Hello guys, I’m Akash, and welcome back to CybercityHelp once again. Today we are going to discuss about our second module of SEO, that is known as On-Page SEO.
In our second module, we will cover topics like what is on-page SEO, factors of on-page SEO, what is Page Quality Ranking, it’s guidelines, what is EEAT, what is YMYL and and many more interrelated concepts. So let’s get started.
What is On-Page SEO?
On-page SEO, which is also known as on-site SEO, is the art and science of optimizing the content on your page, both the written words and the HTML source code, to make it as discoverable as possible. For example, let’s say this is your website. You will have to work on some key areas such as your title, your meta description, your linking part, your images, and your videos. These are the key areas we have to work on carefully for applying on-page SEO.
What are the factors of On-Page SEO?
For doing on-page SEO, we also have to consider some of its factors. For example, we have content cluster, then we have HTML, and then we have architecture. Now I know you may not know these terms, so let me explain them so that you won’t get any problem while understanding the concept.
1. Content Cluster
So first, you have to identify your content. While identifying content, we have different aspects such as, spoke pages, page quality ranking. So let’s understand these terms as well one by one. Let’s understand with an example.
Let’s suppose you have a central idea, that is your hub, and then you have supporting pages that are known as spoke pages attached with your hub. This particular model is known as the hub-and-spoke model. Here we need to create a central page that acts as a hub for the content cluster and several spoke pages that are related to the hub page.
Spoke Pages
Let us also understand this with an example. Let’s say, your central idea is weight. Corresponding to the central idea, you have many spoke pages such as secrets of weight loss in a good diet, eight foods that will help you lose weight, why you need to eat often to lose weight, the 6 best weight loss YouTube videos, top 14 best resources for weight loss, yoga exercises for weight loss, the ultimate cheat sheet to lose weight, and 200 myths about weight loss. These all are called spoke pages.
Page Quality Ranking (PQR)
Next, we have page quality ranking. But here, there are some factors which are considered by search engines to rank your website high on Google search results. For example, in case of page quality ranking, these are the guidelines created by Google for its search quality evaluators to rate pages.
Guidelines of PQR
So, we have total of five guidelines. The first one is Page Meet Requirements (PMR) which have further five sub-types such as fully meets, highly meets, moderately meets then slightly meets and lastly fails to meet. Then the second guideline is YMYL Websites. Then the third guideline is EEAT Criteria, fourth is Freshness of Content and last one is Vertical Searches. So let me start explaining with our first guideline that is Page Meet Requirements.
1. Page Meet Requirements (PMR)
So PMR is just a indicator criteria for the content we publish on the internet using our website. For the content we post on search engine, we have some meets conditions which tells how our content satisfy user’s interest. So let us understand each meets one by one:
Fully Meets
The first guideline is Fully Meets. If I talk about the fully meets rating, as its name shows, it is a special rating category that only applies to certain queries. In this case, almost all mobile users would be immediately and fully satisfied by the result and would not need to view any other result to satisfy their need.
Highly Meets
Now the second guideline is Highly Meets. So this category is very helpful for many or most mobile users, though some users may wish to see additional results because it is not fully meets.
Moderately Meets
Now the third guideline is Moderately Meets. This is helpful for many users or very helpful for some mobile users, but still, many would look for additional results.
Slightly Meets
Fourth guideline is Slightly Meets. In this case, it is helpful for fewer mobile users. There is a connection between the query and the result, but not a strong and satisfying one. Most users would wish to see additional results.
Fails to Meet
The last guideline is Fails to Meet. As its name shows, it completely fails to meet the needs of mobile users. All users would wish to see additional results here. So these are the ratings decided by Google.
2. YMYL Websites
Next, we have YMYL pages. So YMYL means Your Money Your Life. These are the pages which have strict page quality ratings. If any of your webpages allow users to make a purchase, transfer money, or submit payment information, then, they fall under shopping or financial transaction pages.
If your webpage offers advice or services that help a user navigate their finances, then it will fall under the financial information or advice page category of YMYL. For example, those websites which helps in navigating taxes, investments, retirement planning, funding for college, or other major financial decisions.
If your website goes beyond standard medical conditions and pharmaceuticals to offer advice or information about health, drugs, specific diseases, mental health, nutrition, and more, then it will come under medical information or advice pages.
If any website offers legal information or advice, it falls under legal information pages, which include details about divorce, child custody, personal injury, creating a will, and so on. These have strict page quality rankings.
3. EEAT Criteria
Now next we have one model here, that is known as EEAT criteria for high page quality ranking. EEAT stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. These are the special kind of websites which google prefers more. Let us understand each criteria one by one below.
