On-page SEO - Optimise your pages for Google

On-page Search Engine Optimisation for your web pages to be found in a Google search is crucial.

In order to optimise your pages correctly you need to understand the structural elements of a web page.

Written Content

Ideally you need between 150-300 words on the page for it to be indexed by Google.

Break up the content into easy readable chunks in the following order.

  • Title - Include a keyword phrase in your H1 title.
  • Intro paragraph - Include at least one instance of the main keyword phrase in your first paragraph and make it bold.
  • Sub Titles - Include a variation on your keyword phrase in your H2 sub-titles.
  • Paragraphs - Write well written content that is both interesting and factual.

Internal Linking

  • With your own website you have the opportunity to create links of out keyword phrases.
  • 20% of links can be specific keyword phrases such as 'website design'.
  • 80% of internal links should be more generic such as ‘For website design click here’.

To create an internal link, link to another page on your website highlight the word and click the Link icon in the menu bar and paste in the URL you want to link to.

Images

If possible, include at least one image with each page you create. Images help convey the idea behind your article and help to give your article personality.

Image galleries are another way of adding interest to your web page.

Images in WordPress can have metadata applied to them. Metadata helps Google understand what you image is about.

Applying Metadata To Images

  1. Click Media / Library.
  2. Select an image you wish to apply metadata to.
  3. Title: Give the image a relevant title that includes the keyword phrase.
  4. Caption: Ignore.
  5. Alt Text: Write a sentence explaining what this image is. Include the keyword phrase. It’s important for SEO reasons to do this because Google reads this information to understand what the image is.
  6. Description: Copy and use the Alt Text for this.


Yoast

Yoast is plugin that helps with on-page SEO. The plugin allows you to add:

  • SEO Title: Enter a browser page title no longer than 70 characters. Make sure to include the keyword phrase people would use to find this product.
  • Slug: Update the slug (URL) if you want to - in most cases you don’t need to touch this. Note: Each page must have its own unique URL or it will cause conflicts.
  • Meta Description: Add a short description no longer than 165 characters. Ensure the description includes the keyword phrase. This description will be used by Google when displaying information about this page in a search result.
  • Focus Keyword: Add the focus keyword for this product.