On-page optimization helps search engines and users better understand your website, your website’s content and ultimately, your brand! Optimizing the content on both your pages and posts is essential if you want to maximize your website’s organic search potential and improve your site’s user experience.
The Importance of Optimizing Pages and Posts
Search Engine Readability
Optimizing your website’s pages and blog posts make it easier for the search engines that crawl your site to understand what you’re talking about. When search engines understand your website’s content, they can deliver your pages and posts to the right users. If you want to reach potential customers searching relevant queries online, it’s important that your content, titles and meta tags are written with search engines in mind!
Website Traffic
Optimized content not only helps your website gain traffic overall, but grows the number of high-quality visitors you receive. Including relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for in your website’s content delivers more valuable traffic to your website. Relevant traffic leads to more engagement, conversions and sales for your business!
Quality Control
When you optimize your website pages and blog posts, you can improve the quality of your content significantly for both search engines and readers! Performing keyword research helps you better understand the topics your potential customers are searching for and the language they’re using. Optimizing your pages and posts with these keywords will guide your content and ensure relevance.
EAT
EAT, which stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness, is one of the factors Google considers when ranking your website. Google prioritizes high-quality content that demonstrates all three components of EAT. Optimizing your website’s content with relevant keywords and accurate information can help you establish your brand as a trusted authority online.
User Experience
An easily navigable website makes for a great user experience that makes visitors want to stay on your site and come back later! Content is at the center of user experience. By optimizing your content, you can make your website’s pages and posts easy to navigate. Hierarchical headings help guide readers through your copy too.
Optimizing Pages vs. Posts for Search Engines
When you’re optimizing content for your blog posts and website pages, it’s important to keep in mind their differences. The way users interact with pages and posts affects the way Google ranks them.
How to Optimize Pages for Search
Your website pages contain static content that is organized hierarchically, such as your about page, services page or contact page. If someone lands on a website page, they’re likely looking to find evergreen information about your business or products. Website pages typically have less content than posts so they’re easy to skim.
Unlike posts, website pages capture traffic from branded searches or general industry keywords. When you’re performing keyword research for your website pages, look for head terms with high search volumes and competition. Then incorporate those terms, as well as consistent brand terms, into your on-page copy!
It’s important that your on-page optimization includes keywords in the page’s copy, headings, URL, title and meta description. Use a variety of heading levels (H1, H2, H3) to help users and search engines understand the most important parts of your copy. Proper heading structure also makes your content more accessible for people who can’t easily read a screen!
How to Optimize Blog Posts for SEO
In contrast to pages, posts are timely entries that are listed in reverse chronological order on your website, with the most recent content at the top. Blog posts typically include news updates, interviews or educational articles, lists, how-to guides and other top of the funnel content. People typically land on a blog post when they’re looking to find more information on a specific topic. Blog posts’ click-worthy and timely nature makes them great for social sharing as well, which drives additional website traffic.
Blog posts are more likely to rank for long-tail keywords that have lower search volume and less competition. When you’re optimizing your blog posts, be sure to include more specific keyword phrases and deliver exactly what searchers are looking for. This way, you can maximize your organic search rankings and attract new customers searching for your services!
Use descriptive, structured headings to help users and search engines navigate your post. Then, create a unique, catchy title that’s about 55-60 characters. Title tags are the first thing users see once they enter a search query or discover a link to your post on social media. Craft a compelling title to grab your readers’ attention and give them a good idea of what to expect before they click!