Top 3 Essential On-Page SEO Factors That You Should Know

Making on-page SEO (search engine optimisation) changes is often the best place to start when you need results quickly. On-page SEO, or optimising pages on your site to improve user experience and give Google a better understanding of your content, can help you rank higher and get more traffic.

Google’s algorithm is frequently updated in its never-ending quest to provide better results to users. This invariably results in rankings changes, necessitating you to optimise your website to improve or ensure your ranking.

Begin by auditing a small subset of pages for the essential on-page SEO factors. If you optimise for each of the critical on-page elements, your changes can have a significant impact, even if each change is only a minor tweak.

On-page SEO is broadly classified into content, HTML, and website architecture. In this blog, we’ll go over each of them in greater detail.

• On-page SEO is your first and fastest route to better rankings. Optimising individual pages enhances user experience and helps Google understand your content.
• Content quality matters. Strong E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), strategic keyword use, and SEO-friendly writing practices are key to ranking success.
• HTML elements support visibility. Title tags, meta descriptions, and properly optimised images are essential for improving click-through rates and SERP relevance.
• Site architecture directly impacts performance. Website speed, mobile responsiveness, link structure, and clean URL formats all contribute to better indexing and user retention.
• Local optimisation and inbound links build credibility. Including geotargeted keywords and earning backlinks boost your site’s trustworthiness and local search visibility.

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Content Optimisation
   • Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T)
   • Keyword Strategy and Placement
   • SEO Content Writing Tips
   • Using Optimised Visual Assets
3. HTML Elements for SEO
   • Title Tags
   • Meta Descriptions
   • Advanced Image Optimisation
   • Local SEO and Geotagging
4. Website Architecture Best Practices
   • Site Speed and Core Web Vitals
   • Responsive (Mobile-Friendly) Design
   • Internal, Outbound, and Inbound Links
   • SEO-Friendly URL Structures
5. Get Expert Help from TopRankings
6. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

You’ve probably heard that content is king. SEO without it is like a brand-new sports car without an engine. It may look nice, but it won’t get you anywhere. However, not all content is created equal.

To improve your on-site SEO, consider the following content factors:

Google ranks your website based on Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T).

It was mentioned 135 times in the 175 paged Google Search Quality Guidelines, which should indicate its importance in the search engine’s algorithms.

While Google has only confirmed a few aspects of E-A-T (PageRank and links), it is widely assumed in the SEO industry that on-page signals play a significant role in its evaluations.

The simplest way to inform the search engine that your website’s content answers a user’s question is through the language you use. Pages that include the query’s keywords, whether in the body, headings, or both, are more likely to be relevant to the search.

This is sometimes simple to determine. If you’re optimising a roofing company’s website, you’ll probably want to include keywords like [roof], [roofing installation], and [roof repair].

If you’re looking for a specialised roofing company, make sure to include long-tail keywords like [commercial roofing services].

In short, you must understand what your target customers are looking for and create content that incorporates these terms. It’s always a good idea to conduct keyword research, so you don’t miss out on any opportunities.

It takes a certain skill to produce content that prioritises search engines while converting website visitors into customers.  It can be difficult to write content that reads well while following SEO-recommended practices if this is your first time doing it.

We have dedicated a portion of this blog to help you perfect the art, but some of the biggest takeaways include the following:

• Emphasise Readability – Your content should be simple to scan to ensure that people can quickly locate the information they’re looking for.
  

• Don’t Overuse Keywords – This method, also referred to as “keyword stuffing,” was previously employed by dishonest SEO experts to manipulate search engine results. Google has a negative opinion of websites that use excessive amounts of keywords. If you are caught using this, your page may experience a decline in rank or could be eliminated from the SERPs.
  

• Keep Sentences and Paragraphs Brief – Long content passages might be challenging to read if you’ve clicked on a webpage, only to be met with an unending wall of text. By keeping your words and paragraphs brief, you can prevent losing readers.
  

• Use Subheadings – Due to their size, subheads stand out and draw the attention of readers who are scanning your page. Use enough to lead visitors down the page in your content.
  

• Use Bulleted Lists – Although it may seem overly meta, bulleted lists are useful for organising information into manageable bits. Use them whenever it makes sense to.

Adding images, videos, and infographics to your page do more than just make it more appealing to the eye. It also offers you chances to improve your SEO.

Many customers prefer visual search when buying online, so you need to use images to avoid losing out on traffic. Make sure your supporting text is optimised whenever possible too.

Additionally, be mindful of the size of your image files to avoid a slow loading time. Make your images shareable to find backlinking opportunities that could improve your E-A-T.

The coding used to organise your webpages’ content, and structure is called HTML. They tell the user’s browser what and where to display the information. Additionally, it informs the search engines what your page is about and how to rank you.

The following are some on-page SEO HTML factors to take into account:

One of those areas where it’s crucial to pay attention to the details is this one.

This small piece of code, which allows you to give a webpage a title, probably won’t be enough to propel you to the top of SERPs.  However, when used in conjunction with other on-page components (such as those covered above), it can help you provide context and emphasise the relevance of your site.

Even though meta descriptions aren’t used very often in SEO, they have two essential advantages: they can assist Google in understanding what your web page is all about, and more importantly, they significantly impact your click-through rates.

