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The Top 10 On-Page Search Engine Optimization Tips

We’ve been interviewing candidates for an On-Page Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialist position and I’m shocked at how many posers there are out there. So far I’ve spoken to several individuals and met with a handful of individuals who replied to the job posting. Out of approximately 10 people, only one seemed remotely qualified for the position. Yet each of them claimed to have expert -level capabilities. After my last interview, I felt compelled to write a blog about the 10 best tips for on-page SEO with the hope that those seeking SEO services won’t be fooled by posers.

Top 10 On-Page SEO Tips:

  1.  Keyword Research - Good SEO begins with a solid keyword list. This means taking the time to perform discovery and determine the best keywords that will drive relevant and qualified traffic to the site and pages you optimize.
  2.  Minimize Keywords - A single website page should be optimized for no more than two to three keywords.  Anything more is often counter productive and should in most cases be avoided.
  3. Title Tag - The title tag is the most important Meta tag and should be developed with a strategic mindset. It must contain the two-to-three target keywords the page is being optimized for and other important words that help support the keywords as needed.
  4. Description Tag - Creating a good description tag is an art form, the significance of which should not be underestimated. Like the Title Tag, the Description Meta tag must contain the keywords being optimized for, but it must also provide a good description of the content on the page as this information will be shown in the Search Engine listings and will play an important role in getting the viewer to click through to the intended website page.
  5. Keyword Tag - There is debate whether or not the keyword Meta tag is still relevant. I say error on the side of caution, meaning that is best to utilize the tag, but you must use it correctly as originally intended. Don’t keyword stuff. Vary the tag on pages and make sure the target keywords for which you’re optimizing the page are in it and not many more than that. I recommend no more than 10 keywords.
  6. Headline Tags - Develop strong headlines (H1 & H2) on the page and make sure they incorporate target keywords. If possible make sure the keywords appear at the beginning of the headline rather than the middle end.
  7. Alt Tags - Make use of Alt tags. Images are the perfect opportunity to use target keywords to describe the images, which helps increase keyword page weight. Don’t miss the opportunity and be sure to include target keywords on the title of the image file name.
  8. Keyword Density - Pay attention to keyword density as the content on the page should contain the target keywords on a percentage basis of 3 to 5%
  9. Contextual Linking - Leverage contextual cross linking strategies by linking naturally occurring keywords in the body copy of the page to other relevant pages.
  10. Link Text - It’s always good to have a link or a series of links at the bottom of the page that link to other relevant pages within the site. The trick is to make sure that target keywords are the actual link that the viewer clicks on.

While these Top 10 On-Page SEO tips may just cover the basics, they are highly important and must be the foundational building blocks of good on-page SEO strategy and execution. If you’re looking for a vendor or an individual for On-Page SEO Services, make sure they understand these basic steps. If they don’t, they’re posers - and we all know we don’t need more of those.