On-page SEO
Why it matters
Paid advertising stops when spending stops. A well-optimised page can keep bringing in visitors for years, so on-page work builds value over time. Visitors from search have also chosen to look for the subject, so they are more likely to be interested. Search engines and readers want the same thing in the end: the clearest answer to a specific question.
How to apply it
- Start with the question the page answers, using search intent and keyword research.
- Put the main phrase near the front of the title tag, written to earn a click and not just to match a keyword. About 60 characters usually fit before it is cut off in results.
- Use one main heading and a clear structure of subheadings.
- Answer the question fully, with original examples or data.
- Link to the page from related pages with descriptive anchor text, never "click here".
- Check impressions and clicks separately. A page with many impressions but few clicks needs a better title, not more text.
What it is
On-page SEO covers everything on the page that a search engine reads and a visitor sees. The main elements are the title tag, the meta description, the main heading and subheadings, the web address, the body text, internal links, image descriptions (alt text) and structured data. Page speed and mobile display matter too. Work done on other websites, such as earning backlinks, is off-page SEO.
A bookkeeping firm with a page for freelancers might use the title "Bookkeeping for freelancers in Leeds, fixed monthly fee", one main heading with the same idea, and subheadings answering real questions: what it costs, what is included and how to switch.
Common mistakes
- Repeating the keyword unnaturally, which makes the text worse to read.
- Having several pages that compete for the same search.
- Giving different pages the same title tag.
- Changing titles every few days. Results take weeks to settle.