Better meta descriptions help searchers grasp the content of your website, which encourages more clickthroughs. Don’t disregard them, then.

The significance of visual assets for your page was already briefly discussed earlier, but now it’s time to go deeper into their technical details.

Here are some ideas to help you maximise your visual assets:

• Don’t Forget to Include SEO-Friendly Alt Tags.
• Choose the proper format and file size for fast loading.
• Use unique file names rather than generic ones like IMG_1234.
• Make sure your images are optimised for mobile.

Despite having a global economy, most business is still conducted locally. Improve your on-page local SEO to engage with people in your community.

While this is less crucial for large corporations like Toyota or Coca-Cola, it is crucial for small and medium-sized businesses.

Focusing on local traffic requires taking into account the following key SEO strategies:

• Utilising third-party apps, obtaining reviews, and optimising local listings and citations, such as name, address, phone number (NAP), website URL, and business descriptions.
• Improve your local content by adding features for “near me” searches, offering exclusive content to a location, or purchasing a local website or blog.
• Optimising and building links with other local businesses and organisations.

Include the name of your target markets in your keyword list and incorporate it naturally into your content.

It’s crucial to have a well-structured website for two reasons: A website with a logical design will benefit from more efficient search engine crawling and richer user experiences.

When making your site’s architecture more optimised, keep the following things in mind:

In addition to frustrating and losing visitors, a sloppy, slow-loading website also hurts your search ranking.

Page speed is a ranking factor in search results.   What speed your site must reach, though, constantly changes.

At the moment, it can be achieved by reaching Google’s Core Web Vitals minimum requirement. There are several actions you may take if your website isn’t currently up to these requirements, including:

• Optimise your images
• Reduce redirects
• Leverage browser caches
• Enable compression

2016 marked the first year where mobile search volume overtook desktop. And that number has only increased in the years after that.

Over 56% of all internet usage is now made up of mobile devices, with tablets making up an additional 2.4%.

Google started giving websites with responsive designs a higher rating in mobile search results because more visitors are using mobile devices.

The mobile-friendly update only affects search results on mobile devices. While ranking in these results without responsive design is still possible, Google highly advises that sites have a mobile version.

Do you recall E-A-T from the very beginning of this article?

Links from trustworthy websites are one of the best ways for your website to establish its expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.

You should be familiar with the following three basic types of links for SEO:

• Internal links – these direct you to another page of your own website.
• Outbound links – these links, usually called external links, lead to websites on separate domains.
• Inbound links – these are links from other websites referring to your page, often known as backlinks.

Inbound links are by far the most important of the three. Although they are the most difficult to achieve, they offer the greatest SEO value.

SEO professionals employ a range of strategies to produce high-quality incoming links, including social networking, the creation of shareable infographics, and even simple requests for backlinks.

Be careful, though. Not all inbound links are beneficial. Some links, particularly those emanating from link farms, forum postings, and guestbooks, may be fraudulent in order to manipulate search engine rankings. Your ranking may be harmed if you don’t denounce these.

There was a period when URLs were very important for SEO. To assist websites in ranking higher, experts would ensure their keywords were present in the web addresses.

However, Google changed the algorithm as it often does. Furthermore, what was once crucial to rankings now has a considerably lower impact.

That does not imply that it is unimportant. Search engines still consider your URLs when calculating your total score; they just don’t have the same importance as they once had.

However, there is proof that they contribute to a site’s initial rating, and some experts think they are used to organise pages. This means that while you shouldn’t make them your primary SEO priority, you also shouldn’t ignore them.

Search engine optimisation ultimately comes down to figuring out the best approach to give searchers useful information and ensuring your website is at the top of SERPs.

Start with what you can manage and thoroughly assess your current site for flaws and room for improvement. You can also seek help from a reputable SEO agency like TopRankings to help you come up with a great strategy that will provide amazing outcomes. As a leading specialist in our field, we’re dedicated to helping you grow and achieve lasting results for your brand. Contact us now to get started!

What is the difference between on-page and off-page SEO?

On-page SEO refers to optimising elements within your website, such as content, HTML tags, and site structure. Off-page SEO involves external factors, like backlinks, social media signals, and domain authority.

How often should I update my on-page SEO?

You should review your on-page SEO quarterly, or whenever there’s a significant Google algorithm update. Regularly auditing top-performing and underperforming pages ensures ongoing optimisation.

What’s the most important on-page SEO factor?

While all elements are important, high-quality, keyword-optimised content paired with a strong internal linking strategy has the most direct impact on rankings and user engagement.

Do meta descriptions affect Google rankings?

Meta descriptions don’t directly affect rankings, but they influence click-through rates, which can improve your SEO performance indirectly. A well-written description can entice more users to visit your site.

Why is page speed important for SEO?

A slow-loading site leads to high bounce rates and poor user experience, both of which negatively impact your rankings. Google’s Core Web Vitals are now a direct ranking factor.

How can I make my site more SEO-friendly for mobile users?

Ensure your site has a responsive design, fast loading times, and easy-to-read content. Mobile usability now directly affects your visibility in mobile search results.