{"id":258,"date":"2016-07-29T04:52:51","date_gmt":"2016-07-29T11:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.new.www.structuredseo.com\/?page_id=258"},"modified":"2020-05-10T12:48:13","modified_gmt":"2020-05-10T19:48:13","slug":"important-on-page-seo-factors","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.structuredseo.com\/important-on-page-seo-factors\/","title":{"rendered":"Important On-Page SEO Factors"},"content":{"rendered":"
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_padding=”50px|0px|44.7188px|0px” custom_padding_tablet=”20px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding_phone=”” transparent_background=”off” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%”][et_pb_row padding_mobile=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”0px|||” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”||0px|” custom_padding=”||0px|” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ header_font_size=”15px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_padding=”0px|||”]<\/p>\n
If that were absolute, then sites such as Wikipedia and Reddit would rule the internet. Fortunately, search engines<\/a> are getting better at determining the intent of a search query and serving up the most relevant content. <\/span><\/p>\n Search engines still need to understand what site best fits the search query. As website owners, we can help search engines understand what our web page is about using <\/span>on-page optimization<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n On-page optimization is about taking steps to help <\/span>search engines<\/span> understand your content. It helps ensure your pages are served when relevant to a user’s query.<\/span><\/p>\n For example, if you\u2019re a local plumber in Portland Oregon serving your website when someone searches for \u201cplumber LA\u201d isn\u2019t going to do anyone any good for you to appear in the results. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Making sure you have structured your site appropriately is important.<\/span><\/p>\n The Universal Resource Locator (URL) is your web page address. Let\u2019s first see what makes up a URL.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So what\u2019s the difference between an SEO friendly URL and not so friendly? Simply put user experience.<\/p>\n Below is an example of an SEO friendly URL. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here is a not so friendly URL.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A user should be able to look at the URL and understand where they are on your site. Similar to looking at <\/span>website breadcrumbs<\/span><\/a>. Think of it as a hierarchy. Level 1 is the home page. Level 2 is a subcategory of level 1 and so on. This makes up your <\/span>website structure<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Example of Breadcrumbs<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Remember to keep it short and use your keywords. If a visitor can tell where they are by looking at your URL then so can Google. It\u2019s as simple as that.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Metadata<\/a> is data that describes other data.\u00a0\u00a0For SEO purposes metadata describes the information found on your web page and is expressed by meta tags. Meta tags are one-way search engines understand the contents of your web page and they\u00a0<\/span>are an important part of on-page optimization.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0We are going to focus on four essential components.<\/span><\/p>\n Example of Meta Tags<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Keep these descriptive and readable. If you brand them, put it at the end. The recommended length is 55-60 characters. <\/span><\/p>\n Good Example Bad Example <\/span><\/p>\n Think of header tags as the structure of your web page. It breaks it up and helps search engines and visitors understand the content on the page. Like an outline, it distinguishes the different sections. <\/span><\/p>\n The most important tag is your H1. <\/span>Search engine spiders <\/span><\/a>and visitors use the keywords in the H1 as a signal of what information your web pages contain. The H1 can be the title of your article or the headline of your landing page. <\/span><\/p>\n You can use H2, H3, etc. to signal subsections. For example, let\u2019s consider an article about taking care of your cat:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Notice how each is bigger than the other. Sometimes developers will use these to style text. Bad practice.<\/p>\n Meta descriptions are HTML attributes that commonly appear on search engine results pages (SERPs).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Meta descriptions may not be a direct ranking factor, but they can contribute to things such as click-through-rates that do have a direct a direct impact.<\/span><\/p>\n A simple way to find examples of good meta descriptions or what your competitors are using is to look at Google Ads. <\/span><\/p>\n Here is an example ad for Adobe:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Want to preview how your SERP will appear? Many tools will allow you to view it. We like Portents <\/span>\u201cSERP Preview Tool<\/a>\u201d<\/span>. Just fill in the attributes. Great tool for testing ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Image optimization is important especially if you have an eCommerce or other image based website. Image optimization ensures that your photos load fast and appear in other <\/span>search verticals <\/span><\/a>such as Google Image Search.<\/span><\/p>\n Image optimization is pretty straightforward.<\/p>\n There are several ways you can compress an image. I use Adobe Photoshop so when saving a photo to upload to the web I use Photoshop\u2019s feature \u201csave for web\u201d. This feature will automatically optimize high-res photos for use on your website.<\/span><\/p>\n If you don\u2019t use a program such as Photoshop, there are services available to help you compress your images.<\/span><\/p>\n You can also use more robust programs such as <\/span>GIMP<\/span><\/a>. GIMP is an open-source program for editing image files. It\u2019s free and supported by most operating systems. <\/span><\/p>\n Make sure and use the correct file type. The three most common types are JPEG (.jpg), PNG(.png) and GIF (.gif).<\/p>\n I have only used a GIF on a couple of occasions. As a simple rule use JPEG unless you need a transparent background. If there are image quality issues with a JPEG, then switch to a PNG.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sometimes the most obvious things are overlooked. Using keywords in the first 100 words is one of them.