Before knowing about On-Page SEO checklists, you need to understand on-page SEO. On-Page SEO is an ongoing process of optimizing every webpage of your website to get a high ranking in SERP and potential traffic. It is also known as on-site SEO. In addition to publishing relevant, high-quality content, on-page SEO includes optimizing your headlines, HTML tags (title, meta, and header), and images. It’s one of the essential factors to rank your website. Correct use of On-Page SEO checklist gives a website Authority. On-page SEO is something we have 100% control over. Unlike off-page SEO, you’ve full control over it, so it’s advisable to hit hard on this for better results. Moreover, knowing on-page SEO is one of the must-have marketing skills these days. On-page SEO is important because it helps search engines to analyze your website and its content and identify its relevance to a searcher’s query.
Wondering about what to optimize first? Follow our On-Page SEO checklist:-
1. keyword Research
Firstly, do your keyword research. You can only do these steps if you know your target keyword. Some tips are given below:-
- Target one primary keyword or keyword theme per page. For example, this post targets the keywords “on-page SEO” as well as “page seo checklist” and “what is on-page SEO” because if I wrote separate posts on each keyword, they’d compete against one another in the SERP.
- Always use long-tail keywords.
- Use keyword research tools with high volume search and low competition to find keywords.
2. Content Quality
One of the essential on-page SEO steps you should take is to create high-quality content that matches your readers’ search intent.
- Trustworthy: information that you provide is accurate
- Useful information: provides the information a user is seeking when they search.
- Readable content: information is organized, scannable via headers, reads as a human wrote it, and images, bullets, call-out quotes, and other visual elements split text.
- Length: if you optimize a blog post, for a blog post using at least 1500 words.
3. Keyword placement
If you’re already writing quality content then, the keyword and related LSI keywords will naturally occur in the text’s body.There are some places where you place your focus keywords. These include:
- Page title: This is the page’s title as it appears on the page.
- Title tag: The title tag is the page’s title shown on SERP.
- Headings: ideally in at least two H2s on the page.
- Meta description: This is the summary of your page, which appears on the SERP.
- Image alt text: The text alternative to an image.
4.Title
The title tag is a prominent factor in SEO. A title tag tells about your content. If you have written a monotonous title, users will not take an interest in reading your post even if you have written great content. So try to add an eye-catchy title that can attract users. Some tips to make the title effective gives below:-
- The title tag shows the content of your page. So, keep higher relevance with content.
- Include primary keywords in the title tag naturally. Pages rank very well if a keyword is used accurately in the title.
- Include a keyword at the beginning of the title instead of using it in the middle or end.
- Avoid keyword cannibalization.
- Include the brand name in the title.
- The title tag contains only 60-65 characters (588 pixels).
5. Meta description
Meta Description is like an ad copy from Google that is free. In the Meta description, you can add your content up to 150 characters(920 pixels). Google is giving you a chance to promote your content.
- Take benefits of 150 characters and utilize them by providing information such as a call of action, brand name, and brief details about your service or business. Don’t forget to add your target secondary keyword in the meta description.
6. Headings
Heading tags are an essential part of your content as they tell the spider about the different parts of your content. Heading tags are from h1-h6. It should include only one h1 tag on your webpage or post that must contain a target keyword. For subheadings of main content, H2 tags are usually a good choice.
If you are using WordPress, there is no need to add specifically an H1 tag for your post or page. WordPress automatically gives a title with the h1 tag.
It will not only make your on-site score better but also increase the readability of your content.
7. URL
When talking about On-Page SEO, URL plays a vital role in it. Make sure your URL is SEO-friendly. The Optimization of the URL must contain the following steps-
- Use keywords or keyword phrases in the URL naturally.
- Make the URL short and precise.
- Avoid ugly URLs that are self-generated.
- Include keywords in your URL.
- Use hyphens to separate the words instead of the underscore.
- Avoid the use of ‘a’, ‘an’, ‘to’, and ‘in’
8. Images
Can images also impact your SEO? Some of the image optimization checklists are given below:
- Optimize for speed: Resize your images, so their width doesn’t exceed the maximum width of the page and compress them to reduce file size without sacrificing quality.
- Alt text: This is the alternative text to an image so,It’s how you tell Google what your image is about and should contain the keyword you’re targeting.
- Convey value: Use images to clear the concepts on your pages like graphs, screenshots, and even your illustrations, not empty graphics.
