SEO Tips: On-Page Optimization

SEO Tips: On-Page Optimization

On-page optimization is often forgotten these days, as we focus more and more of our time in getting inbound links with targeted anchor text.

On-page optimization, however, is something you can do quickly to give yourself an extra boost in the SERPS.

These tips will help you to optimize your web pages to make the most out of your inbound links.


One Page - One Target

Each page should be optimized for only one search term. If you are targeting two search terms, make pages for each term.

If your search term has a synonym, make separate pages for each synonym. For example, if you are targeting "drywall" and "sheetrock", make separate pages to target each term.

One Target - Two Pages

The preceding tip only tells half of the story. You don't actually want to be #1 in the SERPS for each of your search terms -- you want to be #1 and #2.

Google and some other search engines will display two listings from a web site together if both are relevant to the users search. Therefore, for each of your important keywords, you want to build two web pages which are both optimized for that search.

The URL

Search engines tend to rank pages well when the URL contains the search term.

If your page is about drywall, call your page drywall.html, not page-1.html.

If your content management system (CMS) uses autogenerated URL's, use 301 Redirects to turn those URL's into highly optimized URL's.

Use Hyphens, not Underscores

Google and most other search engines treat hyphens as spaces, but do not treat underscores as spaces.

If your URL is robert-duvall.html, your page will rank well if someone searches for "robert duvall".

If your URL is robert_duvall.html, your page will rank well if someone searches for "robert_duvall".

Which do you think is searched for more often, "robert duvall" or "robert_duvall"?

Optimize the Page Title

The page title should contain the keywords for which you are optimizing, and little or nothing else.

Many sites prepend the site name to every page title, like this:

<title>Smith Drywall -- Sheetrock Delivery</title>

A more optimized title would simply look like this:

<title>Sheetrock Delivery</title>

Leave the company name for the title of the main page of your web site.

Optimize the Description Tag

Not many search engines utilize the description tag anymore, but it's best to set it properly just in case.

<meta name="description" content="Drywall Delivery">

Optimize the Keywords Tag

Even fewer search engines utilize the keywords tag, but it's best to set it properly just in case.

<meta name="keywords" content="Drywall Delivery">

Use Headings

Use the <h1>, <h2>, and <h3> heading tags to define your important content sections, and put your keywords at least once in each heading style.

Use CSS to set the fonts and sizes of the h-tags to something pleasing to your visitors.

Add a Linked Image with ALT Text

Use an image of your page with a filename which contains your chosen keywords, such as drywall-delivery.jpg.

The ALT text for this image should include the keywords for which you are optimizing.

Google is sneaky, in that it only counts the ALT text on linked images. We're sneakier, so we link the image to the page upon which it is displayed.

<a href="drywall-delivery.html"><img src="drywall-delivery.jpg" width=75 height=90 alt="Drywall Delivery"></a>

Validate the HTML

Use the W3C HTML validator to validate the HTML of your page.

Very few HTML errors will cause a web page not to rank well in the SERPS, but you don't want your page to be that page.

In addition, validating the HTML will help to ensure that your page will look reasonably well in the wide variety of web browsers used on the Internet.

Keep Your Body Text Readable

Use your keywords in the body text, but keep your body text readable.

Don't drywall stuff drywall your drywall keywords drywall into your drywall text until it is unreadable by humans.

Make Reasonably Sized Pages

The search engines seem to prefer pages which have at least 500 words of text. Give your visitors something to read!

Summary

If you follow these simple tips, you will get better SERPS with fewer inbound links.

On-page search engine optimization is the first step towards good search engine rankings.

 

I'd disagree with this. You want a mix of the best title and what people will click on.

In this example, i think your best title is:
<title>Sheetrock Delivery at Smith Drywall</title>

Or something like that.

 

Will, how long have you been wait to spring that one?

Seriously dude, that's a sound & solid reminder. And just to add to that... you also have to explain to your clients/superiors the difference between titles & headings before they drive you mad with their lack of understanding

 

Thanks Will, that was a very nice post.

That is going to my on-page seo optimalisation section

 

Why include the business name in the title? Everything I've read shows you want the title to be an exact match for the phrase you're targeting. Are you sure including the business name results in more clicks? Do you have any references to that? And isn't it better to have a "-" instead of a "at" seperating the business name from the phrase?

Sorry for all the questions... My sites rank well using just the keyword phrase... but if adding the business names increases click-throughs I'd like to try it

 

I've known clients push their name in title/ keywords/ description when their name is in the web address and has nothing to do with the product... so yeah, why mention "Meaningless Company Name" at "MeaninglessCompanyName.com" when they should be renowned for "making widgets" ?

 

This is how I think things should be listed (top is better)

<title>Super Widgets</title>
<title>Super Widgets - MySite Name</title>
<title>Super Widgets at MySite Name</title>

 

everyone of my titles on all my sites say:

keyword at site name.com

i haven't suffered any rankings lost at all. on some pages i even do:

keyword for $xx.xx at sitename.com

the value of a 100% keyword match in the title tag is over-rated. Keep the phrase on the left and you are good enough. its also the easiest way to brand your site. put it out there so people may remember it, even if they do not click on it this time.

 

Wouldn't it be best then do to "- Site Name" instead of "- SiteName.com"?

That way, if your site name has a keyword in it the first example would possibly give you more credit.

 

*shrugs* YMMV. Its really a personal preference of mine.

 

Yea... I guess it could go either way. MyDomain.com is more for branding while "My Domain" can somewhat brand but could also provide more keywords. I'm testing a few of my pages to see what happens to the rankings. Guess I'll know in a few months

 

Nice post!!

 

Good stuff!!

 

To back up Will's points, see http://www.google.com/corporate/tech.html

Cite this the next time someone tells you Google ranking is all about backlinks and anchor text.

 

Wow, didn't know that - guess you learn something new every day!

Cheers Will!

*rushes off to change pages*

 

yeah i didnt know that about the links either. cheers

 

Thanks Minstrel for citing that post

Regarding the part of Google's technology analyzes the full content of a page and factors in fonts, subdivisions and the precise location of each word. What can be told about the fonts? is there a specific size of font when bolded that ads weight to it?

And i am not sure what is being sad with subdivisions, could someone clarify this to me?

I'm thinking it's another word for paragraphs but i am probably mistaken.

 

Thanks Great mens Minstreal and well spencer. Many new things for me.

specially How to search people. v7ndotcom-elursrebmem or v7ndotcom_elursrebmem

whats about Google base, i want to know more about that. ???

 

I am going to try out switching the site name in the title tag...up to this point I have had sitename.com - title. I will switch it and see if makes any noticable difference.

 

Now this was a very useful post! Thanks for sharing.