On-page SEO: definition and purpose
On-page, a.k.a. “on-site”, search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of creating search-friendly content for engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing. The goal of SEO is not to obtain top placement in search results for every relevant keyword, but to be found often by qualified visitors. More importantly, it is about developing good content for your prospects. The better the content you create, the greater the chance for visitors and the search engines to find your website. According to a recent study by Mike Moran, co-author of Search Engine Marketing, Inc., over 70 percent of Americans have some type of Internet access and 65 percent of those people make buying decisions based on online information.
Simply relying on the notion that your website will be found “because it is there” does not provide the competitive edge needed in today’s online world. On-page search engine optimization begins with a discovery of how well your website is ranked by major search engines and what aspects of your website need to be addressed for better ‘findability’.
Keyword development is the next step in on-page SEO. Keywords are words and phrases searchers type in the search engines to find their desired content. There are four basic types of keywords: hot, medium, cold, and brand. Hot keywords are terms with very high search volume like pizza or cars for example. Tomato paste and Chicago lawyer are examples of medium keywords. Cold keywords may not have high search volumes but may be very exact, for example, buy widgets in Orlando Florida. Brand keywords are related to your company, industry, and products.
Once the keywords are established, content writing can begin. Writing content with your target market in mind will make it much easier for visitors to find your website. Write in terms and language they will understand with phrases which relate to your products and services. The key component to quality SEO is the content on your website pages. The better the content and more it speaks to the target audience, the more visitors will find your website.
Keep in mind that search engines must find and evaluate millions of websites; therefore significantly improved search engine ranking can take weeks or months. Getting to the first page of Google is not easy and involves more than on-page SEO.
