Most beginners in search engine optimization choose to focus more on on-page SEO, and this step makes complete sense.
After all, it is the aspect that the webmaster has full control over. It is an opportunity to make the website look more attractive not just for Google but for the visitors to the site as well.
As much as on-page optimization is about making Web pages look good, many aspects of these techniques remain invisible to users. This is because some optimization happens solely at the coding level. However, just because some steps are invisible to the naked eye, does not mean they are all for nothing.
Here are some of the on-page optimization techniques that can boost your traffic in unexpected ways.
Writing Quality Content
Keep in mind that although using relevant keywords is a driving force to your traffic, a well-crafted content plays a major role in SEO. Even if you use the most relevant and searched keywords and key phrases, your efforts will not reap the rewards if you use weak content.
Content always comes first. It must be original, unpublished elsewhere, and thoroughly researched. Publishing long articles are proven to rank better compared to shorter posts. Apart from this, the frequency of posting also plays a role in boosting your rankings in the search results.
Remember, a site with quality and useful content can perform competently without SEO. A site with poor content will not survive even if you use SEO. But a site with great content becomes more exceptional with SEO.
Use of Headings
Learning the basic codes in HTML will be extremely helpful here. However, most dashboards today uses advanced editors, which make it extremely helpful for the non-tech savvies to post their content. Make sure to use the header tags (H1, H2, H3) as spider bots crawl these. Using these tags guide the bots in ranking the importance of each section of the text within your document.
Use of Title Tags
Title tags have been utilized for more than a decade, but it remains one of the potent techniques every blogger or webmaster must take advantage of. Though many experts do not focus on title tags as much as they used to anymore, they are still an integral part of any post. And the title of a page is a leading signal for google to determine the topicality of a page.
Title tags help search spiders index and categorize your web pages. To efficiently take advantage of this feature, you should assign title tags that are directly related to the content. It is also essential to make them readable as they show up in multiple listings online.
Use of Alt-Texts
A post or content is not complete unless you add an image or any media to it because this is how Google indexes images and other media-related posts. While Google and other search engines are good at reading texts, they are less proficient in understanding media and other graphical content.
If you are a site that loves to post pictures, videos, podcasts, or infographics, you can make Google understand what your post is all about with the use of alt-texts. To do so, you must always include an alt-text tag on every image or graphic content you have. Do not forget to add the name and an accurate description of it.
Internal Links
The use of internal links has three purposes. First, it is a way to let Google know about your other pages. Second, it is a way to inform Google which page on your site is the most important. Third, it is a way to prolong the spent time of the user on your site.
Google scans every page in the web to analyze whether it will be a useful piece of information or not. Search engines check website pages and read everything on it. If there is a link found, Google checks that out too and assess whether the page passes their standards or not. This is one way of telling search engines to check the other pages on your site.
Every site has pages more important than the others and using internal links is an opportunity for you to pinpoint these relevant pages to Google for them to index as well, so make sure to use internal links wisely.
The use of internal links is also helpful for your users, especially when you introduce jargons, topics or subjects that they are unfamiliar with. By inserting an internal link, you provide resources for your users. They are provided with the information they need, and you increase your site engagement.
For new bloggers and website owners, SEO can be a daunting step. However, if equipped with the right knowledge, optimizing web pages will become a breeze. Since there are also countless questionable articles about SEO on the internet, it is crucial to follow the authorities in this niche. If not, you can always hire a trusted SEO firm to do all the work for you.