5 On-Page SEO Best Practices in 2022

Search Engine Optimization or SEO helps sites rank higher on Google and other search engines. But, several ranking factors play into this with the majority categorised into on-page, off-page, and technical SEO.

In this article, we’ll share the top 5 on-page SEO best practices in 2022 as it requires little to no technical knowledge and is the easiest to apply. That said, here are the basic fundamentals of what on-page SEO is.

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  1. 5 On-Page SEO Best Practices in 2022

What Is On-Page SEO

On-Page SEO covers every piece of content users see when they enter a website. Additionally, it refers to changeable website elements. This includes text, photos, videos, and URLs. 

More importantly, it guides us on how to structure the content within specific pages or articles. How you structure content determines two key things:

  • The value your content provides to your audience
  • How easily Google understands the content on your site

Now that we know the basics of on-page SEO, let’s take a look at why it’s important, especially for local businesses.

Why Is On-Page SEO Important?

Google’s website rankings are algorithmic. Thus, site owners must create valuable content for their audience in a way that the algorithm can easily understand and on-page SEO helps with this process.

Still, providing value to our audience is always the goal and SEO becomes the medium to do so. But, to effectively use on-page SEO, we must understand its elements.

Elements Of On-Page SEO

The key elements of on-page SEO are categorised into Content, HTML, and Site Architecture elements.

Content elements include a site’s copy and content. Meanwhile, HTML elements refer to your source code, and Site Architecture covers how crawlable your site is to Google’s indexing bots.

Content Element

Quality Content – Quality and relevancy depend on on-page optimization. Thus, content should provide “Topical Authority”. But, writing blogs to satisfy topical authority can be time-consuming. Luckily, you can use blog writing services to outsource your content needs.

HTML Elements

  • Page Titles – assist people and bots in quickly understanding what a page is about.
  • Headers – these are h1>, h2>, h3>, etc. These header tags assist search engines and users categorize your content by intent.
  • Meta Description – Meta descriptions are short descriptions of a page that appear in search results. 
  • Image Alt Texts – Since bots can’t see photos, alt-texts help Google understand them. Image searches can show site content.
  • Structured Markup – Schema or structured Markups provide bots with context to the website page’s copy, company goals, and other details.

Site Architecture Elements

  • Page URLs – Both readers and search engines should understand your page URLs. A URL structure should enable bots to navigate to a certain page or article.
  • Internal Links – Internal linking is a system of hyperlinks that helps users traverse your site. Internal linking is vital for developing Pillar and Cluster pages that promote topical authority.
  • Mobile Speed – Most Google users are now on mobile. Thus Google favours mobile-friendly web pages.
  • Site Speed – Google prioritises on-page user experience. Google knows that if your site loads slowly, people will quit without reading anything.

Let’s look at the finest on-page SEO tactics you can adopt immediately.

5 On-Page SEO Best Practices For 2022

Google’s algorithm evolves to improve user experience. So, here are five tested and proven on-page SEO techniques for 2022.

Optimise Metadata

Google bolds keywords in meta descriptions when it shows in search results. Keep it around 155 characters and include important page info.

Include Target Keywords in Headers

Both bots and humans understand the content better with headings. So, use keywords in H2 headers. If needed, repeat the main keyword in H3 or additional headers.

Internal Linking

Internal linking builds topical authority by linking relevant site pages using anchor texts or navigation links.

Keep A Clean URL

URLs help bots navigate the folders and subfolders of your site. Here are some best practices to follow when creating your URL structure:

  • Include a keyword
  • Use descriptive words to satisfy user intent
  • Avoid Using Numbers & Special Characters – use real words instead
  • Keep URLs concise and easy to understand
  • Use hyphens to make URLs easier to read
  • Avoid using session IDs

Image Optimization 

Your photo’s file name should be relevant to your topic. You can use next-generation formats to minimise image file sizes to increase load times while maintaining quality. Then, add alt-tags to photos to give bots context.

Key Takeaways 

Understanding on-page SEO fundamentals help us increase search visibility and traffic. And, even with constant algorithm changes, a good on-page strategy ensures you don’t fall behind.

Here’s a recap of what you can do to optimise for on-page SEO:

  • Optimise Title and Meta Description
  • Structure content in a way that’s easily understandable using header tags
  • Build topical authority through internal linking
  • Add structured markup to your content 
  • Reduce image size and optimise using relevant file names and alt-texts.