One of the first questions that will pop into your head when you start learning about search engine optimization is “What on-page SEO factors matter the most?” You understand that having the right page structure matters. You have heard all about Meta this and Meta that, but what really matters. What factors do Google and the other search engines really care about?
The single most important on-page factor is the page’s title. Obviously, the page’s title should pretty well describe the topic of the page. Don’t screw that up. You can get a huge boost in ranking for a term just by having the keyword phrase in your title. It also helps if you have that keyword phrase near the beginning of the title.
Another important factor in on-page SEO is having the keywords in the URL. You could argue that this isn’t really on-page SEO, but I put it there. If at all possible, you want to have the keyword in the URL somewhere. If it is a keyword phrase, then make sure you have it in the right word order. If you have the words out of order, you can confuse the search engines as to the intended topic of the page.
Take time to write a well thought out Meta description for the page. Make sure the primary keywords are there as well. A good Meta description will increase click through rate on the search engine results pages. Users will read at least part of the description. As far as the Meta tag for Keywords goes, just put a few of the most appropriate keywords in there. Google ignores this tag completely. Other search engines still use it, but to a much lesser degree than years ago. Do not stuff a million keywords in there.
Make sure you use the keywords in the H tags on the page. H tags are used to designate headers. The headers should follow a hierarchy. H1 is the main heading. H2 is a subheading of H1 and so on. Do not keyword stuff the headings. Instead uses synonyms and other choices of wording to make it flow better and not look like you just stuffed the phrase in there.
Have your main keyword appear in at least two different sized fonts. If you have the keyword in a normal text font as well as a larger heading font then you already have this covered. Other ways that you could alter how a keyword appears is by making it bold, using italics, using capitals or making it a hyperlink. Google’s index counts the number of times a word appears and the number of times it appears in different sizes. It equates larger size with more importance. This is why it is so important to put it into H1 tags. Usually the H1 tag will have the largest font and therefore be considered most important.
Do not keyword stuff your content. If you want to add more keywords onto the page then use synonyms. In fact, you should be using synonyms and industry related terminology all over the place. It gives you more credibility. Use alternative words and jargon that is related in any way shape or form to what you do. Use brand names of things that would be mentioned on other websites about the same topic. Perform some keyword research to see what phrase variations are common with your primary keywords. Try to include some of those different variations on the page. Make the wording flow and easy to read.
Try to include other forms of content on your page other than just text. Pages are generally better if they include a combination of text, images and video. Google loves video. So do visitors. Over time Google will get pickier about making you include new forms of media. It is best if you incorporate them as much as possible now.
If you are trying to get an article or blog post to rank for a specific phrase, then you should always try to use the primary keyword phrase in the first paragraph and the last paragraph on the page. Write a little introduction paragraph that uses it. Then write a little conclusion paragraph that also uses it. This helps to keep your article on topic and makes it easier for both the readers and search engines to understand it.
