On-Page SEO Explained

Meta-Tags for SEO

The title tag and description tag are the most important meta-tags for SEO. "Keywords" used to be an important meta-tag, but is no longer used by itself as an SEO ranking factor. However "long tail" keywords specific to each page are extremely important when used properly in all elements of on-page SEO.

TITLE TAG

Every page must have a unique title tag. This will provide positive SEO for your page.  If you repeat title tags across pages, it sends mixed signals to the search engines and it can negatively affect your SEO.

A title tag serves three purposes, all related to SEO and user-friendly design.

1. If you look at any web page in a browser you're looking at on your browser, the words you see in the browser tab are from your title tag. So ideally, if you have multiple browser tabs open, you can simply glance at any browser tab to accurately know what the page at that tab is about. It makes browsing easier when the title tag is meaningful and accurate. You can hover your cursor over the browser tab to see the complete title tag.
2. The title tag that appears in your browser's tab is also the identical wording that will appear in Google or other search engines as the title for your search engine result. You want the title of  your search engine result listing to be meaningful, accurate and even intriguing enough that the search engine visitor will click on your listing in the results page.
3. The title tag is also the first thing that a search engine looks at on each page it indexes from your website. Search engines assume that the title tag is an accurate representation of what it will find on a web page. When the search engine crawls a page and discovers that the keywords in the title tag are repeated effectively in many elements of the page being indexed, then that particular page should end up ranking well for those particular keywords. On the other hand, if the search engine finds that the title tag keywords are not included properly elsewhere in the page or if the page covers so many different t0pics that the title tag keywords are lost in the fray, then the page will likely perform poorly in search results.  So unique and appropriate title tags on each of your website pages are critically important to your SEO success.

Local SEO and Regional SEO are also essential for your success getting found on search results. On-page SEO alone will not be enough. Learn more about these other critical SEO areas!

Learn More About GEO-SEO

DESCRIPTION TAG

The description tag is not visible anywhere on the page. But it is visible as the description underneath the title tag on a search engine results page. The description on every page must be unique. The description should include the same long tail keyword or keyword phrase as the title tag. It is the first confirmation for the search engine algorithm that the page is actually about the keyword phrase included in the title tag. If there is a mismatch between the title tag and the description tag, then your SEO can be negatively affected. If they use the same keyword phrase, then it has positive SEO value.

Real people also see the description in the search engine results. So it also has to be meaningful and appealing to the reader. It has to give them a reason to click on your listing in the search results.

HOW WE'LL HELP YOU WITH META-TAGS

If you choose a website design package that includes On-Page SEO, we'll make sure that your title tags and description tags are unique and effective for every page. And we'll make sure that the keyword phrases are on-target for each page to help build a crescendo of keyword power on each page.

Header Tags for SEO (H1-H6)

For effective on-page SEO, every title or sub-title (header and subheader) on a page should be enclosed in H-tags, or header tags.  The header tags very specifically tell the search engines that this title is important, more important than other section titles without an H-tag. They can range in importance from an H1 tag being the most important down to an H6 which is the least important. Web designers who don't know SEO think that H-tags are just for formatting. But while a title with H-tags or any other title can be formatted the same... same font, same font size, same boldness level, they will mean different things to search engines. For example...

Stainless Steel Fabrication

Stainless Steel Fabrication

They look identical, but the second one means more to a search engine because it uses H-tags. In the code it will look like:

<h2>NEW PRODUCTS</h2>

The first one, on the other hand, uses paragraph markers instead of h-tags, and it is not as meaningful to search engines. In the code it will look like:

<p style="font-size: 28px; color: #890d0f;">NEW PRODUCTS</p>

So it's not just about formatting. It's about speaking to the search engines and telling them what is most important on a page.

The H-tag titles should also use the same keyword phrase as the title tag and the description tag. This consistency reinforces to the search engine that the page is about this specific keyword phrase. If the keyword phrase surrounded by H-tags in the titles and subtitles matches the keywords in the title tag and the description tag, then this adds to the positive SEO value of the keyword phrase. If they don't match, there is a negative SEO value because the search engine algorithm will show inconsistency on the page.

HOW WE'LL HELP YOU WITH HEADER TAGS

On every page where SEO is done, we will ensure that H-tags are used properly. We will prioritize the H-tags for all titles and sub-titles on a page and we'll format the H-tags to make them attractive as titles. Additionally, we'll make sure that the titles themselves use the main keywords that are used in the title tag and the description tag. All of this will add positive search engine value to your web pages.

