On-Page SEO Guide: How Critical Is It For Search In 2023

Google Search algorithms are constantly and instantly changing in the fast-moving world of SEO. The changes are even more apparent with the introduction of AI technologies as SEO strategies adapt to them. What would have been the most effective SEO strategy yesterday might not be the same today.

In fact, what used to be critical SEO strategies – off-page SEO and link building – are no longer primary SERP ranking factors. They are still useful, just not as powerful as before.

With the shift towards the capability of on-page SEO as a key SERP ranking factor, leveraging them should be your brand’s priority in 2023.

Why is on-page SEO crucial?

In the past, building quality backlinks was all the hype. Many brands would build such links by crafting content for other websites or purchasing them. While it is still a key SEO factor, it is no longer enough today. You will need to ensure that your site content is well-optimised. This means that having an optimised site map and well-written meta tags plays a huge role too.

While that does not mean that keyword stuffing is encouraged, it only means that Google Search crawlers are rewarding websites that display a combination of high user engagement and well-established structures.

Here are some SEO focal points that we think will be crucial in 2023:

• Combining PPC with SEO and content marketing while keeping up-to-date with Google updates and market changes
• Implementing best practices of technical SEO to deliver consumer-centric experiences
• Using SEO insights to obtain critical information that will benefit the business

If your brand wants to boost organic traffic and its quality, prioritising on-page SEO is imperative.

The importance of on-page SEO for online content

Effective on-page strategies lead to better site visibility on Google SERPs and increased relevancy to users’ search intents, which leads to boosting online searchability. Here are a couple of on-page SEO factors that many digital marketing agencies in Singapore will agree are crucial for generating online content.

• Headings: Google algorithms love well-structured content as it increases the understandability of the content, not only for users but also for the algorithm. Hence, ensure that you include H1 and H2 headings in your content.
• URLs: It is vital that your URL looks authentic and short and, most importantly, contains the targeted keywords. As a general rule, we advise not going beyond 5 keywords in your URL. Besides keeping it short and concise, we also advise against using special characters or underscores so that both search engines and users can access your content easily.
• Images and videos: Visual aspects play a vital role in SEO. Not only do they make it easier for users and crawlers to understand your content, but they also are key types of featured snippets that you can try to score. For images, you may optimise them by their file types, resolution, and size. JPEGs are the best format for SEO as they provide a balance between loading speed and quality. Also, be sure to use well-described and relevant alt tags. For videos, a 2-5 minute long video is sufficient enough to keep your audiences’ attention.

Here are other elements that affect your content strategy.

The importance of on-page SEO for mobile users

Do you know that your website ranks differently on mobile and desktop? If you want to score well in terms of SERP ranking for both devices, then optimising your website for mobile users is critical. That involves ensuring that your site’s functionality, content, and design are optimised for viewing on the screens of the smaller counterparts.

Mobile on-page SEO also involves optimising for local search. Local SEO optimises your business online, which in turn impacts your Google Search rankings. This means that if you are looking to get more potential customers, then optimising your Google My Business profile accordingly is an effective method.

The importance of on-page SEO for CTR

At the end of the day, optimising the content alone can be wasted if users are not clicking on it. Hence, if you want to boost your organic CTR, here are some tips to follow:

• Use question title tags: Google Search Autocomplete is the best way to find out what users are searching for. Most of the time, users are searching based on questions. Hence, Google has updated their helpful content to push quality, relevant content to its users. Question Title tags connect your content with interested users better.
• Use the current year: By including the current year in your meta tags, you let users know that your content is up-to-date with the latest information.
• Use keywords: Including relevant keywords in your meta tags ensure that Google crawlers pick up your content and push them accordingly. 
• Include a CTA in your meta description: Offers and CTA offer immediate value and urgency to your content. Including them in your meta description encourages users to click on your content.

The importance of on-page SEO for user experience

To wrap up everything we have mentioned in this guide, it would be necessary to know that your user’s experience with your website can also affect your SEO ranking. Hence, building your website around useability ensures that they are kept happy, leading to better SERP ranking. You can do so by ensuring the following:

• Deliver helpful content efficiently: When a user clicks on your content, they expect an immediate solution to their queries. Hence, do not beat around the bush. Dive straight into providing the solution they are looking for.
• Ensure fast loading speed: This is especially vital for mobile users. The Google recommended page load time is two seconds. Anything more than that, and you start to lose your audience.
• Include sitemaps: A sitemap is a page list that provides key information, such as the last edit date and URLs, helping Google search bot understand the relationship between each page and how fresh each content is. Including them allow Google Search bot to prioritise crawling your page so that relevant information can be indexed, updated, and retrieved when users make relevant search queries.

Conclusion

With that being said, Google is constantly updating their algorithm and system to determine what works best for its users as well as to improve useability. Coming out on top of your competition comes with the price of having to be kept up-to-date with the latest practices.

The ever-growing need for on-page SEO is just one of the many SEO strategies that you should adopt in your campaign strategy. Of course, if it still sounds complicated to manage and you do not want to take the risk of failing, then engaging an experienced SEO services provider helps as well.