On-page SEO is everything you control within your own page — as opposed to backlinks, which depend on other sites. It is also the most accessible place to start: it needs no budget, only consistency. Here is the audit we run at the start of every project.
1. One clear page heading
Every page needs exactly one H1 that says what the page is about. Not the logo, not the company name — the subject of this particular page. Everything else nests underneath: H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections, no skipped levels.
2. Title and meta description written for a person
The title tag is both the strongest on-page signal and the thing a human reads in the results. Keep it under roughly 60 characters, front-load what matters, and do not repeat the same title across ten pages. The meta description is not a ranking factor, but it decides whether they click — write it as an invitation, not a keyword list.
3. URLs that can be read aloud
A short, descriptive URL beats a string of digits. Pick one convention and hold to it. If you change the URL of an existing page, always add a 301 redirect — otherwise you throw away everything that page had earned.
4. Content that answers the question
Google assesses how well a page satisfies the intent behind the search. If someone searches "website development cost", they want a number or a range, not your company history. Answer early and plainly, then expand.
5. Images with real alt text
- Describe what is visible, briefly and specifically.
- Leave alt empty for purely decorative images, so screen readers skip them.
- Do not stuff alt with keywords; it hurts both accessibility and rankings.
- Give files meaningful names before you upload them.
6. Internal linking
Internal links spread authority between pages and help Google understand your structure. Link with descriptive text — "our SEO pricing" works, "click here" does not. Every important page should be reachable within three clicks of the homepage.
7. The mobile version is the real version
Google indexes the mobile version of your site. If content is missing on a phone but present on desktop, then as far as Google is concerned that content does not exist. Check tap target sizes and spacing too — the test is whether you can manage with a thumb.
8. Structured data
Schema.org markup tells search engines what a page is — an article, a product, a local business, a question and answer. It can earn you rich results. One important warning: only mark up content that genuinely appears on the page and is true. Invented reviews and ratings are a policy violation and lead to manual actions.
9. Technical foundations
- HTTPS across the whole site, with no mixed content.
- One canonical URL per page, so you are not competing with yourself.
- A valid robots.txt that does not accidentally block something important.
- A current sitemap.xml, submitted in Search Console.
- A useful 404 page that leads the visitor back into the site.
10. Measure first, then change
Connect Google Search Console and Google Analytics before you start changing things — otherwise you have no baseline. Search Console shows which queries find you and at what position; that often reveals pages sitting seventh or eighth that a little work would push into the top three.
On-page work is not a one-off task. Walk this list once a quarter, and after any significant change to the site.