With the increasing transition to digitalization, organizations are now relying on their websites to gain traction and increase their brand awareness. However, only a third of small businesses find it necessary to build a website. The Canadian Internet Registration Authority reports that 74% of Canadians spend three to four hours daily online. This statistic is noteworthy because 67% of those surveyed also reported having social media accounts.

Those who invested significant time and effort in building an exceptional website may notice it’s not receiving many clicks. Those who visit don’t even stay long enough to see the organization’s value proposition. 

Why is this happening? They have not prioritized optimizing their website to ensure an outstanding user experience (UX). You want to make your website appealing to your target audience and indexable by search engine crawlers. This strategy will encourage visitors to visit and become actual paying customers. 

On-page SEO is crucial in improving your website’s ranking and driving relevant traffic. 

Tips for Doing On-Page SEO

How do you ensure your on-page optimization is on point? Here are some tips from a Canadian SEO agency to help you get started. 

1. Do a Website Crawl

Conducting a website crawl is the first step in optimizing your website for search engines. This involves using a tool like Google Search Console to crawl your website and identify any technical SEO issues. 

The crawl will check for broken links, missing alt tags, duplicate content, and other technical issues that can negatively impact your website’s ranking. For example, redirects may cause visitors to report a poor user experience. As a result, they will look for another website, and you will lose your opportunity to convert. 

Once you’ve identified these issues, fix them to improve your website’s overall SEO. 

2. Run a Website Audit

You should also audit a comprehensive website to identify any on-page SEO issues. This includes analyzing your website’s meta tags, header tags, keyword usage, and content quality. A website audit will identify areas where you need to improve your on-page SEO to rank higher on SERPs.

3. Update Keywords

Keywords play a crucial role in on-page SEO. Determine the keywords your target audience is searching for and optimize your website’s content around them. In 2023, it’s important to focus on long-tail keywords and semantic search terms that reflect the natural language of your target audience. 

This should reflect not only on the content but also on title tags and meta descriptions. One study found that Google rewrites meta descriptions to focus on long-tail keywords. 

Update your existing content to include these keywords and ensure that your content is relevant, engaging, and informative.

4. Get Quality Backlinks

Backlinks are still important in determining your website’s search engine ranking. However, in 2023, it’s important to focus on quality over quantity. You must build high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites in your niche. Achieve these through guest blogging, influencer outreach, and content marketing. When building backlinks, focus on relevance, authority, and diversity.

5. Invest in High-Quality Content

No matter how many keywords you stuff your content, it won’t matter to your readers if it doesn’t bring value to them. 

Craft content that answers your audience’s questions, provides value, and solves their problems. Start with having a buyer persona, detail what your ideal target audience is, and know their pain points. You want to find a solution to their answers as much as possible. This way, you establish your site as their go-to for their needs. Building authority is also a major factor for on-page SEO. 

This will improve your website’s ranking. It’s also great for establishing your brand as an authority in your niche.

Key Takeaways

On-page SEO is critical for improving your website’s search engine ranking and attracting relevant traffic. By following these five on-page SEO best practices in 2023, you can optimize your website and stay ahead of the competition.

• Conduct a website crawl and audit to identify technical and on-page SEO issues.
• Focus on long-tail keywords and semantic search terms in 2023.
• Get high-quality backlinks from reputable websites in your industry.
• Invest in high-quality content that provides value and solves your audience’s problems.
• On-page SEO is a continuous process, so keep monitoring and optimizing your website for better results.