Your Ultimate On-Page SEO Checklist for Higher Rankings

Are you starting on the journey to optimize on-page SEO? Do not look any further! This brief on-page SEO checklist is essential for increasing your website’s visibility and accessibility. Now is the moment to simplify your strategy and dominate the search engine rankings. Let’s get started and make your pages perform well in SEO!

What Is On-Page SEO?

On-page SEO, also known as on-site SEO, optimizes your website’s front-end and back-end components to rank in search engines and generate new traffic. On-page SEO components include text, site architecture, and HTML elements.

Google’s algorithm ranks your website according to three primary factors: on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO:

• On-page SEO refers to the page elements that search engines use to crawl and index a page.
• Off-page SEO encompasses social sharing, external linking, and other tactics.
• Technical SEO encompasses all factors not covered by on-page and off-page strategies, such as structured data, site speed, and mobile readiness—the more technical aspects of SEO.

Why On-Page SEO Is Important?

On-page SEO is not just important; it’s vital. It’s the key to informing Google about your website’s value to users and consumers. It makes your site visible and attractive to human visitors and search engine bots. Building a website is not enough; you must optimize it for Google and other search engines to rank and attract new visitors.

The term ‘on-page’ refers to the fact that the changes you make to optimize your website are visible to visitors on your page. Every aspect of on-page SEO is in your hands, so getting it right is crucial. Now, let’s delve into the components of on-page SEO.

Full On-Page SEO Checklist 2024: What You Need To Know

1. Ensure your keyword is in your URL

Add your target term to the URL so that users and search engines know the information on the page.

Assume you own a hot yoga studio called ADYoga. You have a website that features videos of your classes. The keyword for this page is “hot yoga online classes”; hence, you should include it in your URL. This webpage’s URL may be like: www.ADyoga.com/hot-yoga-online-classes.Here are some recommendations for writing SEO-friendly URLs:

• Remove any extraneous words.
• Use one or two keywords.

If possible, use HTTPS, which Google now considers a favorable ranking feature.

2. Optimize your page title

Create a descriptive title that uses your target keyword and appropriately explains the page’s content. Here are some best practices when creating a page title:

• Keep it under 60 characters (per Google’s change) to ensure your titles display correctly. Although Google does not specify a character restriction, its display titles can be up to 600 pixels long. Keeping titles to 60 characters or less guarantees they are not cut off in search results.
• Do not load the title with keywords.
• Don’t use all capitals.
• Include your brand in the title, for example, “The Ultimate Guide to On-Page SEO in 2022—HubSpot Blog.”

3. Include headers

Use header tags to organize your material to make it easier to browse and search. Make sure to naturally incorporate relevant keywords into your headers, but choose ones that differ from those in your page title. Include the most significant keywords in your on-page SEO checklist in your <h1> and <h2> headers.

4. Include keywords in the body copy

In addition to your URL, title, and headers, you should include your keyword across your web page(s). Sprinkle your keyword throughout your material, wherever it fits naturally. While keywords are beneficial and crucial for SEO, it is critical to avoid keyword stuffing.

This occurs when you overuse keywords or key phrases in your material to influence search engine rankings. Keyword stuffing can negatively impact the SEO of your website and pages.

Keyword-stuffing not only creates a spammy and tacky reading experience, but modern search engines are sharper than ever – they are expressly intended to detect (and penalize!) content unnaturally loaded with keywords.

5. Add photos, graphics, and other visuals

Include engaging and relevant graphics in your material to break up massive blocks of text and make it more visually attractive. Visuals can also contribute to prospective picture search traffic.

To optimize photos for on-page SEO, ensure they are correctly compressed for faster loading times, have descriptive filenames, and include useful alt tags. This improves both the user experience and the visibility of your web pages in search engine results.