Expertise
The first criteria is Expertise. Expertise means formal expertise, for example, a doctor as the author of medical content. Let’s suppose you are writing any blog content related to medical topics, and in your author box, you mention that you are a doctor. In that case, your audience will consider that you are an expert in this particular field, and they can trust your website. This improves your page quality. Your author profile and bio help a lot in this type of page quality ranking.
Authoritativeness
Next criteria is authoritativeness. So it means if you add your About section, Contact section, testimonials, awards, and recognitions, then your users can rely more on your website. This also improves your page quality.
Trustworthiness
So now we have trustworthiness criteria. So it means your site shows reputable sources. For example, if your website is SSL Certified, your users can believe it is secure, and this improves your page quality. SSL certified means your website should have https protocol in your domain for safety and security.
4. Freshness of Content
Now the next factor is freshness of content. Freshness of content means that the website takes advantage of producing relevant content that matches the real-time pulse of their industry. Every piece of content you decide to write on your website must be fresh and unique, and you should have your own ideas. If you use any tool for writing content, Google may penalize you.
5. Vertical Searches
Next, we have vertical searches. Let’s suppose your website is not ranked on Google, but you can still rank it on Google Maps if you target your local audience. For example, if you have a restaurant and you do local SEO for it, then your local audience can find it on Google Maps. You can also rank on Google Images by uploading and optimizing images. Similarly, you can rank on Google News or even YouTube videos. These are some vertical search options.
2. HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
Now this is all about the content part in on-page SEO. Let’s start with the HTML part. HTML is Hypertext Markup Language, which is used in the creation of your website. In the HTML part, we take care of techniques such as title optimization, meta description, header tags, and image alt text.
Title Optimization
So the title optimization means focusing on the keyword and mentioning it in the title tag at least once, preferably close to the beginning. Header tags are also important. You can use the focus keyword once near the top of the page. H1 is your main heading, and H2, H3, and H4 are used for subheadings. This is just a idea about header tags. In our upcoming module, I will cover all of them in detail. So stay tuned with us!
Keywords in Body
Now next is using keywords in body text. You should use the focus keyword at least two or three times in your content, including variations. The keyword must appear in the first passage and the last passage of your text or article.
Image Alt
Then we have image alt text. When you use any image, you must add alternative text. If your image is not visible on Google, the alt text will be shown instead. Use the focus keyword at least once in the alt text. This helps not only in web search but also in image search.
Meta Description
Next is the meta description. When you search a query on Google, you see the title and description. That description is the meta description. It does not directly impact SEO but indirectly plays a big role because it is the first thing that tells users about your website. You must write a strong meta description that summarizes your content. You should include your keyword at least once. The meta description is not used for ranking, but it helps attract more clicks from search results.
3. Architecture
After the HTML part, the next factor is architecture. So in architecture, we can work on crawling, speed, mobile-friendliness, and URLs. For example, when creating a website on WordPress, we must ensure that it is mobile-friendly because most people want to access websites on mobile devices.
What things to Avoid in On-Page SEO?
There are multiple things to avoid. But I am going to tell you about the most important ones which people generally make. So these are thin content, cloaking, keyword stuffing and hidden content. Let me explaain each terms one by one:
1. Thin Content
Now let’s talk about the things we must avoid in on-page SEO. First, we have thin content. Google’s bot targets sites with thin content and treats them similar to spam. The amount of content on your site must not be too little, it should provide value.
2. Cloaking
Next is cloaking. Cloaking is a bad activity where search engines are shown a completely different version of the page compared to what we see. For example, on YouTube, sometimes the title says one thing, but the actual video is completely different. This is called as cloaking.
3. Keyword Stuffing
Then we have keyword stuffing. This means using the same keyword again and again unnaturally, often at the bottom of the page. Proper keyword density should be around 1 to 2%. For example, in a 100-word article, you should only use the keyword one or two times.
4. Hidden Content
Another thing to avoid is hidden content. For example, if you use white text on a white background, the content becomes invisible to users. This is hidden text, and it must be avoided.
Alright, so this is the end of our second module of SEO. We have explained all the concepts of On-page SEO. We hope that, after reading all the concepts, you will be able to properly apply these concepts into your website. We have tried our level best to properly explain the topic in easiest language. In our first module, we had discussed too much, and it was very long as well, but this time the length is not more and only concepts are there.
However, many modules are there to teach and explain. So we will explain those modules in our upcoming articles. Thank you so much for reading this article. If you have any questions or doubts regarding any topic or concepts, feel free to ask in the comments section.
“So keep Learning, keep Growing!”
