On Page Optimization

Introduction:

On-page optimization (on-page SEO) is what can be done on the pages of a website to maximise its performance in the search engines for target keywords. On-Page Optimization factors are related directly to the content and structure of the website. Truly speaking, if you can do proper on-page optimization for your website you can not only rank well in a search engine but also can increase the overall readability of your website for your visitors. The most important On Page optimization techniques include the Title - tag optimization, Meta - tags optimization, Content optimization, Important HTML tags, Keyword optimization, Link optimization and Image optimization.

Title - Tag Optimization

A site’s title tag is by far the most important on-page optimization element. This should be the first tag in the Head section of the page. There is evidence that search engines give more weight to factors higher up the page. A title tag should be short but descriptive enough for your visitors to identify you and your business. Title tag is the first thing that is shown & indexed by the search engines. So naturally it is given a very high importance – out of thousands results that a searcher sees, your site’s title has to be appealing enough for him to want to find out more information. On the other hand, your title has to be appealing enough to the search engine in order to rank you above thousands of other similar websites like yours.

Important points to be kept in mind while writing the Title for your website:

• The Title should not be more than 70 to 75 characters (with spaces), because search engines will not be able to read it & display the whole.
• Your Name/ Business Name / Site Name: This is very important for breading propose. If you feel that your customers may search you by your brand name than it’s also useful to put it somewhere in your title.
• Keywords: Keeping your targeted keywords in the Title is always of a great importance because search engines value the title more & if it contains your keyword then there is a definite chance to rank high. Don’t staff too many keywords in your title. Write a title which is readable to humans & also good for the search engine.

Meta - Tags Optimization

META-Tags are not as important any more as they used to be. Basically because people started using them to spam search engines, especially the keyword-tag was heavily used for that. Nevertheless there are still some important META-Tags that you should use and they are “Description” & “Keywords”. A site’s Meta description should contain a brief description of your website focusing on the areas and services that your business is specialized in. This small piece of text can be considered as a selling snippet, if a searcher finds it appealing he is likely to click and go inside your page to find out more information.

Important points to be kept in mind while writing the Meta tags for your website:

• The Description should not be more than 265 characters (with spaces) and Keywords up to 40 to 500 characters (with spaces) maximum.
• Include your Selling Point– Tell your customers what they want to hear through your site’s Meta Description, and you will definitely get some advantage over others in the SERP (Search Engine Result Page).
• Keywords – Including some of your keywords will give you some advantage in Google’s relevancy algorithm.

Content Optimization:

There is a good line for content in SEO: “Content is The King”. In fact, one of the most valuable things you’ll get out of developing a keyword strategy is a sense of what kind of content your visitors need. The most important thing about creating content for your site is to avoid creating duplicate content. The three main things you should be targeting while writing your content are:
1. Unique and well-written. The search engine spiders are looking for unique content and your visitors are looking for well-written content.
2. With articles come links.
3. With quality content comes even more links.

A unique and well written content carries a great importance. This is the backbone and purpose of your website's existence and if it takes more time to be created then give it, because it deserves it. When you are considering what content you want on your site you should keep this in mind:

Give your Audience Want they Want?

Create a solid, compelling content that will both grab your visitor's attention and at the same time, make them want what you have to offer. This is not the same as selling to them when you have the opportunity to speak to them face-to-face. You are working without the benefit of watching their expressions, speaking to them about their objections, or even understanding whether they are looking for information for a friend or if it is they themselves who require your services. This leaves you with a lot of room for content. In the online environment you have to deal with every question before they ask it, and make every person feel that you can help them even though you've never met.

If you have discussion forums, or blog then keep a link of it on your site, take user reviews, etc. you are actually creating a lot of content. Not only is this great for the user experience, it creates a great deal of keyword rich content. Content that you can use to bring links into your site, send anchor text to your other pages, and which may even bring visitors in from search results.

Yet another benefit that derives from having a website with great content is that, with time, your website itself will become a resource. If you provide great information that other people will find useful people will link to it naturally. Build a good site with quality content, keep it easily navigated and create sections for specific areas and you will find that people will link to your site.

Search engines always want new content, so feed them! Not only your website will grow automatically if you always add something to it, but also search engines tend to spider your website more often if they always find something new.