Reputable SEO firms, such as those listed at bestseocompanies.com, often divide modern search engine optimization into two categories: on-page and off-page. On-page SEO is just what it sounds like: optimizing a website or page in order to achieve high search rankings. Like all forms of online marketing, there is a subtle art to good on-page SEO. Here are some fundamentals regarding just how to achieve it.

Create Useful Content

Tell me something I don’t know, many are probably thinking. But, year after year, unscrupulous advertisers and SEOs try to get around this tenet through black-hat practices. And, year after year, search engines have to remind marketers that they are placing a premium on authoritative content. For example, Google’s Hummingbird update sounded the death knell for individual keyword optimization as a cornerstone of SEO. Now it’s all about matching search phrasing rather than search words. This is where long-tail keywords come in. This is the practice of matching phrasing within the content to the phrasing in the searches. And those marketers without a solid long-tail keyword strategy should get one pronto, since the competition likely already has one.

As for the content of the actual content, it’s time to do away with the old rulebook. These days there’s more wriggle room, marketing wise, regarding web pages and blog posts. Now content can answer multiple questions provided the audience has a use for multiple answers. The overarching theme is that all blog posts, web pages, infographics and video clips needs to be meaty and substantive. Businesses often find that getting personal yields big returns. Many have had success posting weekly or bi-monthly columns written by those in leadership positions within the company. It helps to put a face to the operation. 

Publish Locally First

This should apply for the foreseeable future. That’s because publishing web content on third-party sites before showcasing at home is always going to ding authority. Even before considering Facebook and Twitter, SEO experts insist the content must originate on the business website if it stands a chance of flourishing down the line. Think about it: it doesn’t make sense to have a popular piece of content being read out there in cyberspace if it doesn’t bring that audience back to the website in question. 

Publish Frequently

This is a must. Those who want Google’s crawlers to index their content need to ensure they are producing content to index. And publishing quality content frequently—as in more than once a week—gives marketers the best shot at achieving high rankings.

Don’t Write Off Titles and Tags

Some SEOs would say that the aforementioned Hummingbird update rendered the importance of page titles and meta descriptions obsolete. That’s only in regards to shoehorning keywords into the content. Crafting descriptive titles and meta tags is still very crucial, mostly because these elements introduce a brand to an audience. It’s as much advertising 101 as it is SEO 101. Also, considering the ever-strengthening links between SEO and social media, creating descriptive titles in Facebook and Twitter profiles is now an optimization art unto itself.

URL Structure

Like creating catchy titles, focusing on solid URL structure is an SEO must. That’s because solid structure lets visitors to the site know what it is they are getting on each site page. Sound links, proper page grouping, incorporating a sitemap—these things are all crucial for good URL structure. Some other URL tactics can be found here.

These are just a few things to consider when preparing an on-page SEO strategy. There are other considerations as well, such as internal linking (linking to pages within the website) and speed as a ranking factor. (High-speed sites now enjoy higher authority.)