Key Elements of On-Page SEO

What factors determine which websites are shown in Google search result? Among other signals the search engine looks for is on-page SEO elements. As Google specialists explain in how their search algorithm works, they look for words that users type in their query, the relevance and authoritativeness of the websites, as well as the user’s location.

In this article, we show you how to optimize your website so that it meets all these conditions and is included in the list of results when people search for chiropractors.

How Do You Include On-Page SEO Elements on Your Website?

Modern site building platforms, such as Wordpress, are SEO friendly. This means that you will be provided with the tools and features that enable you to add SEO elements, such as:

• Customized URL (the www address of each page in your site)
• Page title (the words appearing just above the URL address in the browser window)
• Meta description (the text shown in Google searches under the URL)
• Image name, caption and ALT text (all texts elements pertaining to images in web pages).

By adding useful add-ons, such as Yoast SEO, to your website, you will get an intuitive interface that shows you exactly where to add your on-page SEO elements. Since an increasing number of small business owners create and administer their websites without hiring a programmer, content management systems for websites are designed to be very user friendly.

What Are the Most Important Elements of On-Page SEO?

Now let us get to the essential part of the article. Here is what every optimized website should include in order to rank higher in Google searches:

1. Relevant Keywords Used Properly

After doing keyword research, you need to implement the terms you selected in your website. Keywords should be present in:

• URLs
• Page title
• H1, H2 and H3 tags – titles and subtitles used in texts on website pages
• Meta description
• Image name, caption and ALT text
• Throughout the written content of the website.

You must resist the temptation of overusing keywords in your texts. Quantity does not equal quality in terms of SEO. Google actually penalizes websites for keyword stuffing. The accurate frequency is 1 keyword per 100 words of text. Thus, in a 500-word blog article you should use the main keyword maximum five times.

2. Fresh and Original Content

Google ranks higher websites that are constantly maintained and updated with new content. The content should be not only keyword optimized, but also:

• Original (not copied from other sources, this also represents copyright infringement, a punishable offense)
• Unique (do not post the same text on other pages or other websites, such as forums and guest post websites)
• Relevant for the keyword used and for the user’s intent.

This is why you should have a blog section attached to your website. Each new blog post you publish represents fresh content and will help your site rank higher in search results.

3. SEO-Friendly URLs

As we explained above, Wordpress is a popular site building platform because, among others, it allows you to create custom URLs for each page. By default, each new page in a website receives a unique code.

That is not helpful, either for SEO or for website visitors. A properly optimized URL:

• Contains your main keyword
• Has a logical meaning when people read it
• Is maximum 100 characters long.

4. Cross-Linking within the Website

Linking to various pages of your website in your content is yet another important on-page SEO element. It is also helpful for readers, who may want to jump directly to the appointment page, for instance, after reading the benefits of chiropractic for their condition.

Last but not least, your website must load quickly. It is a critical element of on-page SEO. People are no longer patient to wait for websites to load. If they don’t see anything in the first few seconds, they will move on to another chiropractor’s website.