6. Create a meta description

Create a captivating meta description summarizing the page’s content and encouraging users to click through from search results. Here’s what makes for an excellent on-page SEO checklist:

• Keep it within 160 characters, though Google has been known to accept longer meta descriptions.
• Include the whole keyword or keyword phrase.
• Use a comprehensive and convincing statement (or two).
• Avoid alphanumeric characters such as —, &, and +.

7. Use alt-text to improve the appearance of images

We previously discussed image alt text. You should use this method to optimize your visual material, and remember to add your keyword in the image alt text. It will improve the page’s SEO and increase its chances of ranking in picture searches.

When adding alt-text to images, bear the following in mind:

• Make it descriptive and specific.
• Make it contextually relevant to the overall page content.
• Keep it to less than 125 characters.
• Use keywords sparingly, and avoid keyword stuffing.

8. Include internal links

By including internal links in your content, search engines can better identify and comprehend the relationships between different pages on your website. To include internal links in your article, you should:

• Identify the appropriate anchor text. Determine the anchor text (clickable text) you want for the internal link. The anchor text should be descriptive and relevant to the page content you are connecting to.
• Determine the target page. Determine which precise page on your website you wish to link to. Select a contextually relevant page that offers more value or information about the current content.
• Place links strategically on the page. Aim for a manageable quantity of links on every page, ensuring they are contextually appropriate and add value to the user experience. Avoid excessive linking, as it may be perceived as spam.”

9. Provide external links

Adding external links throughout your page may seem paradoxical, given we discussed why internal linking is vital for on-page SEO.

External links are also crucial. Google will recognize your page as reliable and trustworthy if you externally link to credible and trustworthy sites. Google wants to know that your site is well-referenced, as do your users.

Top 10 On-Page SEO Tips For Beginners

1. Use keywords in specific places

While keywords are not the only way to improve on-page SEO, they should be used wisely in blog posts and pages. The target term should be in the page’s meta description, the first 100 words, an H2, and anywhere else it makes sense within your content.

Keywords should not be repeated only to rank higher. Visitors will realize you’re just trying to get that desired first spot on the SERP.

2. Put the title in an H1 tag

The H1 tag, the title of a page or blog post, is the content that will be most prominent on the page. When creating a new page or post, check the HTML to confirm that the title is encased in the H1 tag. Titles should look like this: <H1>How to Improve On-Page SEO</H1>.

Most content management systems, including WordPress, will automatically add the H1 tags. However, including the target term in the H1 is critical for optimum optimization.

3. Emphasize mobile responsiveness

Mobile devices are predominantly utilized to access websites, and users are five times more likely to leave a page that is not mobile-friendly. Google has followed suit, rating mobile-friendly websites higher in search engine results pages.

Your website should be mobile-friendly, with clear text and photos. It should not contain Flash or slow-loading elements, forms should have autocorrect enabled, images and CSS must be compressed, and buttons should be large enough to view and push.

4. Increase page speed

People do not stay on slow websites; 40% will quit a site that takes more than three seconds to load. Google realized this and made page performance on desktops a major component in SERP ranking.

Since 2010, this has influenced desktop search, and in July 2018, it became a ranking component for mobile search as well. If digital marketers want to rank in the top spots, they must improve the speed of their web pages on mobile and desktop devices.

Check your website’s speed using PageSpeed Insights. Google will advise improving speed by delaying unnecessary CSS, appropriately scaling pictures, and removing render-blocking resources.

5. Include the target keyword in the images

You may not believe that on-page SEO strategies involve photos, but even images’ file names contribute to a page’s rating. The target keyword should be included in the image’s file name and alt text, which describes the image using HTML.

For example, marketers writing about content marketing strategy might name an image content-marketing-strategy.jpg and use the alt text “create a content marketing strategy.”

6. Insert outbound links

Outbound links to relevant and high-authority websites show Google that a page is credible and authoritative. The inverse is true: if a website links to many low-ranking pages constructed merely for hits rather than to assist searchers, that website may be penalized.