<\/span><\/p>\n It should be natural and doesn\u2019t mean it has to be exact but think about it from a visitor\u2019s perspective. If they visit a landing page about cats, but you spend the first 500 words talking about dogs, then your visitors probably aren\u2019t going to stay long. <\/span><\/p>\n Your visitors are on your site for a reason give it to them. <\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at a simple example:<\/span><\/p>\n Query \u201cWhat is SEO\u201d. My first result is Webopedia. <\/span>http:\/\/www.webopedia.com\/TERM\/S\/SEO.html<\/span>.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Notice how naturally the keywords are used. It should be easy to do. Help visitors and search engines understand your content.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Outbound links<\/span><\/a> are important because they give a clear signal what your content is about and give users additional information. Remember to only link to sites you trust. Your site is only as good as its links. <\/span><\/p>\n Think of outbound links like citations in a book. When you are reading a medical journal, you would expect to see citations regarding studies and material they are referencing. If you found the material to be less than credible, then you would probably question the paper itself.<\/span><\/p>\n Also, if you were reading an important paper wouldn\u2019t you expect to see references? This same concept applies to web pages. Keep it straightforward and only link when necessary to supply further relevant material for visitors.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Internal links<\/span><\/a> are the most important links available. Why? They are usually the only ones you have any control over. They give you the ability to <\/span>pass link equity<\/span><\/a> from one page to another. The basic concept is by pointing to relevant links from one page to another you can tell search engines what pages are the most important on your site. <\/span><\/p>\n Be careful if you abuse this your site can be penalized or your links devalued. Remember internal links are to add value.<\/span><\/p>\n The Webopedia page we looked at earlier is a good example of internal linking.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n We can see the words \u201cwebsite\u201d and \u201csearch engine (SERP) link to pages on Webopedia that define these terms. Under \u201cRelated Terms\u201d we can also find links to other internal pages that give visitors more information relevant to the topic. <\/span><\/p>\n Remember to use keyword-rich internal links.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Is longer content better? <\/span><\/p>\n What\u2019s your goal? Links, engagement, traffic, etc. <\/span><\/p>\n Long content is better, but you shouldn\u2019t take 2,000 words when you only need 1,000. If you\u2019re trying to generate a discussion or looking for social shares and comments 1,000 words or less may work. If you want to target competitive keywords, then you\u2019re going to need to be in the 2,000-word category.<\/span><\/p>\n A study by Capsicum Mediaworks on content length <\/span><\/a>\u00a0found that the top 10 positions have an average of over 2,000 words. <\/span><\/p>\n Remember it comes down to the quality of your content. Crap is crap. If it\u2019s \u00a02,000 words long and crap, then it just makes it a massive crap.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Today, having a mobile-friendly site is a must. <\/span>Google started penalizing websites for not being mobile friendly in 2015<\/span><\/a>. According to Google <\/span>mobile has overtaken desktop searches<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n Are you mobile friendly? <\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s pretty easy to find out if your website is mobile friendly. <\/span><\/p>\n Here is a screenshot of Chris Pedrick’s website using his tool. It is interactive so you can scroll your whole page for each view.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is great for finding problems that may only exist on certain devices.<\/span><\/p>\n Responsive design is the easiest way to accomplish this but if you already have a website, and you don\u2019t want to migrate you have several other options.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re using a popular CMS platform such as WordPress, they have plugins that can help you accomplish this. If this isn\u2019t an option, you\u00a0can create a mobile version.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Google uses web page loading speed as a ranking factor<\/span><\/a>. A slow site can have an adverse effect on a visitor\u2019s experience and can affect how many pages search engines crawl.<\/span><\/p>\n Many factors go into how fast a page loads. I could write an article on page speed factors alone. I\u2019m going to stick to what is usually the biggest issues slowing down a site and possible ways to address it. <\/span><\/p>\n First, you should use a few tools to see how your page performs. <\/span>GTmetrix<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Pingdom<\/span><\/a> are easy to use tools. <\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s use our site and see what results we get with GTmetrix. Just enter your URL and click analyze. It will analyze our page and give us some overall metrics and score.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some quick takeaways in the \u201cPage Details\u201d section.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Notice my load time is under 3.0 seconds, the total page size is small, and requests are\u00a0low. Page size and how many requests made for resources to load the page are significant factors in page speed. <\/span><\/p>\n From our results, you can see we performed pretty good. The performance score for \u201cPageSpeed Score\u201d is excellent but \u201cYSlow Score\u201d could use some work. <\/span><\/p>\n To find out what improvements we could make click on the \u201cYSlow\u201d tab.<\/span><\/p>\n
Ever heard the phrase \u201cContent is king?\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n#1 Use SEO Friendly URLs<\/b><\/h2>\n
The Anatomy of a URL Simplified<\/strong><\/h3>\n
#2 Optimizing Meta Tags<\/b><\/h2>\n
Title Tags<\/b><\/h3>\n
<\/b>SEO Simplified | Your Brand<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/b>Your Brand | SEO – Search Engine Optimization Meta Tags – Rank First \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHeader Tags<\/b><\/h3>\n
When using H-Tags never do these:<\/b><\/h4>\n
\n
Meta Description<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How to write a good meta description.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
#3 Image Optimization <\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
#4 Keyword First Paragraph<\/strong><\/h2>\n
#5 Outbound links<\/strong><\/h2>\n
#6 Internal Links<\/strong><\/h2>\n
#7 Content-Length<\/strong><\/h2>\n
#8 Responsive Design<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
#9 Web Page Loading Speed<\/strong><\/h2>\n