On-Page SEO: Optimize Your Pages for Search Engines

On-page SEO encompasses all optimizations you can make directly on your website. It is what you have full control over. In this guide, we cover all aspects of on-page optimization.

What is On-Page SEO?

On-page SEO includes all optimizations on your own pages:

• Content optimization
• HTML elements (titles, meta tags)
• Internal linking
• URL structure
• Image optimization

Difference from off-page SEO: Off-page concerns external factors such as backlinks and social signals.

Title Tags

The title tag is the most important on-page SEO element.

Where Does the Title Appear?

• In the browser tab
• In search results as the clickable heading
• When sharing on social media

Best Practices

Length: 50-60 characters (Google truncates at ~60)

Structure:

Primary Keyword - Secondary Keyword | Brand

Examples:

✓ Web Design The Hague | Professional Websites | Robuust
✓ SEO Tips for Beginners: Complete Guide [2025]
✗ Home | Robuust Marketing
✗ Welcome to our website about web design and development

Title Tag Checklist

• [ ] Primary keyword at the beginning
• [ ] Unique per page
• [ ] Maximum 60 characters
• [ ] Attractive to click
• [ ] Brand name included

Meta Descriptions

The meta description is your "advertisement" in search results.

Where Does It Appear?

Below the title in search results. Google can override this with its own text.

Best Practices

Length: 150-160 characters

Elements:

• Relevant keywords (appear bold)
• Call-to-action
• Unique selling point
• Urgency or benefit

Examples:

✓ Professional web design in The Hague. Fast, SEO-friendly websites
  for SMBs. Free consultation. Check out our portfolio!

✗ Robuust Marketing is a web design agency based in The Hague that
  creates websites for businesses.

Meta Description Checklist

• [ ] Including target keyword
• [ ] Call-to-action present
• [ ] Unique per page
• [ ] Maximum 160 characters
• [ ] Compelling and clickworthy

Heading Structure (H1-H6)

Headings provide structure to your content and help search engines understand what the page is about.

H1 Tag

Rules:

• Only one H1 per page
• Contains primary keyword
• Describes the main content
• Unique per page

Example:

Web Design The Hague: Professional Websites for Your Business

H2-H6 Hierarchy

Use headings as an outline:

H1: Web Design The Hague
├── H2: Our Web Design Services
│   ├── H3: Business Websites
│   ├── H3: E-commerce
│   └── H3: WordPress Development
├── H2: Why Choose Us?
│   ├── H3: Experience
│   └── H3: Results
└── H2: Contact Us

Heading Tips

• Use keywords in H2s
• Make headings scannable
• Do not skip levels (H1 → H3 is wrong)
• Not too many H2s (5-8 is good)

Content Optimization

Content Length

No fixed rule, but:

• Thin content (<300 words) rarely ranks well
• In-depth content (1500+ words) often ranks better
• Quality > Quantity

Keyword Placement

Where to include keywords:

• Title tag
• H1 heading
• First 100 words
• H2 headings (some of them)
• Image alt tags
• URL
• Meta description

Keyword density: There is no ideal percentage. Write naturally.

LSI Keywords

Latent Semantic Indexing keywords are related terms:

Primary keyword: web design LSI keywords: website development, web developer, responsive design, UX design

Google understands context through related terms.

Content Structure

For readability:

• Short paragraphs (2-3 sentences)
• Bullet points and lists
• Subheadings to break up content
• Visual elements

For SEO:

• Answer the search query directly
• Important information at the top
• Clear conclusion

E-E-A-T Signals

Google values Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust:

Experience:

• Share your own experiences
• Case studies
• Practical examples

Expertise:

• Author bios
• Mention credentials
• Demonstrate deep knowledge

Authoritativeness:

• Cite sources
• Link to authoritative sites
• Earn backlinks

Trust:

• About us page
• Contact information
• Privacy policy
• Reviews/testimonials

URL Optimization

URL Best Practices

Good:

/services/web-design
/blog/seo-tips-beginners
/portfolio/website-company-x

Bad:

/page.php?id=123
/services-and-products-we-offer/web-design-services
/Blog/SEO-Tips

URL Checklist

• [ ] Short and descriptive
• [ ] Keyword included
• [ ] Lowercase
• [ ] Hyphens as separators
• [ ] No stop words (the, a, an)
• [ ] No special characters

Image Optimization

Alt Text

Alt text describes images for:

• Search engines
• Screen readers (accessibility)
• When images do not load

Examples:

