What is On-page SEO? Why it is Important for Search Engine Optimization?

Multiple on-page SEO factors contribute to keyword ranking and the list is inclusive. It is better to prepare an on-page SEO checklist and start an SEO audit to analyze several onsite issues like:  

Page Title and Meta Description:
Each webpage has a page title of 60 characters and a meta description of 160-170 characters that defines what the webpage is all about. It is one of the major factors as they contain the primary keyword in their text. If your website does not have meta descriptions, google crawlers will ignore indexing them for ranking. On-page SEO checker tools will help you in auditing on-page SEO errors. Two major factors determine meta description and page title:

• Relevancy with the content, product, and services
• Length of the page title and meta description.

Heading Tags:
Heading tags (H1, H2, H3, and so on) are the headlines used for the webpage content. One of the best practices is to include the primary keyword in the H1 tag and thereafter use more keywords in the H2, H3, and H4 tags. Keep an eye out if there are no heading tags on your website. Place a keyword-rich H1 tag for better optimization.

• Do not use one keyword multiple times to create heading tags
• It should not be a single word even if it is a keyword
• Map the headings tags as per the relevancy of the entire page content.
• Use subheadings in the content to utilize a greater number of search terms in the heading tags.

Content on the Page:
The webpage content is one of the most important factors that search engines and users look for the relevance of the page. It is the main element that defines your products or services in detail.  Proper formatting and good content are required for the search engines and users to understand what you are offering. Format your content in a story type style is the best-structured way to publish your content: You can use:

• Different fonts, colors, and Paragraphs. Break your content into short paragraphs.
• Bullet points to express tips and tricks
• Sprinkle keywords in keeping in mind the keyword density and keyword proximity
• Interlink your content with other webpages

Image Optimization:
Web images are now mostly preferred as they are the lightest version that reduces the website loading speed. High-resolution images in this format are perfect for the webpages. The image should have an alt-tag that defines the content of the image for the search engines. Also, the title tag is for online users or visitors.

URL Structure:
Users will love to click on those URLs that give them a clear picture of the page or its related services. It is recommended to use keyword-specific URLs and keep the length optimum.  The URL should be properly structured and readable by humans and crawlable by search engine spiders.  

Internal linking:
The website content must create a link juice that works as an added advantage. When pages are interlinked with other internal and relevant pages, it creates a network of link juice, and google crawlers also prefer crawling those sites that have relevant interlinking. 

Website Loading Speed:
It is the most important factor that shows the time taken by the webpage to load for its users. The average loading time is considered to be less than 2 seconds which means as the user clicks on the URL, the webpage should open in less than two seconds. If not, the users will bounce creating a high bounce rate and less average session time. Also, visual stability matters a lot like stable images, content, and any CTA buttons used.  

Mobile-Friendliness:
Many tools measure the device-friendliness of your website and mobile application. It is important as the entire user experience depends on the look and feel of the website. For Google, the mobile-friendly site and app are the first preference for ranking.