You might know that SEO means ‘search engine optimisation’, but what exactly is on-page SEO? It is a catch-all term for changes you make directly to your website in the hope of getting its pages ranking higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).
So, while adding text to your webpages would count as on-page SEO, collecting backlinks and establishing an active presence for your brand on social media would constitute off-page SEO. How can you tell if your on-page SEO is up to scratch? For a start, try answering these questions…
Is the website’s on-page text easy to skim through?
Obviously, you would want your website’s visitors to do more than just skim through that text. However, remember that someone who lands on a webpage only to realise that its text is displayed entirely in large blocks could too easily decide to click back and look elsewhere.
Each paragraph should consist of no more than three sentences. This is less daunting for readers to consume, as they will not feel pressured to take in huge amounts of information all in one go.
Are the words easy to understand?
There might be certain lines of work where you would have no practical option but to use some jargon from time to time. For example, ‘probate’ pops up a lot in the legal sector, while tech firms might occasionally refer to ‘RAM’ or ‘formatting’.
Despite such inevitabilities, though, potentially confusing terminology should be kept to a minimum on webpages — especially introductory ones like the homepage or ‘beginner’s guide’ articles. Whenever you bring up such a word for the first time in a piece, provide a clear definition.
Are you using the right keywords?
Some keywords largely go without saying, such as ‘Durham plumbing’ if you are running a plumbing company based in Durham. However, one problem with relatively basic, obvious keywords like these is that many other businesses could already be using them.
It can pay for you to mix things up a bit with keyword variations — e.g. ‘plumbing in County Durham’ — as well as slightly longer keywords that get closer to the heart of what you offer.
So, this hypothetical Durham plumbing business could throw in terms like ‘hot water cylinder replacement Bishop Auckland’ and ‘shower installation Seaham’. (Of course, make sure your chosen keywords reflect services you actually offer and places you actually offer them.)
Is the web copy logically arranged?
In other words, does the web copy on a given page have a distinct introduction, body and conclusion? The first and third of these can each comprise just one or two paragraphs, while the body can string together multiple sections each focusing on a different subject.
Does the text have good spelling, grammar and punctuation?
If it doesn’t, the reader could worry that this apparently slapdash approach to writing the website’s text could evidence a lack of professionalism in the company as a whole. Fortunately, if you aren’t adept at writing, Webahead Internet copywriters would be happy to edit the copy for you.
