What is on-page Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?
- Molly Govus
- May 20
- 6 min read
You’ve likely landed here because you want to get your website found on search engines like Google. While navigating this challenge, you’ve probably come across the term SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)… and felt more than mildly overwhelmed. Completely natural, by the way.
Let us first reassure you by saying that on-page SEO sounds a lot scarier than it actually is…
On-page SEO is the practice of improving the content on your website so it is as clear, useful, and relevant as possible, both for the people reading it and for search engines to decide whether to show it (and where to rank it) on the SERP (search engine results page).
This process is also known as organic traffic, where you get more eyes on your website without paying for ads. It’s a longer game than paid traffic, but far more sustainable.
What are the different types of SEO?
Before we head broomstick-first into on-page SEO, it’s important to note that SEO is made up of three different pillars. On-page SEO is an entity of its own…
Technical SEO: The behind-the-scenes stuff. Technical SEO includes how fast your website is, whether it works on mobile, and how easy it is for search engines to find (crawl) and organise (index) your pages.
Off-page SEO: Everything that happens away from your website (but still affects how it ranks). This is where backlinks (other websites linking to yours) come into play. Backlinks are like little votes of confidence that signal to search engines that your website and its content can be trusted.
On-page SEO: What happens on your actual website pages. On-page SEO is all about the content itself, how it’s structured, the words you use, and how easily readers and search engines can understand it.
These three pillars work together to build a full picture of how useful and informative your website is. The easier it is to understand, and the more value your content offers, the more likely search engines will push your page to the highest spot (ranking) in the SERP. And that is the ultimate goal!
So, is on-page SEO the most important pillar? We’d definitely say so, because it’s the one you have the most direct control over. If you’re a small business owner or solopreneur researching SEO for the first time, on-page optimisation is definitely the best place to start.
What is on-page content?
Let’s break down what counts as on-page content, so you know exactly what you need to optimise. On-page content is everything a website visitor can see and interact with on a specific page of your website. If it lives on the page, it counts.
Written copy: Blog posts, service and product descriptions, about page, homepage text, FAQs, and any other content you have on your website.
Images and videos: Visual content to support your written copy.
Headings and subheadings: The types of titles you use to structure and signpost your content, also known as H1s, H2s, H3s, and H4s.
Links: The links you add to your website, directed to other pages on your site (internal) and other websites (external). Not to be confused with backlinks.
Understanding what counts as on-page content on your website is essential because each page is a unique opportunity to rank for something your potential customers or clients are searching for.
How to optimise your on-page content
Now you know the theory, it’s time to put what you’ve learnt into action. Here’s how to actually do on-page SEO in two simple steps.
Step 1: Optimise your content for people
Bland, uninspiring AI-generated content is everywhere nowadays, which means that search engines are getting very good at distinguishing genuinely useful content from churned-out filler.
If you’re going to take anything away from this guide, let it be this: When optimising, think about your reader first and search engine algorithms second.
Here’s a simple people-first content checklist to run through before you hit publish:
My on-page content… | |
Is relevant and comes from a place of expertise | The topic or information is a natural fit for my audience, and I have the experience and knowledge to back it up. |
Answers what my audience is searching for | I have thought about the questions they’re asking and/or the information they’re seeking, and my content directly addresses their needs. |
Is original | I have written this content myself and I have not duplicated it from another website or author. |
Is well-written and free from errors | I have proofread the content and read it aloud to identify any spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. |
Is accurate and up-to-date | I have checked that all information is current and correct, and removed any outdated statistics or references. |
Features useful multimedia | I have included relevant images, videos, and graphics to break up long chunks of text and improve reader engagement. |
Is more informative than what is already ranking | I have checked the top results for my target keyword and believe that my version is more useful, thorough, and clear to the reader. |
Is easy to scan | I have used a variety of sub-headings, short paragraphs, and lists where relevant to make the page visually appealing. |
Includes E-E-A-T signals | I believe that my content demonstrates Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness through credible sources, accurate information, and clear authorship. |
Includes relevant internal links and authoritative external links | I have included relevant links to my own website and to authoritative and trustworthy external sources where required. |
Step 2: Optimise your content for search engines
Once you’re confident that your content genuinely serves your reader and speaker to their needs, it’s time to layer in more technical on-page SEO elements.
Work through this checklist for every page you publish…
My on-page content… | |
Includes relevant keywords and keyword clusters | I have woven in the words and phrases my audience uses when searching for information online. Learn more: Do keywords really make a difference to your web copy? |
Features a title tag | I have checked that the clickable headline that appears in the SERP is clear, relevant, and includes my primary keyword. |
Features a meta description | I have checked that the short page summary (the snippet beneath the title in the SERP) clearly communicates the value of the page content. Learn more: A complete guide to mastering SEO metadata |
Includes correctly-structured header tags | I have used H1 for my main title, H2 for major sections, and H3s for sub-points within these sections, in logical order. Example:
|
Includes clear and helpful paragraph text | I believe that my main content directly answers what the user is searching for in plain but useful language. |
Features images with alt-text added | I have added a short, accurate description to each image so search engines and screen readers can understand it. Example: “A smiling woman with green glasses and wavy, auburn hair.” |
Has a clean and readable URL | I have checked that the page URL reflects its contents and is easy to read. Example: /blog/what-is-on-page-seo vs. /blog/id=49028 |
On-page SEO vs GEO: Is there a difference?
GEO stands for generative engine optimisation, which is where you optimise your content to appear in AI-generated answers. Common examples include answers found in Google AI overviews or ChatGPT responses.
On-page SEO focuses on ranking in the traditional SERPs, whereas GEO focuses on being cited by AI tools. They focus on different channels but hold the same underlying principle of creating content that is clear, credible, and useful to the reader.
On-page SEO practices and GEO practices overlap, with high-quality, well-structured, authoritative content consistently coming out on top in both channels. In summary, good GEO is good SEO, so you can’t really go wrong.
However, if you’re a small business owner or just starting your SEO journey, on-page SEO should be your top priority. GEO is important to keep in mind as AI search grows, but on-page SEO is far more established, measurable, and will give your website the strongest SEO foundation.
Get found online with The Content Coven
On-page SEO is extremely powerful when done right, and now you know exactly where you need to start! However, knowing what to do and actually having the time to do it are very different things…
At The Content Coven, we specialise in on-page SEO optimisation and copywriting services for small businesses and marketing agencies. Whether you need a hand with your keyword strategy or optimising your homepage, we’ve got the content spells to help you get noticed.
Get in touch with our team of friendly neighbourhood word witches or check out our free SEO resources, and let’s make some magic.