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On Page SEO Checklist

  • John Cole

    Co-founder and Director of Development for Sitegeist

Everyone knows that SEO is important. One of the first plugins that people install on their site is an SEO plugin. The problem is that most people don’t actually know what they need to do on each page for SEO.

What follows is a six point checklist that will help you set up on page SEO for any page on your website.

One quick note before we get started. A keyword, or even better a keyword phrase, should be the focus for every page on your site. Before you start on the SEO for your page, make sure you know what your keyword or phrase is that you are targeting.

1. Title Tags

The title tag tells search engines what the page is about. It should include the keyword phrase that your page focuses on. These tags need to be unique for each page.

In search results any keywords that match the search phrase are highlighted. This increases visibility for your page and increases click through rate.

What to do:

  • Format => Primary Keyword - Secondary keyword | Brand Name
  • Title tags should be unique
  • Keep them under 55 characters including spaces

2. Meta Descriptions

The meta description is what will show up below the page title in search results. They give more information for searchers. The description helps them choose the result they will click on.

Using keywords is important. Any search terms that show up in the meta description will be highlighted. But you need to go further. Write a compelling description of the page that will draw readers in.

What to do:

  • Make it compelling
  • 150 to 160 characters in length
  • Each meta tag should be unique
  • Only alpha-numeric characters, Google will cut anything non-alpha

3. Targeted Key Phrases

I covered this in the intro. Your page needs to have focus, and that focus should be on a specific word or better phrase. The content on your page needs to be relevant to this phrase.

Avoid is keyword stuffing. This is where the same word or phrase is repeated over and over, usually in an unnatural way. Some people think that this will help them rank higher. Allowing them to “game” Google’s search algorithm. But the opposite is actually what happens, as your page will be penalized for this tactic.

What to do:

  • Use a longtail keyword phrase, ie. Phoenix Website Design, not website.
  • Make sure all the content is relevant to the keyword phrase without being unnatural

4. Header tags

The header tag or the H1 tag is similar to the title tag. It shows up on the page instead of being meta data. It’s similar to the subject line of an email.

Your keyword phrase should be present in the H1 tag, but only once. You can also use H2 tags to break up the content on the page.

What to do:

  • Put keyword phrase in H1 tag
  • Only use the phrase once in the tag
  • Use relevant H2 tags

5. Internal Page linking

Internal linking refers to linking to other pages within your website. These links should be natural and use keywords for the pages they are linking to.

This can strengthen the structure of your site. It allows users, and search engines, to see how your site fits together. It shows how other pages are relevant to the current keyword phrases.

What to do:

  • Use relevant keyword text for links. “Learn more about our Laptop Repair Services” instead of “Click Here to view our services”
  • Make sure links are relevant to the keywords for the current page

6. Alt tags and filenames

Alt tags are used to describe an image. These tags are important for search engines and users. Especially for accessibility purposes. If a user is using a screen reader it will tell them what the images are.

Alt tags and filenames should use keywords and keyword phrases when possible. But don't overdo it. As always, keep it natural. Both can help search engines identify what a page is about.

What to do:

  • Make alt tags and file names descriptive of the image
  • Use dashes instead of underscores in file names
  • Use only alpha-numeric characters

Sometimes SEO feels like some kind of voodoo magic. But there are some simple things that you can do to help improve the on page SEO for the pages on your site. Use the above checklist to help improve your on page SEO.

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