To rank well on search engines, website owners implement two types of SEO on their websites. The two types of SEO are known as On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO.
On-Page SEO
On-page SEO is the process of making simple changes to your website. These changes allow Google to understand which keywords are essential for your business.
Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO is an ongoing process of building links to relevant websites and being active on your social media accounts by posting content and acquiring followers.
This article will focus on On-Page SEO, by providing SEO beginners with simple and powerful tactics that will improve their website rankings in a short period.
URL
WHAT IS IT
The URL, also known as the Uniform Resource Locator, is the address of the website displayed in the search bar. It’s essential to have your main keyword displayed in the URL of a webpage as it helps users and search engines understand what the webpage is about.
HOW TO
If the webpage discusses “Vegan Diets”, the URL should have the keyword “vegan diets” placed in the URL, after the domain name. (Example: thedietexperts.com/vegan-diets).
NOTE:
The URL is the most influential factor for On-Page SEO and should apply to the webpage in the early stages of creation. Changing the URL is not recommended if your website is ranked high on Google or has backlinks pointing to it. Changing the URL of your webpage will lose link juice if changed, so make sure you provide a 301 Redirect if you wish to update the URL and maintain your backlink profile for the webpage.
META TITLE
WHAT IS IT
The Meta Title is the title of your website displayed on search engines. Many website owners do not update their Meta Titles and leave them the same as their domain name.
HOW TO
The Meta title should include the primary keyword of the webpage and should not exceed 60 characters. If the website discusses “Vegan Diet Desserts”, the Meta title should read as follows: “ The Diet Experts- Create Delicious Vegan Diet Desserts”.
NOTE:
Do not spam keywords in your Meta Title as Google will red-flag your website for keyword spamming. Write meta titles naturally, and include one primary keyword and the city location of your website if it’s a business website.
META DESCRIPTION
WHAT IS IT
The Meta Description is the description of your website displayed on Google. It’s displayed under the Meta Title. Many users leave this section blank. Google will populate it with the first few sentences of your website if no information is provided.
HOW TO
The Meta Description should include 3-4 secondary keywords that are written naturally. Do not exceed 160 characters and make the description appealing so users are intrigued to click through to your website. If the website discusses Vegan Diet Meals, it should read as follows: “ Discover delicious and healthy vegan diets such as the Carrot Top Soup, the garlic milkshake or the cucumber sandwich.” The bold keywords are the secondary keyword choices for your content.
NOTE:
Do not repeat or spam keywords in the Meta Description. Google will punish your site for keyword spamming which will not be good for your SEO Rankings.
XML SITEMAP
WHAT IS IT
AN XML sitemap allows your website to be indexed correctly by Google. It displays the structure of your website to Google Spiders, so every page and piece of content is crawled and saved. This is great for search engine optimization.
HOW TO
For website owners using a WordPress Platform, simply go to Plugins and type in the search bar “XML sitemap”. Select an XML sitemap plugin with good reviews, and simply install and activate it. If you do not have WordPress, simply visit this website and create an XML Sitemap for your HTML site- https://www.xml-sitemaps.com.
NOTE:
Once you have created your XML sitemap, submit it to Google Search Console as this will ensure important pages of your website are found and correctly indexed.
WEBSITE CONTENT
WHAT IS IT
Content is the information and media displayed on your website. The informational content on your website needs to be unique and contain a natural mix of primary and secondary keywords.
HOW TO
It’s important to recognize that Google loves lots of information and valuable content. Webpages should be over 600 words and should contain great information for the reading user. Include your primary keyword in the first and last sentence of your website, as well as mention it by 5% throughout the entire article naturally.
NOTE
Do not copy information from other websites as this is known as duplicate content. Websites with duplicate content do not rank well on search engines. Also, do not exceed 5% of your keyword mentions, or Google will think you are trying to manipulate their search engine.
CONCLUSION
These simple changes can improve your organic position on Google drastically, you may even land on the first page of Google for low-competitive keywords. Other On-Page SEO factors you should consider include website speed downloads, device compatibility, and SSL certificate installation.
