On page optimisation is important as it provides a solid foundation for all your future search marketing efforts. Over the years Google and other search engines have changed their algorithms but the truths of on page optimisation remain and at a basic level cover:

• Page Title Optimisation
• Optimising Description Tags
• Content Headings
• URL Structure

Why is on page optimisation important?

On page optimisation is all about communicating to search engines what the page is about. We need to provide structure to our content. At the end of the day a search engine is just a machine trying to understand what a page is about and how it compares to other pages about the same thing.

On page optimisation helps usability

Helping search engines understand content also helps visitors. Web users don’t read content until they are engaged in with it. Initially they only scan the first paragraph then headings, looking for keywords. For search engines the keyword you use in the first paragraph and headings are also important.

Difficulty of on page optimisation

On page optimisation is one of the simplest forms of SEO you can undertake. You will be able to make changes and see the results quickly. In contrast with off page optimisation such as link building you have little control and is very time consuming. Before you begin you should have already done your keyword research and know what terms you are trying to rank for with a given page.

Ready to start you on page optimisation journey?

Follow the links below which will guide you step by step through on page optimisation

• Page Title Optimisation
• Optimising Description Tags
• Content Headings
• URL Structure

Optimising Page Titles

• The page title should include the terms that a page is optimised for
• Include brands in the page title but after the primary terms
• Keep you title tag at 65 characters or less
• Think about what users want and reflect this in the page title. For example the title tag for an ecommerce page would have different “intent” to a news article.
• There must be a strong relationship between the page title and content of the page
• Use terms found in the page title in the body content
• Order of the terms is important. The left most words will have most search engine weight decreasing as you move right.
• Page Titles must be unique across the site

Importance of Page Title Optimisation

The page title is not only crucial to ranking well but is also the first thing users will read in the search engine results. Looking at search engine results users will almost always scan the result headings. They will not however read all of it, instead scan the left most words in the title. As a result having primary keywords to the left of the title is not only important for search engine optimsation but also for getting the actual visit.

To attract the attention of users the page title must resonate with the user, this is achieved by ensuring that the words users are looking for are found in the title. If so the user will read the title and continue to read the description.

Use of Content Headings

Headings are an often overlooked but very important part of on page SEO. This is because Headings are given a lot of weight by search engines. If pages use important keywords in these headings then these automatically have a higher priority than regular body content.

Content headings also help readability and when present user will often scan headings before reading content. This is a good way to not only show search engines that your page is relevant but also your readership.

Optimisation of Content Headings

• Pages should include an H1 heading. This is the highest level of heading and should include the primary key phrase for a page.
• Below H1 use H2 as a sub heading using your key phrase in a long tail format
• Avoid using lower level heading tags without having used the higher level tags first. For example H2 should only be used after and H1. It’s important to maintain the heirarchy

Optimised URL Structure

• Include your key terms in the URL
• Use-a-dash-between-each-keyword
• Keep URLs short. Long URLs look spammy and there is evidence to show users are more likely to click on short URLs.
• Always use lower case URLs
• Remember your visitors may email, write down or even try to remember your page URL.
• Avoid dynamic URLs with lots of symbols and numbers. Search engines and humans prefer static words

Description tags are found in the <Head></Head> part of your page and as with the Title Tag form a cornerstone for good on-page optimisation. Description tags are featured on search results below the title.

Value of Description Tags

The description tag is the first clue a potential reader will have as to the quality of your content. You have a limited number of characters within which to sell your website and get visitors to click. Many websites spend thousands on advertising on Pay Per Click however pay little attention to the free listing they get (if they optimise well) in natural search results. Your description tag is part of the very valuable real estate.

Tips on Optimising Description Tags

• It is crucial every description is unique
• Via search the description tag is what users will use to gauge the quality of your site
• Use primary terms for your page in the description
• Your description must make sense to users and be a call to action
• Your description will compete with at least 10 others on a search engine results page. Make it appeal to the user
• Keep descriptions to 160 characters
• Use the terms you are optimising for in the description tag. Where words in your description match those that the user is searching on, Google will bold them. This will help you stand out from the crowd