In this episode of Actionable Marketing In Minutes we talk with Mark Bowens about on page SEO.

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Problem:

We cannot over emphasize the importance of search engine optimization. That’s why we talk about it so often. The thing is, there are so many factors involved and the rules of engagement – or algorithms – are constantly changing and evolving. AND, while Google and the other search engines do sometimes give hints, they do not specify ranking factors. For these reasons, we have to continually stay on top of it. If we don’t do so, we run the risk of losing website traffic, brand visibility and awareness. And revenue.

To briefly remind you: optimization are activities one undertakes to ensure webpages and websites rank high in organic search results. Every element of your site can be optimized.

There are two main components of search engine optimization for any given website:

1. On-page and on-site optimization both focus on your own site’s elements.

2. Off-page and off-site elements refer to actions and activities that take place away from your website but that can help your site’s ranking.

Solution:

Today we’ll be talking about on-page and on-site ranking factors. These are ways to increase the ranking on any given page in your site. With on-page SEO, for example, you may optimize your content for your targeted keyword(s). Stay tuned. We plan to discuss how to do that in a minute.

But, first, let me introduce Mark Bowens, one of our resident SEO experts here at DirectiveGroup.

Q&A:

Q: Hi, Mark. Good to see you.

A: Good to be seen, Lisa;)

Q: Let’s jump right in.

A: OK.

Q: Mark, what are on-page ranking factors?

A: Okay, let’s give this some context. We have websites and the websites are composed of webpages. The On-page ranking factors are the elements on a given webpage that we can optimize to improve visibility in the search engines rankings.

Q: If I optimize my on-page ranking factors will I rank first on Google?

A: This is a question that I get often…

While it is possible, it’s not likely. In the majority of cases, you will need off-page signals from other websites to rank first on Google. If you want to maximize your chance of ranking first or even on the first page, you will need both on-page and off-page signals.

It’s like getting in shape…

If you want to transform your business you need to do the heavy lifting (Off-page)

Q: We’ll need to have you back to discuss the off-page and off-site signals.

A: I’m there!

Q: What does a really good optimized page look like?

A: Instead of talking about what the page looks like, I want to give you a few general that will let you know if the page is optimized.

1. The Content of the page should be unique and useful. If it’s not the page should probably not exist.

2. The page should be clearly themed around a topic or searchers intent. This ties into the usefulness and will allow you to optimize the page around specific keywords and answer specific questions that may be helpful and lead to conversion on the page.

3. The page should be accessible and crawlable. This gets into a more technical conversion but we want to make sure that Google can crawl and index the website.

Q: What are the most important on-page ranking factors?

A: There are many factors but let me run you through the most important.

* Target, unique and relevant content is one of the most important optimization factors. The content on the page is what makes the page worthy or not worthy of a ranking. So we want to start by understanding the searchers intent and crafting content that will answer those questions and solve those problems.

Then we want to include the keywords theme:

* Include subject in title tag

* Include subject in URL

* Include subject in image alt text

* Specify subject several times throughout text content

* As the second most important on-page factor, title tags tell the search engines what’s on your page. Similar to how a book chapter tell you what is in that specific chapter. The title tag is the text that you click in the search results, so it is important to include your keyword in a compelling a humanistic way. No keyword stuffing.

* Meta description is the marketing message that shows up in the results display under the title and the site’s link. It doesn’t matter much in optimization, but it will entice visitors to come to your page.

* Humanly-Readable URLs is the category hierarchy of your site. As I mentioned earlier, include the specific subject of your page, so it communicates the importance of each page.

Mark, thanks for coming in to discuss on-page ranking factors. Remember, you’re coming back to tell us all about off-page ranking factors. As you mentioned, both are vital for success in organic rankings.

Happy to, Lisa.

Benefits:

Well…again, we’ve run out of time and there is so much more to cover. Earlier, I reminded you that it’s important to update your site regularly. That’s because as your site grows and your content changes chances are, you will have new keywords to optimize. You will need to regularly review and tweak your site to not only maintain, but to improve, your ranking.

We hope you’ve found this information helpful. Please connect with us on Twitter @DirectiveGroup or on LinkedIn and be sure to share it with in your networks using hashtag #actionablemarketing. Join us next time for more actionable marketing in minutes.