Keywords, SEO, and Understanding Search Intent

The concept of "keywords" has evolved towards more sophistication and the broader contextual meaning of search words and phrases. While keywords in the early days of the internet were generally used for exact matches with search words, today it is much more sophisticated. Google's massive databases and now artificial intelligence (AI) allow the search engine algorithms to analyze almost endless data to not just look at the search words typed in by a user, but the broader meaning and perceived intent of the search keywords. Confusing, right? But it does produce more useful results for the person searching. But is your website up to the task of modern keyword methods and matching search intent rather than just a pure keyword match?

In the earliest days of the internet, website owners often repeated the same keyword dozens or hundreds of times on a web page. They didn't use the keywords with any context, they just repeated it and they hid it from view by making the text color the same color as the background; White text on a white background for example. After all, all they needed was an exact match of keywords to the keywords searched. That doesn't fly anymore. Your website will get banned from search results if you do that. Using keywords or keyword phrases is much more complex in the 2020s.

A big challenge has always been that website owners and web designers often write web pages with a broad contextual meaning that can be a bit different than what Google or Bing thinks they mean. Without a proper SEO strategy, good keyword management, and proper on-page SEO, there can be a mismatch between keyword intent, searcher intent, and how search algorithms understand all of it. This can be especially true with complex topics that are not used in everyday language. Much of the industrial world and its use of technical language, falls into this category. The key is to help search engine algorithms understand the broader meaning and relationship of complex keywords and related words on a web page.  Helping search algorithms understand related words, synonyms and the broader meaning of a given topic, product, service, etc. is equally important.

There are several ways to do this, beginning with the most basic on-page SEO. This means that on-page elements, for every single website page, must optimize all page elements toward one focused keyword or keyword phrase. This includes optimized use of the URL address, the meta title, meta description, page header, section header tags, words using bold, bullet point list items, and image alt-tags. It includes a proper balance of keyword repetition, keyword synonyms, and balancing them throughout the web page. It also means having other pages on your website and in your menus use the keywords in their links.  It goes way beyond simply including keywords a few times.

Confusing? Definitely! But what it means is to write your content naturally and don't try to game the system. Write for humans, not search engines, and write pages to show your in-depth expertise on the topic of that page. If you were talking to a human about your product or your expertise, you wouldn't repeat the same keyword in every sentence or just spout off a string of synonyms. You wouldn't unnaturally and awkwardly insert your keywords at random places as you speak. But you would try to fully explain your concept and possibly in a few different ways so that your target audience is more likely to understand.  You would likely answer some questions from your audience/prospect, so write like you're answering their questions. Each page should have a narrow focus so that your expertise can be displayed without a muddled message from including too many other topics. Many SEO experts suggest a minimum of 3-400 words per page, and you definitely can't exhibit expertise with just 30 or 40 words. So write for a human audience while always keeping search algorithms in mind!

HOW WE'LL HELP YOU WITH KEYWORDS ON YOUR WEBSITE

We usually hear clients tell us with passion about their companies! So help us write your initial draft pages with equal passion! Copy stuff you've already written in emails to new prospects and send that to us. Write down the top 10 questions you get regularly, write down the answers to those questions, and send them to us. Forget grammar for now... just write! We'll clean it up and organize it, make it a bit educational and a bit sales-like, and we'll add SEO methods to your words. Of course, we'll run it by you for your suggestions or approval. Remember, you're the expert on your company and your product. But we don't want you to worry about SEO; We'll take care of that. We're the experts in making sure your content converts visitors to sales prospects and in getting your content found in search engines. If we both do our respective jobs cooperatively, the resulting web pages should perform very well!

Long Tail Keywords & Narrowly Focused Pages

The concept of "keywords" has morphed into a more modern and more effective concept of "long tail keywords." This means that well-targeted keyword phrases are more effective than single keywords. So instead of stuffing a page full of the word "shoes" or even "running shoes", SEO works better with detailed phrases like "Brooks Ghost running shoes" or "Nike Air Max Men's Running Shoes". Notice that those phrases are 4 and 6 words long respectively... they are "long tail keywords". For quality on-page SEO, you should try to use multi-word keyword phrases!

This works partly because somebody searching for "running shoes" is likely in the very early stages of the buying process. They don't know what they want. They're window shopping. But if they're searching for a very specific shoe, they've probably already done some research and it's very likely that they already know what they want. When they go to the search engines and they can easily find specifically what they want, then they're more likely to take a buying action.

The other reason this works is that if you have specific, targeted pages for each product or service you offer, then the search engine can more easily and more clearly identify what a page is about. If you list too many different types of shoes and brands on a page, then the message gets a bit muddled for the search engine; is the page about hiking shoes, running shoes, casual shoes, or dress shoes? But if you have every product/service listed on a separate, specific page, then a search engine will know that one particular page is exclusively about "Brooks Ghost running shoes" and another page is specifically about "Nike Air Max Men's Running Shoes". This helps you rank higher when it counts... when a serious buyer is looking to buy.

