Google applies specific algorithms to assess the ranking of pages for particular keywords. Not only on web pages but also on a broader website level. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account both on-page and on-site SEO ranking factors. I cover more details about on-page optimization here.
What is on-site SEO optimization?
On-site SEO is the optimization of website elements according to search engine ranking factors. On-site SEO optimization improves the organic (or natural) referencing of your website. Contrary to off-page optimization, which is about optimization through external links and other external signals. On-site SEO refers to optimizing both the HTML code and the content of a webpage. It includes technical elements that affect the page speed of a webpage, such as JavaScript code integration. It may also require the intervention of IT developers to fix website issues, conduct folder reorganization in the server, and/ or Google errors/ warnings.
The purpose of on-site SEO
- Make it as easy as possible for search engines and users to understand what content each webpage is about
- Optimize the content and make it relevant for the targeted search query(s)
- Apply SEO tactics to make webpages rank well on a search engine result page (SERP)
Scope of on-site SEO
On-site optimization addresses a broad set of ranking factors such as page speed, multi-device readiness, structured data integration, site security, page crawlability and indexing, robots and XML sitemaps, broken links, elimination of loading blocking factors, internal link profile, on-page elements (content depth, readability, metadata..etc), local referencing and fixing code errors to name a few.
An SEO consultant checks and analysis the performances of webpages, based on the factors described above. In addition to the competition and Search engine result pages for that specific content’s keyword. Next, the strategy will be set and the necessary actions will be implemented. These actions ensure a well-optimized website in order to rank better in search engines. It is essential for the SEO expert conducting the on-site SEO optimization to have a technical background (good knowledge of CSS, HTML, and basic Javascript). Moreover, the SEO expert should be able to communicate effectively with IT developers for fixing code issues and optimizing the technical aspects of a website.
Advice on Implementation
- It necessary that the SEO expert communicates directly with your IT team. Some optimization elements require discussions with the IT developers and workarounds of technical issues to fit the specific state/ code/ theme of the website. This ensures proper project implementation covering the ranking factors and techniques.
- When the SEO-actions are implemented, conduct an SEO mini-audit. It might sound like additional time and budget, but it is very important to assess the SEO project implementation. You might find that some of the actions are either not carried out, some are partially carried out and/or badly implemented at worst. This can even cause you new SEO problems. Therefore, an audit is rather essential.
- Website layout and content can be interlinked. Therefore make sure to do an onsite mini audit after you make new changes to the website/ content.
On-site SEO services
You can expect from an SEO consultant to offer an on-site SEO action plan after performing an SEO audit. Both, the action plan and the audit report should be included in an overall SEO service package.
Generally, either a developer or a website agency is taking care of the SEO-actions. An IT developer can implement technical SEO-actions. An SEO consultant can take actions for the on-site SEO in CMS-based websites like WordPress.
SEO agency Approach
If you would like to have your website optimized, you can hire an SEO agency or an SEO expert that performs best on-site optimization practices and techniques. They will analyze your website extensively and help you to fix issues with due respect to your resources and business priorities. They provide you with precise and comprehensive technical information that you can communicate with your IT developers if you wish to implement the fixes independently. However, IT fixes should be done together with the SEO consultant to ensure proper implementation.
The right SEO partner doesn’t just give you a general analysis like “there are title tags with no content or with an insufficient content size”. The right partner provides you with all the necessary details about the issue and effective solutions to fix them. Additionally, you should be given the information needed for applying good SEO practices when preparing new content and creating new pages.
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