On-Page SEO: Stop Obsessing and Start Organising

On-Page SEO: Stop Obsessing and Start Organising

On-page SEO isn't the dark magic it's been made out to be. It’s not a secret language between a handful of gurus and the Google algorithm.

It's mostly just tidying up.

The problem is that most business owners are drowning in checklists, acronyms, and conflicting advice. They're told to worry about keyword density, LSI keywords, and a dozen other technical terms that spin their heads. They focus so much on these supposed “tricks” that they miss the entire point.

Here’s the solution: reframe on-page SEO for what it is. It's the simple act of organising the information on a web page so it's clear for both a human reader and a machine.

That’s it. If a human gets it, Google gets it.

This article will walk you through the foundational elements of on-page SEO that matter: no fluff, no jargon, just a straightforward guide to getting your house in order.

What On-Page SEO Actually Is (And What It Isn't)

On-page SEO optimises the content and HTML source code of an individual page on your website. Its goal is to make it easier for search engines to understand the page's context and for users to find it valuable.

It isn't about “keyword density.” Please, let’s leave that idea in 2008 where it belongs. Repeating your primary keyword 17 times doesn't rank you higher; it just makes your writing sound terrible. Google is far more sophisticated than that now. It’s not a game of tricks.

Think of it this way: your website is a library. On-page SEO is how you organise a single book. It needs a clear title on the cover (Title Tag), a table of contents (Headings), and well-written chapters that deliver on the title's promise (Content). A messy pile of notes without structure is useless to a reader, and a search engine feels the same.

The Only Three Buckets You Need to Care About

Forget the endless checklists. Everything you do for on-page SEO falls into one of three simple buckets.

• Content: This is the actual answer to a user's question. It’s the words, the images, the videos, and the data you present. Is it accurate, helpful, and comprehensive?
• Architecture (HTML): These are the signposts that structure your content. This includes your Title Tag, Meta Description, Headings (H1, H2, etc.), and URL. They tell Google and the user about the page before they even read the first sentence.
• User Experience (UX): This is how it feels to consume the answer. Is the page fast? Is it easy to read on a phone? Does the layout make sense? A brilliant answer on a frustrating page is still a bad experience.

Nail these three areas, and you've nailed on-page SEO.

The Foundation: Getting the Content Right Before Anything Else

You can have the world's most technically perfect page architecture, but if the content is rubbish, it's all for nothing. This is 90% of the work that, bizarrely, most people rush through to get to the “SEO part.”

This is the SEO part.

The Single Most Important Factor: Search Intent

Before you write a single word, you must ask one question: what did the user really want when they typed that query into Google? This is called search intent, and you will fail if you get it wrong. It's an automatic disqualification.

There are generally three types of intent you need to recognise:

1. Informational: The user wants to know something. They're looking for an answer, a guide, or an explanation. Examples include “how to tie a tie” or “what is the capital of Australia.” They want blog posts, videos, or step-by-step guides.
2. Commercial Investigation: The user is considering buying something, but is still in the research phase. They want reviews, comparisons, and “best of” lists. Examples: “best running shoes for flat feet” or “Mailchimp vs ConvertKit.”
3. Transactional: The user is ready to buy. They have their wallet out. Examples: “buy Nike Air Max size 10” or “Inkbot Design quote.” They want to land directly on a product page or a contact form.

Your biggest mistake is creating content that mismatches the intent. You can't rank a philosophical blog post about the history of footwear for the transactional query “buy Nike Air Max.” Google knows the user wants a product page, and it will serve them one. Always check the first page of Google for your target query to see what type of content is already ranking. Google is literally showing you the answer.

E-E-A-T: Google's Fancy Acronym for “Don't Post Rubbish”

E-E-A-T is a concept based on Google's own quality guidelines. It stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It's a filter Google uses to determine if your content is credible.

Here's the simple breakdown for a small business owner:

• Experience: Have you used the product or done what you're writing about? An article about hiking in the Scottish Highlands written by someone who has done it is infinitely more valuable than one written from a desk in London.
• Expertise: Do you know what you're talking about? A qualified accountant writing about tax returns carries more weight than a random blogger.
• Authoritativeness: Do other experts in your field recognise you? Others often show this by linking to your content or mentioning your brand.
• Trustworthiness: Is your site secure (HTTPS)? Is your contact information easy to find? Do you cite sources for claims? Are you transparent about who you are?

You don't need to be a global authority, but you do need to be a credible source of information. Demonstrate your experience, write what you know, and be transparent.

The Architecture: Building the Page's Skeleton

Once you have a solid, intent-matched piece of content, it's time to build the structure around it. This is the part many think of as “technical SEO,” but it's just logical labelling.

The Title Tag: Your Page's Front Door

The Title Tag is the most critical piece of on-page architecture. The blue link appears in the Google search results, and the text appears in the browser tab. It's your one chance to convince a searcher to click on your result instead of someone else's.

Follow these rules:

• Keep it under 60 characters. Any longer and it will likely get cut off in the search results.
• Place your primary keyword near the front. This helps both users and Google immediately identify the page's topic.
• Make it accurate and compelling. Don't write misleading clickbait. The title must reflect the content of the page.

Bad Title Tag: My Blog Post Okay Title Tag: A Guide to Understanding On-Page Search Engine Optimisation Good Title Tag: On-Page SEO: A Practical Guide for Beginners | Inkbot Design

The Meta Description: The Sales Pitch Under the Title

The Meta Description is the small snippet of text (around 155 characters) that appears below the Title Tag in search results.

Crucially, the meta description is not a direct ranking factor. Google doesn't use keywords to rank your page. However, it has a massive impact on your Click-Through Rate (CTR). A well-written meta description acts as ad copy, convincing the user that your page has the best answer.