When composing blog entries, provide links to high-quality websites to give your viewers more information. To determine whether a page is of excellent quality, use MozBar to assess its page and domain authority.

7. Fix broken links

Dead links frustrate visitors and result in a worse rating. Improving on-page SEO entails cleaning up all links on pages and blogs. A broken link checker, such as BrokenLinkCheck.com, is a simple tool for identifying broken links. It’s a free program that allows users to enter their website address and then displays broken links and URLs.

8. Use brief and descriptive URLs

When uploading blog entries or creating new pages, change the URLs. These URLs should be concise and accurately convey the content of the blog post or web page.

For example, if Coca-Cola wants to establish a page about its history, the optimal URL would be “/history-coca-cola.” If a marketer wants to write about enhancing a content marketing strategy, the URL may be “improve-content-marketing-strategy.” The URL should contain the target term, also utilized on the website or blog post.

9. Write longer posts

Longer content often ranks higher on the SERP since it provides more in-depth responses to searchers. After all, Google’s goal is to provide the best possible answers!

Choosing how long a post should be is not an exact science. However, according to a survey by AppSumo and BuzzSumo, the most shared posts are between 3,000 and 10,000 words long. The study also discovered that there was 16 times more content with fewer than 1,000 words than content with more than 2,000 words, prompting the researchers to propose writing posts with at least 2,000 words to increase on-page SEO.

10. Encourage blog comments

Turning on blog comments is a powerful on-page SEO tactic. A comments area can enhance a person’s time on a page while demonstrating to Google that people enjoy and interact with content.

To encourage feedback, insert questions at the end of your blog postings. For example, a commenting call-to-action may read, “What are your thoughts on this post? Please leave us a remark. Alternatively, “What strategies worked for you?”.

To remain competitive on the SERP, marketers must constantly seek new strategies to improve SEO ranks, both on-page and technical. This will allow them to continue raising brand awareness, building trust, attracting customers, and, ultimately, improving their profits.

On Page Seo Checklist Template

You can use this template in Word, Google Docs, and PDF to make your text SEO-friendly. You can use this accessible template to see where and how to put keywords on your page. This template can help you get higher Google results for blog posts, product pages for an e-commerce site, or pages about local services.

Use On-page SEO Tips To Increase Your Organic Traffic

Use the on-page SEO checklist to improve on-page SEO. It’s a short but complete guide ensuring every SEO factor is correct, rocketing your website to the top of search engine results. Follow this plan carefully, and you’ll see your site reach new levels of digital perfection.

FAQs For On-Page SEO Guide

Why Do You Need To Optimize On-Page SEO?

An on-page SEO  is essential for helping Google match your website to your target audience. If the search engine cannot quickly and easily understand what your website is about, it is less likely to appear in search results. Google analyzes websites to learn about them based on their content, graphics, page titles, and other factors.

What Is On-Page SEO?

On-page SEO is optimizing your website’s pages to rank higher in search engines such as Google and attract visitors who want to learn more about the topic or product.

Also known as on-site SEO, it guarantees that you develop content that matches your ideal reader’s search intent. When done correctly, Google will recognize your material as relevant and rank it higher on its results page, increasing brand visibility.

How to Manage On-page SEO at Scale?

• Crawl your site.
• Conduct an SEO evaluation and establish your website’s architecture.
• Update the URLs, page names, and meta descriptions.
• Track the keywords and subjects for each page.
• Create value propositions for every page.
• Define your target audience.
• Plan new page titles.
• Include new meta descriptions.
• Review and modify the page content as needed.
• Include visual stuff.
• Include pertinent links.
• Optimize for conversions

How Do I Boost My On-Page SEO?

• To keep your content current and relevant, make regular updates.
• Improve your website’s loading speed and mobile responsiveness.
• Use alt tags on all pictures and multimedia.
• Optimize your site’s structure and navigation for a better user experience.
• Monitor your website’s performance and make changes based on analytics data.