SEO FAQ

Heading tags (H1, H2, H3 etc.) are HTML markup used to organize and designate the most important parts of a single web page. Think of them collectively as an outline that helps Googlebot determine what your page is all about.

Traditionally, the H1 tag was used once per page, as close to the top as possible, to designate the main theme of a document. It was once a critical on-page SEO element with a decent amount of influence on rankings. In recent years, however, much of that influence has been reduced but their use is still important.

The H2 tags are used to break up specific sections of the main theme and can be used several times as needed. H3s, and up are less important but still can be used to designate important parts within each section.

In 2017, heading tags can be used in a variety of ways depending on how your page is presented. The emergence of HTML5 changed the game, making multiple H1 tags make sense.

Alt text stands for “alternate text”. It was created to give users “alternate” information if for one reason or another they couldn’t view an image. So if a visitor has a slow connection, there’s an error in the image source, or they are visually impaired (requiring the use of a screen reader), they’ll still be able to see or hear the alternative text (as long as it’s being used). It also gives search engine crawlers the ability to index images properly.

Example of an Alt Tag: <img src=”hamburger.jpg” alt=”hamburger with dripping BBQ sauce on a bun with bacon, onions, lettuce, and tomatoes.”>

Alternative text is on the list of on-page seo factors that contribute to ranking increases in Google and Bing.

Alt Text Best Practices

• Be Specific – when creating alt text for an image be as specific as possible to convey what the image is all about. Do you think the alt text for the image above should be hamburger? I think we can do better than that. How about alt=”hamburger with dripping BBQ sauce on a bun with bacon, onions, lettuce, and tomatoes.”
• Be Concise – screen readers stop at about 125 characters. Keeping it under that limit is recommended.
• Be Thorough – all of your images should have alt text. Don’t limit their use to photos. Alt text should be added to buttons and other design elements to describe their function.
• Be Sure to Add Keywords – if an image on your page is relevant to the keywords you are targeting on the page, don’t be afraid to add them. Alt text gives you another opportunity to let search engines know that images on your page are relevant to a particular search query. Don’t stuff keywords. One descriptive phrase will do.

For desktop, keeping the title tag of a page below 65-70 characters in length is optimal. Anything above that may not display properly. There isn’t an exact character limit but most search engines will cap it at 600 pixels.

The example below shows a title tag that is over 70 characters for the search term “SEO Tools”. As you can see Google has truncated the listing with the deadly three dots.

Below is the actual title tag and what they missed on the listing. Rearranging and shortening the text in the title may help CTR. The text “(No Download)” may be all it takes to get a few extra clicks.

For mobile devices, website owners have about 78 characters to work with. As you can see below the same problem occurs. Even with 78 characters to work with the mobile title tag still is showing a truncated version.

Since you can’t really differentiate a title tag by device it’s best to keep your titles under 70 characters or 600 pixels to be safe.

Traditionally, on-page SEO has been defined as strategies used to increase the rankings of a page by modifying the content or underlying HTML source code. This often meant adding keywords throughout the page (usually after the content was written) in certain important places as determined by the latest search engine algorithm. In many cases there was no regard to quality, value, or uniqueness of content.

In 2017, the definition of on-page SEO should be slightly modified to include a few other factors that take into account user experience. Don’t get me wrong, keywords are still important but forfeiting user experience to achieve the perfect balance of keywords just doesn’t make sense anymore. According to Moz, less than 15% of organic search engine rankings can be attributed to keyword based factors. So technically you could say on-page SEO is mostly about the user experience with a secondary consideration given to keywords on the page.

Having the perfect mix of the two will lead to great rankings.

Factors that Allow for a Great User Experience

• Unique and valuable content
• Page load speed
• Responsive web design (can render on any device)
• Created to be shared on social media

On-page Elements for Keyword Targeting

• Title Tags – Target your main keyword as close to the beginning of the tag as possible.
• Meta Description – The meta description will not directly influence your search engine ranking. It could, however, help improve click through rates (CTR) in the search results.
• Heading Tags – There are several types of heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.). The main topic of your page should be your H1 tag. The other heading tags should provide support for your H1.
• Standard Page Text – the body of your page should be written naturally using a variety of keywords relevant to the topic of the page. Overusing your targeted keywords may create a negative effect.
• Bold, Underlined, and Italic Text – Don’t overdue it. They can be used to highlight specific words on the page.
• Images & Alt Tags – Alt tags were created to give visitors “alternate” information if for one reason or another they couldn’t view an image. Alternative text is on the list of on-page seo factors that contribute to ranking increases in Google and Bing.
• Keywords in the URL – A good URL should include keywords. This will help with relevancy as well as providing great anchor text.
• Outbound Linking – Search engines may reward external links to quality pages.

Conclusion

The best way to increase your rankings using on-page elements is through a mix of user experience and keyword targeting. Creating the most valuable content possible should always be the #1 goal.

Now that you’ve learned about on-page SEO factors, take a look at our list of off-page SEO factors.