A good meta description summarises the page's value proposition. It should include your keyword naturally (Google often bolds it in the results) and end with a subtle call to action.

Example Meta Description: Learn the fundamentals of on-page SEO without the jargon. This guide covers the key elements to organise your content and improve rankings.

Headings (H1, H2, H3): The Table of Contents

Headings structure your content for scannability. Humans rarely read web pages word-for-word; they scan for information. Headings act as signposts that guide them through your content. Search engines use them in the same way to understand the information hierarchy.

• H1 Tag: This is the main title of your page's content. There should only be one H1 per page. It should be similar to your Title Tag but can be longer and more descriptive.
• H2 Tags: These are your main section headings, like chapters in a book. This article uses H2S for topics like “The Architecture” and “The Foundation.”
• H3 Tags: These are subheadings within an H2 section. This article uses H3S for topics like “The Title Tag” and “The Meta Description.”

Use headings logically to break up your text and create a clear information hierarchy.

The URL Slug: The Tidy Web Address

The URL slug is the part of the web address that comes after the final backslash (/).

Example: https://inkbotdesign.com/blog/on-page-seo-guide The slug is: on-page-seo-guide

Keep your URLs short, descriptive, and clean.

• Use your primary keyword.
• Separate words with hyphens (-), not underscores (_).
• Remove unnecessary stop words like “a,” “an,” and “the.”

A clean URL makes reading and understanding easier for humans and search engines.

Optimising The Content Itself (The Finer Details)

With the main skeleton in place, a few final touches within the content can refine the user's journey and strengthen Google's understanding of your page.

Internal Linking: Connecting the Dots

Internal links point from one page on your site to another. They are incredibly powerful for two reasons:

1. For Users: They help users navigate your website and discover more relevant content, keeping them engaged longer.
2. For Search Engines: They help Google understand the relationship between your pages and distribute ranking power (often called “link equity”) throughout your site.

When you link to another page, use descriptive anchor text. Anchor text is the clickable text itself.

Bad Anchor Text: To learn more about web design, **click here**. Good Anchor Text: A solid SEO strategy is built into the foundation of our **web design services**.

The second example tells the user and Google exactly what they will find when they click the link.

Image SEO: More Than Just Pictures

Images are critical for breaking up text and explaining concepts, but can drain page speed if mishandled.

First, always compress your images before uploading them. Use a tool like TinyPNG or ImageOptim to drastically reduce the file size without sacrificing much quality.

Second, use descriptive Alt Text. Alt text (alternative text) is an HTML attribute that describes an image. Screen readers use it for visually impaired users and by search engines to understand what an image is about.

Your alt text should be a literal, concise description of the image. If the keyword naturally fits, include it, but don't force it.

Bad Alt Text: alt=”image123.jpg” Good Alt Text: alt=”A screenshot of the Yoast SEO plugin showing the title tag and meta description fields.”

The Final Polish: User Experience Signals

Google's primary job is to provide its users with the best possible answers. That means sending them to pages that aren't frustrating to use. User experience is a critical part of on-page SEO.

Page Speed & Core Web Vitals

How fast your page loads is a confirmed ranking factor. Nobody wants to wait for a slow website. Google measures this experience with a set of metrics called Core Web Vitals, which essentially ask three questions:

• How fast does the main content load? (Largest Contentful Paint – LCP)
• How quickly can the user interact with the page? (First Input Delay – FID / Interaction to Next Paint – INP)
• Does the layout shift around as it loads? (Cumulative Layout Shift – CLS)

You don't need to be a performance expert, but you need to know that page speed matters. This often comes down to the quality of your website's build. A bloated, poorly coded theme will always be slow.

Mobile-Friendliness: A Non-Negotiable

The majority of Google searches now happen on mobile devices. Because of this, Google uses the mobile version of your website for indexing and ranking (this is called “mobile-first indexing”).

The conclusion is simple: your website must provide a flawless experience on a phone. The text must be readable without pinching to zoom, buttons must be easy to tap, and the layout must adapt perfectly. There is no room for compromise here.

A Simple On-Page SEO Workflow for a New Page or Post

Feeling overwhelmed? Don't be. Here is a simple, repeatable workflow you can use whenever you create a new piece of content.

1. Identify One Target Keyword/Topic: Decide on the page's primary focus.
2. Analyse Search Intent: Google that keyword. What kind of pages are ranking? Blog posts? Product pages? Videos? Match the format.
3. Outline with Headings: Create your H1 and a list of H2S and H3S before writing. This is your content skeleton.
4. Write the Content: Write a clear, helpful answer to the user's query. Use short paragraphs. Add relevant, compressed images with good alt text.
5. Write the Architectural Bits: Craft a concise, compelling Title Tag (under 60 characters), a Meta Description (under 155 characters), and a clean URL slug.
6. Add Internal Links: Find 2-3 opportunities to link to other relevant pages or posts on your website using descriptive anchor text.
7. Review and Publish: Do a final read-through. Check how it looks on your mobile phone. Then hit publish.

It Really Is That Simple

Stop chasing algorithms. Stop looking for loopholes and secret tricks. The entire discipline of on-page SEO boils down to a straightforward mandate: provide a clear answer in a clear structure.

Focus on your users wants, and present that information in a logical, easy-to-navigate format. A well-organised page is a well-optimised page.

Your Website's Foundation

Notice how all these critical elements—speed, mobile-friendliness, a clear structure—are fundamentally part of good design. Great SEO isn't bolted on afterwards; it's built in from the start. No on-page tweaking will fix the underlying problems if your site's foundation is cracked.

See how we build SEO into our web design services from day one, or request a quote if you're ready to get the fundamentals right.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)