On-Page SEO Fundamentals: Five Ways to Optimize Your Website
Listen… I love a beautiful website, too, but if you aren’t optimizing it, no one will find it. That's where SEO comes in.
There are a few different types of SEO, and when you combine them all into one unbeatable strategy, you’ll be able to drive more traffic to your site in your sleep!
SEO can be overwhelming, though. For that reason, I’m going to break it up. In this blog, we’re going to talk all about on-page SEO and how you can use certain techniques on your site to drive valuable traffic directly to your website.
What is On-Page SEO?
On-page SEO refers to the strategies you use directly on your website to improve your search engine ranking. Unlike off-page factors like backlinks, on-page elements are entirely within your control. They are the perfect starting point for any SEO strategy.
Whether you're launching a new website or looking to improve an existing one, these on-page SEO fundamentals will help search engines like Google or Bing better understand, index, and rank your content. The more search engines understand your content, the better your visibility in search results will be. The higher your ranking, the more people will find your site.
5 On-Page SEO Techniques to Improve Your Website
When most people think about SEO, they’re typically thinking about on-page SEO tactics. Here are five of the best places to get started with your SEO strategy.
Conduct Keyword Research Before Creating Content
Creating a content strategy without keyword research is like opening a store without knowing what products your customers want. Before writing a single word, you need to identify what your target audience is actually searching for.
Keyword research tools, like Google Keyword Planner, KeySearch, or Semrush, are a great place to find which keywords your target audience is searching for. These tools reveal valuable insights about search volume, competition levels, and related queries. Start by brainstorming topics relevant to your business, then use these tools to expand your list and identify specific keywords worth targeting.
Focus on finding a mix of:
Primary keywords with substantial search volume
Long-tail keywords that are less competitive but more specific
Question-based keywords that address specific user inquiries
Pay close attention to search intent. You need to understand whether users want information, navigation to a specific site, or to make a purchase. For example, someone searching "how to optimize title tags" wants educational content, while someone searching "SEO services pricing" is likely considering a purchase. While they are searching for a similar topic, the content you give them should be very different.
Optimize Your Title Tags with Primary Keywords
Title tags might be small, but they pack a powerful SEO punch. These HTML elements specify the title of a webpage and appear as the clickable headline in search engine results. Since they’re often the first impression users have of your content, they are crucial for both SEO and click-through rates.
To optimize your title tags effectively, place your primary keyword near the beginning, where it carries more weight with search engines. Keep your titles between 50-60 characters to ensure they display properly in search results without being cut off.
A winning formula to follow is: Primary Keyword + Benefit | Brand Name
For example:
"On-Page SEO Fundamentals: Boost Your Rankings Fast | YourBrand"
"Keyword Research Tools: 10 Best Options for 2025 | YourBrand"
My biggest tip here: Avoid keyword stuffing! Not only is this incredibly annoying for users to read, but it can also trigger spam filters, which is the opposite of optimizing! Instead, focus on creating compelling, accurate titles that incorporate your keywords naturally.
Craft Captivating Meta Descriptions
While meta descriptions aren't direct ranking factors, they serve as your content's elevator pitch in search results. These short snippets appear under your title tag and significantly influence whether users click on your link or scroll past it.
An effective meta description should:
Contain your primary keyword
Summarize what the page is about
Include a clear call-to-action that encourages clicks
Stay under 155 characters
For example, instead of "This page discusses on-page SEO techniques," try "Master essential on-page SEO techniques to boost your rankings and drive more targeted traffic. Download our free checklist today!"
Each meta description should be unique and specifically tailored to its page. Think of them as mini-advertisements for your content. While search engines sometimes generate their own descriptions based on the query and page content, providing your own well-crafted meta descriptions gives you more control over how your pages appear in search results.
Remember that a higher click-through rate can indirectly improve your rankings, as search engines recognize that users find your content relevant and valuable.
Structure Content with SEO-Friendly Headers
Proper header structure doesn't just make your content more readable. It also helps search engines understand your content and its relationship with the rest of your page.
Whether you’re writing a blog or updating your home page, your heading structure should follow a logical pattern:
H1: Use exactly one H1 tag per page, typically matching or closely related to your title tag
H2: Main sections of your content
H3: Subsections within your H2 sections
H4+: Further nested subsections as needed
The goal of this structure is to help your readers and search engines navigate your content easily. Your headers should improve the flow of your content, not hinder it.
It also improves the user experience by breaking up walls of text into scannable chunks. This is particularly important given that 43% of people admit to skimming rather than reading content thoroughly.
Optimize Images with Alt Text
Images and graphics make your blog more enjoyable, and can also be used to explain complex concepts. But you’ll need to help search engines see them. This is where alt text (also known as alternative text) becomes crucial.
Alt text serves two essential purposes:
Accessibility: It describes images for visitors using screen readers or when images fail to load
SEO: It helps search engines understand image content and context
When optimizing images:
Use descriptive, keyword-rich file names before uploading (e.g., "on-page-seo-checklist.jpg" rather than "IMG12345.jpg")
Write alt text that accurately describes the image while naturally incorporating relevant keywords
Keep alt text concise but descriptive, typically under 125 characters
Add captions where appropriate to provide additional context
Keyword stuffing is a big no-no here, too, as it will harm both your SEO efforts and your accessibility. Always prioritize accurate descriptions over keyword placement, and only include keywords when they genuinely help describe the image.
Putting It All Together: Your On-Page SEO Action Plan
Mastering on-page SEO fundamentals isn't a one-time task but an ongoing process of optimization. By implementing these core techniques – keyword research, title tag optimization, compelling meta descriptions, structured headers, and image alt text – you'll create a solid foundation for your website's search visibility.
Ready to boost your website's visibility? Start implementing these on-page SEO fundamentals today. For best results, tackle one page at a time, beginning with your highest-traffic or highest-potential pages.
Want some additional help? Download The Ultimate SEO Checklist – a free list of 20 different SEO techniques that you can start implementing today. It goes beyond on-page SEO and also explores content quality, structure, technical and local SEO, and more.
Need a little more hands-on help? Book an SEO Audit, where I’ll review your website, social media platforms, and local directory pages to identify what’s holding you back and provide personalized recommendations to enhance your SEO and drive more organic traffic to your site. Schedule your free discovery session to discover how an SEO Audit can help you today.
