Initially, they used simple metrics, such as the duration of the page view, the depth of the website examination, the number of bounces, etc.
However, the development of artificial intelligence has led to the fact that these services have learned to imitate the behavior of a living person. Now, they can independently evaluate the usability of a website and use their findings in the ranking process.
Why Is User Experience Optimization Important For SEO?
Surprisingly, quantitative indicators are the best way to tell about the quality of web resources:
53% of users close a browser tab if the page takes longer than 3 seconds to load, and 87% do the same if it takes more than 5 seconds.
63% of people make a conclusion about the reliability of a company based on the interface of its website, and 34% refuse to perform a targeted action if they do not like the design of the main page.
50% of visitors choose a competitor when they see that the site is temporarily unavailable, and about 40% close the page when a 404 error appears.
It’s as simple as that — user experience optimization increases the credibility of your website, and through it, improves the reputation of your business. Besides, it gives search engines a signal that you are ready to play by their rules and monitor the technical basis of your web resource.
The Most Popular User Experience Optimization Techniques
Take care of website accessibility. This is the first thing you should do as part of on-page SEO. If your hosting cannot offer at least 99% reliability, consider migrating to another service.
Optimize web page loading time. Disable unnecessary plugins, choose a content delivery system, enable caching for browsers, remove useless code fragments, switch to asynchronous scripts.
Check the structure of each page. It should have only one H1 heading and several H2 subheadings. If you publish a large amount of content, it is better to use a complex hierarchy with subheadings up to the H6 level.
Use responsive design. Your website should adapt to the parameters of any device, regardless of the diagonal and resolution of its screen.
Take care of easy navigation. All buttons and links should be visible to the visitor. Add alternative descriptions for them so that users can find the sections they need even if the images do not load for some reason.
Conclusions: Maximize Optimization Results With On-Page SEO Best Practices
So, on-page SEO matters for your website and your business from two perspectives. Internal optimization improves the visibility of a web resource in search engines and makes its pages more user-friendly. All this allows you to increase the volume of organic traffic and raise the conversion rate, i.e. the likelihood of performing the targeted action.
To increase the effectiveness of your website, we recommend paying special attention to content optimization and user experience. However, you shouldn’t forget about such important on-page SEO elements as meta tags, resource structure, and internal linking.
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