Updated January 13, 2023
Reading Time: 3 minutesThat Organically Increase Web Traffic
On page SEO is another term for “organic SEO,” the art and science of attracting website traffic. Some think it’s the holy grail of online marketing. It’s a simple calculation really: increase qualified visitors to a web page and then convert them into customers. Basically there are two ways to increase web traffic: paid and unpaid. Paid is via Google AdWords, Bing Advertising, etc. If you’ve got money to spend, you can turn the website traffic spigot on. However, we recommend having a balanced approach, mixing both Search Engine Marketing and Organic SEO. Here are our top 5 On Page SEO Strategies to grow your organic rankings that drive qualified website traffic:
1. Publish Content Consistently
This On Page SEO strategy is pretty cut and dried. The goal is to train search engine bots to visit your website regularly. That’s why it so important to publish blog posts on the same day each week at the same time of day. The more consistent you are, it’s a signal to crawlers to come back. Reward them with new content and eventually your content will be indexed (read: visible) more quickly.
If you aren’t consistent yet, start small. Commit to a schedule and stick with it. If you have the luxury of time, create an inventory of unpublished posts. Ideally you’ll have several weeks of content in the queue. Use an editorial calendar to plan and schedule content, especially if there is seasonality to your business.
A word about having a separate blog from your main website. Fresh, published content is the fuel for On Page SEO rankings. It makes zero sense to build SEO rankings for a blog when it’s your main website that converts a sale. Our recommendation is build and keep SEO momentum by combining them.
So to recap, your content should be:
- Related to your business niche
- Original (not duplicated somewhere else)
- Provide value to your target audience
- Published the same day and time (e.g., monthly, weekly, daily)
2. Optimized Content for On Page SEO
For this strategy, we assume you have quality information to share with potential website visitors. Otherwise, don’t bother. Google is cracking down on keyword-stuffed drivel that’s posted on the Web every day. Here’s what we mean by quality content: it helps a human learn about something or answers a question. It’s readable and has a point. It’s relevant to your industry. It’s something you’d be proud to share with others.
Ok, now for the next ingredient for this On Page SEO strategy: keywords. Keywords are words, phrases, questions that are posed to search engines by human searchers. Hopefully you’ve done keyword research that analyzes:
- Search phrases relevant to your business and industry
- Sorted by benefit and opposition
- Categorized for your sales funnel (from high level information-based keywords to “I’m ready to give you my credit card and buy NOW” keywords)
You’ll want to optimize your quality content using one keyword. If you write for the human audience, other keywords naturally emerge. Do not succumb to the temptation to stuff your content with keywords. It will confuse the search engine bots and annoy your reader. If you’re not sure what crosses the line to over-optimization, acquaint yourself with Google’s guidelines.
Now, that you’ve chosen one keyword for a page or post, include it in:
- Title of the page (or post) preferably at the beginning
- The first paragraph preferably in the first sentence
- One sub-headline
- The meta description, again near the beginning
- Relevant tags that describe content
Is this all new to you? No worries. Read our Intro to SEO Writing and use our handy SEO Writing Template.
Check back next time for On Page SEO strategies 3-5.
photo credit top: Rusty Clark
photo credit body: Alpha
Carol Stephen (@Carol_Stephen)
Thank you for these tips about on-page SEO strategies, a subject that is mysterious to most people.
Alyson Harrold
Yup, sometimes SEO feels like the Bermuda Triangle. When in doubt about SEO techniques, we suggest asking the question “is it good for the human searcher?” If the answer is yes, you’re golden.
Carol Stephen (@Carol_Stephen)
Isn’t it too bad that we have to ask if it’s good for the human searcher? It’s like robots have taken over our lives.
Alyson Harrold
Sadly, so true.