On-site SEO (also known as on-page SEO) is the process of
optimizing components on a website (as opposed to connections from other
websites and other external signals, which are collectively referred to as
"off-site SEO") in order to rank better and receive more relevant
traffic from search engines. On-site SEO refers to optimizing a page's content
as well as its HTML source code.
When it comes to ranking your website, on-site and off-site
SEO are two of the most important factors to consider.
On-site SEO not only aids search engines in interpreting
page content, but it also aids users in quickly and clearly understanding what
a page is about and whether it answers their search query. In short, excellent
on-site SEO helps search engines comprehend what a human visitor would see (and
get) if they visited a page, so that search engines can dependably serve up
what human visitors would consider high-quality information about a specific
search query (keyword).
On-site SEO's ultimate goal can be viewed of as making it as
simple as possible for both search engines and users to:
- Know what a webpage is about; - Recognize that page as
relevant to a search query or queries (i.e. a specific phrase or group of
keywords); - Consider that page helpful and worthy of ranking high on a search
engine results page (SERP).
On-site SEO, keywords, and content
On-site SEO was previously associated with keyword use ”
particularly, incorporating a high-value term in numerous important areas on a
website.
To understand why keywords are no longer at the center of
on-site SEO, consider what those phrases are: content themes. Historically,
whether or not a page ranked for a specific term was dependent on employing the
proper keywords in the right places on a website in order for search engines to
identify and comprehend what that webpage's content was about. User experience
was secondary; at the heart of on-site SEO tactics was ensuring that search
engines detected keywords and ranked a site as relevant for those terms.
Search engines, on the other hand, have become immensely
more intelligent in recent years. They can deduce the meaning of a page based
on the usage of synonyms, the context in which content appears, or simply by
observing the frequency with which specific word combinations are mentioned.
While keyword use is still important, prescriptive tactics such as employing an
exact-match keyword in specified spots a certain number of times are no longer
on-page SEO tenants. What matters is relevancy. Consider how relevant the
content on each of your pages is to the user intent driving search queries
(based on your keyword usage both on the page and in its HTML).
On-site SEO is thus less about keyword repetition or
placement and more about understanding who your consumers are, what they're
searching for, and what themes (keywords) can you develop content that best
fits that demand. Pages that match these requirements contain content that is:
In-depth. "Thin" content was one of Google Panda's
stated objectives; today, it's almost accepted that material must be
sufficiently detailed in order to rank well.
User-friendly. Is the content understandable? Is your
website organized in a way that makes it easy to navigate? Is it typically
clean, or is it filled with advertisements and affiliate links?
Unique. Content replicated from elsewhere on your site (or
elsewhere on the Internet) may have an influence on a site's ability to rank on
SERPs if not treated properly.
Trustworthy and authoritative. Does your content stand alone
as a reputable source of knowledge on a specific topic?
In line with the user's search aim. Delivering on searcher
expectations is an important part of generating and optimizing for quality
content. The content subjects should be related to the search queries for which
they rank.
Non-keyword-related on-site content SEO
Aside from the keywords (themes) used in webpage content and
how they are discussed, there are other "keyword-agnostic" elements
that can influence a page's on-site optimization.
These include the following:
- Page link usage: How many connections are there? Is it
internal or external? Where are they pointing?
- Page load time
- Use of structured data from Schema.org or other markup
- Structure of page URLs
- Mobile compatibility
- Metadata for pages
All of these factors are related to the same basic concept:
providing a positive user experience. The more useable a page is (both
technically and non-technically), the better its on-site optimization.
How does one go about optimizing a page?
To fully optimize a page on your website, you
must make both text and HTML adjustments. More information on the on-site
aspects that contribute to ranking may be found in this post, as well as tips
on how to optimize your own website pages.