HOW WE'LL HELP YOU WITH LONG TAIL KEYWORDS

Every company and every business sector is different. We always advise clients that they need multiple pages to adequately and accurately depict their company's products and services. Search engines need specificity and clarity on every web page. Site visitors want to easily zero in on what they're looking for. Regardless of the nature of your business, we'll help you identify long-tail keywords and work with you to map out the most effective page layout for your company's website.

On-page SEO - Keyword Density

Unique keyword phrases should be in the regular paragraph content of every page. The keyword should be used in the first sentence, if possible, and should also be used at least one or two more times in the paragraph content of a page, but not too many times. The keyword phrase should match the same keyword phrase used in the title tag, the description tag, and some of the section header H-tags.

This repetition is important to confirm for the search engines that a particular page is very focused on the keyword phrase that is threaded smartly throughout the page. But it should not be overdone or over-saturated; too much keyword density is viewed as spamming the search engines and can negatively affect your search engine ranking. In some respects, the right keyword density is as much art as it is science. The page should be built not only for search engines but also for the humans who will visit the page as your potential customers. The sentences need to make sense and not sound contorted to weave in the main keyword phrase.

HOW WE HELP YOU WITH KEYWORD DENSITY

We have extensive experience in on-page SEO. We're good writers and we can edit your original text content to weave in the main keyword phrase for the page. We'll work it into the text appropriately 1-3+ times and we'll be sure to match it to the main keyword phrase used elsewhere on the page. We know how to get your pages to talk to search engines!

On-page SEO - Keyword in Page URL

This one is more straightforward. When possible, the URL of the page (the website address that you see in the address bar on your browser) should include all or part of the main keyword phrase for the page.

For example, the main keyword phrase for this page is "On-Page SEO". The URL of this page is http://bmn.baerwebdesign.com/on-page-seo/. That main keyword phrase is used in the title tag, the meta-tag description, in an H1 and an H3 tag, twice in the first paragraphs including as the very first words in the first paragraph, and in an image ALT tag. The search engines will not doubt what this page is about.

HOW WE'LL HELP YOU WITH KEYWORDS YOUR PAGE URLs

A properly named page URL matched with the main keyword phrase of a page adds exceptional value to your SEO for those pages. When building a website, we'll make sure to name your pages to match your main keyword phrase for each page to help add some extra SEO juice to your web pages.

On-page SEO - Bullet Points, Numbered Lists, Bold, Italics

Does your page need even more SEO power? Search engines also add extra SEO value for bulleted items, items in a numbered list, bold words and words in italics. Keep in mind that this is where a web page can enter dangerous territory by going overboard with the main keyword phrase for the page.

These formatting options, however, can be great for emphasizing additional related words to the main keyword phrase. There are often many ways to say the same keyword phrase. So formatting in these ways offers a great opportunity to cover some of the variations that a person might use on the search engine when trying to search for your products or services.

HOW WE HELP YOU WITH BULLET POINTS, NUMBERED LISTS, BOLD AND ITALICS FOR SEO?

We'll work with you to come up with variations of your main keyword phrases for your website pages. And when appropriate, we'll employ those in bulleted or numbered lists. If we're using them in paragraphs, we'll use bold and/or italics to make them stand out for the page visitor and to instruct the search engines that these are also important keywords for this page.

Image ALT Tags

For maximum on-page SEO, every image on a website should have an ALT tag using the primary keyword phrase for the page. It's a great way to repeat a page's main keyword phrase. The ALT tag can also tell the search engine about additional important keywords related to the page content and related to the main keyword phrase for the page.

Equally important, ALT tags are made for site visitors as well. If someone has turned off image loading on a page (not as common as it used to be), the ALT image should describe the image while still trying to use an appropriate keyword phrase. Image ALT tags are also used by screen readers used by low vision and blind site visitors. So again, the ALT tag can't just be for keyword stuffing. It has to make sense if it is read out loud.

HOW WE'LL HELP YOU WITH IMAGE ALT TAGS

Image ALT tags are often the most overlooked and improperly used SEO tactic. They're often missing. When they're not missing, they're often just meaningless words. ALT tags often end up being the name of the photo itself because that is often a default. So ALT tags like 3537843235.jpg are not uncommon. But those don't help on the search engines. And it doesn't help people using screen readers who can't see the image but want to know what it is.

We will use image ALT tags appropriately by making them readable... they will make sense if they're read out loud. They will use the main keyword phrase or other related keywords for the page. Each ALT tag will be unique for every image on the page; no repeats. Doing this properly will add SEO value to your page.