• ✓ alt="Modern web design for restaurant website"
• ✓ alt="Robuust Marketing team working together"
• ✗ alt="image1.jpg"
• ✗ alt="web design web design web design the hague"
• ✗ alt="" (empty)

File Names

Good:

web-design-portfolio-restaurant.webp
team-robuust-marketing.jpg

Bad:

IMG_1234.jpg
screenshot-2024-01-15.png

Image Compression

• Use WebP format
• Implement lazy loading
• Serve correct dimensions
• Balance quality vs file size

Image Checklist

• [ ] Descriptive alt text
• [ ] Keyword in alt where relevant
• [ ] Descriptive file name
• [ ] Compressed format
• [ ] Width and height attributes

Internal Linking

Why Is It Important?

• Helps search engines understand structure
• Distributes "link juice"
• Improves user experience
• Reduces bounce rate

Internal Linking Strategy

1. Link to important pages Your homepage and service pages should receive many internal links.

2. Use descriptive anchor text

• ✓ Read more about our web design services (descriptive anchor)
• ✗ Click here for more info (not descriptive)

3. Link from within content Not just navigation, but also within the text.

4. Link related content Blog posts link to relevant other posts.

Internal Links Checklist

• [ ] All pages have at least 1 internal link
• [ ] Important pages have multiple links
• [ ] Anchor text is descriptive
• [ ] Links are relevant to the context
• [ ] No broken internal links

Schema Markup

Structured data helps search engines better understand content.

Important Schema Types

Article (for blog posts):

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "On-Page SEO Guide",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Robuust Marketing"
  },
  "datePublished": "2024-01-15"
}

FAQ:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [{
    "@type": "Question",
    "name": "What is on-page SEO?",
    "acceptedAnswer": {
      "@type": "Answer",
      "text": "On-page SEO encompasses all optimizations..."
    }
  }]
}

LocalBusiness (for local businesses): Name, address, opening hours, reviews.

Testing Schema

• Google Rich Results Test
• Schema Markup Validator

Page Experience Signals

Core Web Vitals

• LCP: Largest Contentful Paint < 2.5s
• INP: Interaction to Next Paint < 200ms
• CLS: Cumulative Layout Shift < 0.1

Mobile Friendliness

• Responsive design
• Readable text without zooming
• Sufficient space between tap targets

HTTPS

SSL certificate is mandatory.

No Intrusive Interstitials

Avoid:

• Full-screen popups
• Ads that hide content
• Mandatory app-install banners

On-Page SEO Audit Checklist

Check Per Page

Title & Meta:

• [ ] Unique, optimized title tag
• [ ] Unique meta description
• [ ] Correct canonical tag

Content:

• [ ] One H1 with keyword
• [ ] Logical heading hierarchy
• [ ] Keyword in first 100 words
• [ ] Sufficient content length
• [ ] Internal links present

Technical:

• [ ] Short, descriptive URL
• [ ] Images optimized
• [ ] Schema markup implemented
• [ ] Page loads fast
• [ ] Mobile friendly

User experience:

• [ ] Scannable content
• [ ] Visual elements
• [ ] Clear CTA
• [ ] No intrusive elements

Common Mistakes

1. Keyword Stuffing

Mistake: The same keyword 50 times on a page. Fix: Write naturally, use variations.

2. Duplicate Title Tags

Mistake: All pages have the same title. Fix: Unique, descriptive titles per page.

3. Thin Content

Mistake: Pages with 100 words of text. Fix: Add value or consolidate pages.

4. Forgotten Alt Text

Mistake: Images without alt attributes. Fix: Describe every image.

5. Poor Internal Linking

Mistake: Only navigation links. Fix: Also link from content to relevant pages.

Tools for On-Page SEO

Free:

• Google Search Console
• Google PageSpeed Insights
• Chrome Lighthouse
• Screaming Frog (500 URLs)

Paid:

• Ahrefs
• SEMrush
• Surfer SEO
• Clearscope

Conclusion

On-page SEO is entirely in your own hands. Focus on:

1. Fundamentals: Title, meta, headings
2. Content: Quality, structure, relevance
3. Technical: Speed, mobile, schema
4. Links: Internal linking strategy

Start with an audit of your most important pages and improve systematically.

Need help with your on-page SEO? Contact us for an analysis.

Related Articles

• Keyword Research Strategy - Find the right keywords
• Technical SEO Checklist - Technical foundation
• Content Marketing Strategy - Content planning