On-page optimization remains crucial for ranking highly and driving organic traffic. With Google’s algorithms becoming increasingly advanced, it’s important to focus on proven, high-impact on-page SEO tactics.
In this post, we’ll count down the 10 most effective on-page SEO techniques to deploy in 2023. Master these areas, and you’ll be well on your way to on-page SEO success this year.
Drum roll, please…!
#10: Structured Data Markup
Adding structured data markup enables Google to understand your pages better and display enhanced presentation in SERPs. Important schemas include:
- Product data – Helps showcase product info like price, availability, images, and reviews. 76% of shoppers use this in search.
- Articles – Highlights article content like headline, author, and publish date for better snippets.
- FAQPage – Makes clear your page contains FAQs for voice search optimization.
- Events – Enables event details like dates, location, and tickets to appear in search.
#9: High-Quality Internal Linking
Carefully planned internal linking allows Google to efficiently crawl your site and signals semantic relevance between pages. Best practices include:
- Link relevant content deeply throughout your site’s architecture.
- Avoid over-optimization with exact match anchor text – mix it up.
- Prune broken links and those pointing to low-value pages regularly.
- Build links to and from important pages like category, product, and service pages.
#8: Mobile Optimization
With mobile representing more than 50% of web traffic globally, a mobile-first approach is mandatory. Make sure:
- Pages load fast on mobile networks and devices. Compress images, minify code, and optimize caching.
- Viewports and touch elements are sized properly for fat fingers.
- Interactions and navigation work for touchscreens.
- Pages meet search engine mobile-friendliness criteria.
#7: Keyword Optimization
Despite moves toward semantics and natural language, keywords still play a central role and require holistic optimization:
- Primary and secondary keywords are embedded in URLs, titles, headlines, image names, and meta descriptions.
- Keyword intent matches the content on the page.
- Keyword density follows a natural pattern – not over-optimized.
- Related keywords are linked together using internal links.
#6: Local Optimization
For businesses with a physical presence, optimizing for local search is key. Be sure to:
- Create and verify your Google Business Profile listing with complete, accurate information. This is critical for local pack rankings.
- Include your full address, phone number, and other location info on site pages.
- Use local keywords and geo-modifiers where relevant, such as “coffee shops in NYC”.
#5: Site Speed Optimization
Page speed remains a ranking factor and impacts user experience. Make speed a priority by:
- Enabling compression, caching, and browser caching.
- Optimizing images by converting to web-friendly formats, using CDNs, and lazy loading.
- Minifying HTML, CSS, JavaScript and JSON.
- Eliminating unnecessary redirects.
- Serving web fonts efficiently.
#4: Multimedia Optimization
Don’t underestimate the value of multimedia for on-page SEO and UX. Be sure to:
- Include quality images, infographics and videos on pages where relevant.
- Use keywords in file names and ALT text for images.
- Optimize video file names, captions, transcripts, and descriptions.
- Feature visual content prominently – don’t hide it within text.
#3: Content Quality and Depth
At its core, SEO still comes down to great content. Google wants to surface pages with useful, authoritative information. Make sure yours has:
- Comprehensive, in-depth information on the topic that would satisfy search intent.
- Unique, valuable insights not found elsewhere.
- A layout optimized for readability – use headers, short paragraphs, lists, etc.
- Proper grammar and punctuation.
- Links to reputable external sources to establish subject authority.
#2: Semantic HTML Markup
Using proper HTML elements provides semantic clues to Google about your content:
- Use heading tags (H1, H2, etc.) properly to outline content structure.
- Emphasize important keywords and phrases with <strong> and <em> tags.
- Include descriptive <alt> text for all images.
- Use <blockquote> for quoted material and <cite> to reference sources.
- Break up content into logical sections with <header>, <nav>, <main>, <aside>, and <footer>.
#1: Optimized Page Titles and Meta Descriptions
Crafting compelling, click-worthy titles and descriptions is still perhaps the most important on-page optimization. Here are some tips for nailing this:
- Include primary keywords naturally near the front of title tags. Keep under 60 characters.
- Write intriguing meta descriptions 150-160 characters long that attract clicks.
- Don’t over-optimize – be authentic and capture searcher intent.
- Test different formulations for higher CTRs.
- Be consistent with title tags and meta descriptions across site sections.
The On-Page Opportunity in 2023
This rundown of highly impactful SEO techniques presents a blueprint for on-page success this year. Of course, search algorithms and best practices will continue to evolve.
The key is concentrating on meaningful optimizations that offer value to searchers. By providing fast, relevant, high-quality experiences on your owned digital real estate, you can build authority and rankings in 2023.