On-page SEO is everything you control directly on a page to help it rank — as opposed to off-page factors like backlinks. Here's a practical checklist you can run through for every important page on your site.
Content and keywords
- One primary keyword per page. Trying to rank one page for five unrelated keywords usually means it ranks well for none of them.
- Keyword in the title tag, ideally near the beginning.
- Keyword in the H1, phrased naturally.
- Keyword in the first 100 words of the content.
- Related terms and synonyms throughout — Google understands context, not just exact-match repetition.
Structure
- One H1 per page, followed by a logical hierarchy of H2s and H3s.
- Short paragraphs and scannable formatting — bullet points, bold key terms, and white space all help readability.
- Internal links to related pages on your own site, using descriptive anchor text rather than "click here."
Technical basics
- Descriptive, keyword-relevant URL slugs — short and readable beats long and generic.
- Meta description that accurately summarizes the page and encourages a click, even though it's not a direct ranking factor.
- Compressed images with descriptive file names and alt text.
- Mobile-friendly layout — test on an actual phone, not just a browser resize.
- Fast load time — every extra second of load time measurably increases the chance a visitor leaves before the page even finishes loading.
Trust and depth
- Genuinely comprehensive content that answers the query completely, not a thin 200-word page competing against 2,000-word guides.
- Fresh, accurate information — update older pages periodically rather than letting them go stale.
A quick way to use this checklist
Don't try to fix every page on your site at once. Start with the pages that already get some traffic but aren't converting, or the ones targeting your highest-value keywords — small on-page improvements there tend to move the needle fastest.
