How small businesses can get started with on-page SEO

On-page SEO is all the strategies you apply on individual pages of your website to help search engines understand what your content is about and help users find what they are looking for. Because link building is something that is done out of your own website, on-page SEO is something that is entirely in your control. Therefore, it is a good starting point for any business that wants to improve their search ranking.

Title Tags Are The Most Important On-Page SEO Element

The title tag is the text that appears in browser tabs and the blue clickable headline in Google search results. It is also one of the most significant on-page ranking factors. A good title tag should contain the primary keyword for the page, be short and catchy, and should be under 60 characters to avoid being truncated in search results.

Think about the title tag for the page that says “Home” or “Services”. A title tag that says “Web Design & SEO Services in Manchester | Diggit” is more informative and gives Google and the visitor better context of the page content.

Proper Use of Meta Descriptions

The short paragraphs displayed under your title in search results are called meta descriptions. Although they do not directly affect ranking, they are very persuasive to users resulting in a higher click rate on your link. Meta descriptions should summarise the page content, have a natural flow with your target keyword, and should be appealing to the user.

Heading Customisation with H1, H2, and H3 Tags

Both readers and search engines use headings to help them organise your content and move around your site.

Each page can have one H1 tag, which is usually its main title, and it should contain your main keyword. Use H2 tags for the main sections and H3 for the smaller sections. This hierarchy improves the readability of your writing and lets Google understand which topics are discussed on the page. < / p >

< h3 > Keyword optimisation in the content < / h3 >

< p > The content of your page should revolve around keywords and phrases, and other critical information that your audience is interested in. Avoid keyword stuffing, as your text will become unreadable, and you can severely damage your ranking. Write primarily for the reader and incorporate key phrases in a natural and conversational way. < / p >

< p > The search engine has sophistication, along with the general terms of related and synonyms of contextual understanding. < p > \< “Web design services” \ > < p > < / p > < “Web site creation” >, < “Responsive design” >, and < “Mobile friendly site” >, will be better than another site that just repeats the same phrase. < / p < h3 > Image alternative texts < / h3 >

< p > Just like people appreciate images, search engines try to understand them, but can’t, so they use “light texts” (alternative texts) to figure out what an image is about.

Every notable image on your site should have an alt tag added to it. This improves accessibility for website users who may utilise screen readers. < / p < h3 > Internal Linking < / h3 >

< p > Links that point to your other website pages can help users find related information. It will also help search engines understand your website’s layout. If there’s a page that discusses the same topic as the one you’re referring to, link it. Use specific anchor text instead of using the generic phrase “click here”

Page Speed and Mobile Friendly

Page speed is one of the many ranking factors Google takes into consideration. Given that most people use mobile devices to search, a slow page will negatively affect your conversion rate and page rank. If you want to improve your page speed, Google Page Speed Insights is a helpful tool. Also ensure you are using a responsive website template that fits to any screen sise.

Starting From The Top

When developing a website, you should create content for the pages that are likely to get the most customers like the homepage, service pages, and landing pages for your campaigns. If the title tags, headers, and meta descriptions are well done, then you’ll be ahead of many of your competitors.