On-site SEO
On-site SEO refers to the things you are able to do directly to your website that will influence the manner in which search engines position you. Good on-site SEO will likely lead to better search engine rankings for your keywords. Techniques used to ensure good on-site SEO include good content, keyword optimisation and Meta data.
On-site SEO Importance
Understanding the importance of Search Engine Optimisation is essential to making your website successful. Without implementing SEO to your website, it is likely that it will remain invisible to search engines and therefore the customer you are aiming to capture.
The most fundamental aspect of SEO is making your domain as easy to understand as possible, for both its targeted audience and search engines. Clarity is compulsory in SEO as easy to interpret content helps search engines recognise what each page is about and how it can be used to answer the users search. Therefore if your content and the linkage are both good then your website should be easily found encouraging well-ranked positions amongst search engines.
Key principles of on-site SEO
The main principles of on-site SEO may appear to be basic and obvious to some but it is what makes them fundamental to successful SEO.
Clear and relative content
This is perhaps the most common problem for websites that are enduring a decrease in traffic, but it is one of the easiest to remedy. If the content on your site is not clear, with headers using the subject’s keywords and it contains several different topics within one section then search engines will be confused by it as it is not accurate enough in relation to the users search. Break text up into clear sections with headers segregating keywords to generate the most traffic as possible.
Keyword optimisation
Keywords are essential in any form of Search Engine Optimisation, but it is especially important when considering on-site SEO. Of course using keywords related to your text on your site may be obvious, but where to place them is more of an art. Placing keywords in your headers will rank your site higher on the simple principle that if you use the word in the header, then the search engine knows that you will be discussing that topic in the paragraph that follows.
Another way to optimise your keywords is by placing them in the first sentence as well as the last of your text. This will cause the search engines to think that you are talking about the related topic for the entirety of the text therefore increasing the relevance of the search enquiry.
Also be sure to include synonyms relating to your selected keyword to widen your net so the likelihood of catching your targeted audience is maximised.
Meta data
Meta data or a Meta Description Tag are not displayed on your website, but are just as important as they provide the description of your website when it appears in search engine results. As this is often the first point of contact for a new potential customer it is vital that you fully utilise your Meta Description Tag.
Captions
An almost effortless SEO practice is to add captions with keywords to all images displayed on your website. When using multiple keywords, separate them using hyphens so the search engine acknowledges them as spaces and picks up the keywords individually (increasing the keyword density further).
All of the discussed On-Site SEO methods should be implemented before you start thinking about Off-Site SEO (link building). Without examining the internal factors (on-site) of your website first there is no point starting to investigate the external factors (off-site) as it will only lead to misdirected SEO.
This article was put together by the specialist SEO consultants at UK based agency SEO Positive.
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