Aaron Agius is co-founder and managing director of an award-winning global marketing agency. louder online.
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Most of the world’s search traffic (92%) comes from Google. So it’s no wonder nearly every business and marketer wants a piece of that pie. However, there are so many factors to consider when developing an SEO strategy. All you need is to focus on the important few that actually make a difference.
That said, SEO falls into two main categories: on-page SEO and off-page SEO. On-page SEO refers to website content and experiences, such as blog posts. Off-page SEO basically boils down to one thing: getting backlinks.
Let’s take a look at the most important parts of on-page SEO. After all, that’s where you can get the fastest wins. Follow these steps and you’ll have your on-page SEO right from day one. As a result, you should be able to increase your organic rankings and ultimately earn more money.
1. Enter the target keyword in advance.
Many old-fashioned SEO tactics have been sidetracked, but this one still works and is advocated by other SEO experts like Brian Dean and Neil Patel. It’s also the easiest to implement.
Simply include your target keyword (aka main keyword) in the first 100-150 words of your blog post or article. So if your target keyword is ‘gluten-free recipes’, include it immediately.
It makes perfect sense when you think about it. If your article is really about gluten-free recipes, do you talk about it in the first few sentences or paragraphs?
This is one of our proven on-page SEO tips that tells Google exactly what your page is about.
2. Leverage H1 and H2 tags.
If you’ve used a blogging platform like WordPress, you’ll notice that the post title is automatically wrapped in H1 tags. Because it’s the correct move 99.9% of the time. Google looks at the H1 tag to understand the structure of the page.
You don’t want unnecessary mistakes that confuse Google and lower your rankings. Even subheadings he should enclose in H2 tags. A recent study showed that content without H2 tags performed worse than content with H2 tags.
A final note about tags: Be sure to include your keyword in your H1 tag and at least some H2 tags.
3. Balance with keyword frequency.
As the name suggests, keyword frequency refers to the number of times your target keyword appears in your content. To be clear, you shouldn’t rely on “keyword stuffing” where every other word in your article is a keyword.
So how often should you use keywords on your pages? Generally, SEO experts suggest a keyword density of around 0.5%. For a 1,000 word blog post, he will use the keyword 5 times. Beyond that, you can’t expect big returns.
4. Make your content unique.
Being unique is not just about avoiding plagiarism. Obviously, blog posts should be original content. Otherwise, you will be severely penalized by Google. Unique and his SEO content must go one step further to provide new value and insights that competing pages have not yet provided.
For example, you can provide:
• A new, lesser-known strategy.
• A broader list of resources.
• Improved design and user experience.
• Detailed case studies.
• Ultimate guide or step-by-step process.
The example above is a great starting point. But for your content to truly stand out, you need to add even more value, such as:
• detail: Screenshots, video walkthroughs and simple instructions.
• Engaging writing: Content that engages readers and delivers information easily.
• Latest content: Updated posts with the latest research and additional content.
• Authority: Credibility of your content by bringing well-known figures into your niche.
Combined, you can boost your SEO results with unique content that clearly offers something you can’t get anywhere else.
5. Optimize your meta description.
Meta descriptions (the block of text that appears below the title in search results) are the forgotten stepchild of the on-page SEO family, which is very disappointing.
By default, Google fills these descriptions with the first text available on the page. But a much better approach is to create your own meta description with keywords and compelling copy.
Google itself gives every site on the page its own meta description, suggesting that high quality descriptions improve both the quantity and quality of traffic.
Let’s look at an example. Version A below is a snippet of the first few lines of the blog post, and version B is a benefit-packed explanation including keywords. Which description is most likely to click on a search result?
Version A: “Often, healthy recipes are more bland than gluten-based alternatives. But at Healthy Inc., we believe…”
Version B: “Get access to over 600 delicious, easy and quick gluten-free recipes. Read this step-by-step guide now and enjoy a healthy, mouth-watering meal in minutes!”
Clearly, version B gets more clicks.
By creating a unique meta description for each post, the market will ultimately choose your page over your competitors. And the more, the more Google will consider your search results to be the most relevant to searchers.
SEO is not easy. As the competition heats up, it’s important to use these 5 on-page SEO tips to get as much traffic as possible. That way, you can lower your marketing costs and ultimately attract your ideal audience to your business, resulting in more sales, signups, and subscriptions.
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