Contrary to what some may tell you, on-page SEO is still a necessity for absolutely all websites. It is vital that you check all your pages that you want to rank for so you are 100% sure that they are ready to rank. This is much easier said than done because most of the guides you find online are way too complicated. In reality, the most important on-page SEO elements you need to check are the following.
Properly chosen keywords
Before you actually check the page, you need to verify that you choose the correct keywords to rank for. There are countless SEO keyword research mistakes that can be done but the most common one is choosing to rank for keywords that are way too competitive.
Use SEO tools in order to identify really good long tail keywords that are actually used by your target audience to look for the type of content you create. Then, use this information in order to modify your pages or create brand new content that has a much higher possibility of bringing in clients.
Update meta tags
Some will tell you that meta tags are no longer useful for on-page SEO but in reality, they are still really important when you want to increase your audience. The only one that is not actually necessary is the meta tag for keywords. This was only useful in the past.
The main meta tags that you have to update are “Description” and “Title”. These have to include the keywords you chose and be as enticing as possible. Just make sure that you make these as clickable as you can so that you can attract clicks when the pages appear in search results.
Proper formatting
Google favors pages that are properly formatted because users prefer them. Nowadays, Google looks at various on-page factors to determine if the article is of value to readers or not. One of those factors is how content is arranged. With this in mind, using headlines, sub-headlines and bullet points is highly recommended.
Speaking about headlines, make sure you use your keywords in them but do not exaggerate so it does not end up looking like spam. Formatting your content for both mobile and desktop readers is not that easy to master but once you do, you will notice a boost in how your site performs.
On-site SEO image checks
You need visual aid in your content so adding images is nowadays mandatory. This is done by most site owners but what they do not realize is that you cannot simply add them and expect boosts.
The most important part of on-site SEO image optimization is to use proper Meta ALT tags that do include the target keyword(s). Having the filename properly chosen is also a necessity. Then, you need to make sure that the images look good on mobile devices and that they are optimized for the web so they do not negatively influence site loading speed, which is an important ranking factor these days that is expected to become more and more important.
