The best SEO techniques include it with good cause…
Here’s an easy to understand guide to the importance of on page optimization for small business SEO: 40% of a given site page’s ability to show up within Google & Bing is a direct result of properly applied on-site search engine optimization!
There are exceptions to this broad rule and in this case, the answer is more subtle.
If a search term has minimal competition, search engine optimization implemented within a site’s page will actually have significantly more effect. This is why it is so incredibly beneficial to research & understand a target market first so that you can find these search terms and optimize for them.
By better understanding your brand, your perfect target clients, and what your competitors are already doing, you can find better SEO terms to target. For example, a site with 75 to 150 well written posts that are ranking well by targeting less competitive terms can yield as much traffic as a site with a handful of pages targeting highly competitive, more difficult to rank for terms. And because the topics tend to be more specific, you can increase the chance that you’re attracting individuals with purchase intent.
Plus such content depth proves to search engines (and the world) that you’re an authority on the topic. Yes it’s more work, however this SEO method can be worth it in the long run for one simple reason: As your site gains SEO power for “easy” terms, it will gain similar power for more difficult terms as well.
And if a search term has a ton of competitors, on page optimization is just as critical as it helps all the other off page SEO optimization steps that must be undertaken to make a site page competitive for that search phrase. Without the 40% covering the basics, the more expensive to implement off-page SEO strategies that account for roughly 60% of the ability for a page to rank will be ineffective.
It is simple enough to rattle off the common components of on site optimization techniques. What most folks miss out on is that SEO page optimization factors you have to implement will vary significantly depending on what website pages Bing & Google have already determined are well optimized to rank at or near the top for particular SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages).
Most articles (and many less experienced SEO “experts”) will tell you that to have a well optimized site for the best potential rankings in search engines, you need to position keyword terms tactically in a couple of page locations to increase on site SEO. These recommended factors often include placing exact SEO terms within Titles, Meta Descriptions, and Headers. However, too much optimizing can actually harm outcomes. This is called over-optimization and yes, it is a thing. (At LiftDemand we help you understand how to cope with these issues.)
Also, if you serve a regional market, part of your small business SEO game plan must include mentioning names of the areas you serve within the content. This local SEO marketing strategy has a direct impact on your page’s ability to appear in SERPs that are locally targeted. Examples of search terms that relate to local search include statements like “who is the best personal injury attorney near me” or “auto insurance near me”.
If you’re not sure what SEO factors & techniques have a high influence on search outcomes (ranking & traffic), here’s a quick page specific SEO checklist to help you improve and create success:
- Make sure your content offers exceptional value from a unique point of view. Move beyond the basics and put yourself in the shoes of the website visitor who’s asking the question in the search engine in the first place.
- Add more value than simply trying to “sell” your services or products.
- Offer a superior reading experience while maintaining optimization.
- Information is expressed with well written English.
- Make certain the visitor has a great experience. That means you have a good-looking website design that presents your brand in the most positive light possible. Also be sure your content looks amazing on mobile devices too.
- Make it easy for visitor to visually scan the content.
- Content renders quickly in browsers.
- Incorporates multi-media and interactive elements when possible. (Video, Audio, Surveys, Mini-Games, Etc.)
- Target your content optimization to one primary keyword concept and then add supporting keywords to maximize your page’s search engine optimization footprint.
- Incorporate targeted keywords without feeling like it’s been keyword stuffed for SEO.
- Has a statistically relevant sub-set of words that create emotional connection.
- Leverages words that are frequently found in top search results.
- Take the time to tell the search engines what’s important about your content. This includes leveraging your Title, Meta Description, and the URL (the page’s address) to properly optimize your content. And be sure these are also written to grab the attention of someone searching for answers. You want to attract clicks!
- URL appears on a sitemap.
- Site allows search engine robots to crawl content.
- Content is displayed in a manner that avoids duplicate content issues.
- Be certain you put other elements to work for on-page search engine optimization including author details, schema, and rich snippets as appropriate.
- Schema helps better describe the content, for example whether it’s a news article, blog post, review, recipe, etc.
- Snippets can help describe your content with even more depth and are for specific types of content.
- Incorporate linking strategies!
- Make certain your content can be easily found within 4 clicks.
- Include one or two outbound links to other topically relevant authority sites as well.
TIP: If you leverage WordPress, we include a number of SEO tools as part of our service, training, and coaching to help you master these elements with ease while avoiding over optimization.
So yes, leveraging search engine optimization that targets page-specific SEO factors is crucial:
- Depending on the target search phrase, basic SEO will help a page appear in organic search engine results without other, more costly off-page SEO optimization efforts.
- It is fundamental to achieving success with more difficult and competitive SEO keyword concepts.
- It is the foundation for a broader off page SEO plan.
- If you serve a local market and are trying to optimize for local SEO as well.
And remember that SEO optimization is only one part of a complete set of best practices that are required to increase leads and sales in a local services business. Start by leveraging our complimentary competitive online marketing analysis to understand how well positioned your brand is in your local market. The audit results will serve as a guide to help you “rank local” to generate more traffic, leads, and sales from the people most likely to do business with you. Armed with this info, you can begin the SEO process of creating targeted on page optimization to outpace your competitors in SERPs.
