On-Page SEO Overview: Modern Search Engine Optimization Guide

Learn about the core concepts and best practices of today's On-Page SEO, avoid common outdated notions, and focus on meeting search intent

Core Theme

This article introduces what On-Page SEO is, with an emphasis on current On-Page SEO priorities and some common but outdated misconceptions. It emphasizes that the key to On-Page SEO is optimizing web pages to meet the intent of search users, rather than outdated methods such as keyword stuffing and specific keyword density or word count requirements.

Main Points and Important Facts

Definition of On-Page SEO

  • "It's simply the practice of optimizing web pages to rank higher in search engines."
  • The core revolves around optimizing web pages to meet "search intent".

Outdated On-Page SEO Concepts

In modern search engine optimization, many methods that were widely adopted in the past are now outdated and may even have a negative impact on website rankings.

Not About Exact Match Keyword Stuffing

  • In the past, to rank for a keyword, the exact match keyword would appear repeatedly in the title, URL, and content, even if the grammar was awkward.
  • "#1. On-page SEO is not about stuffing exact match keywords."
  • Google is intelligent enough to understand connecting words, synonyms, and related terms.
  • Even if the query terms are completely different, the top 10 ranking pages might be very similar.
  • Keyword stuffing leads to poor user experience and readability, which contradicts the goal of On-Page SEO.

Not About Using Keywords a Specific Number of Times

  • Research shows that top-ranking pages typically also rank for about 1,000 other related keywords in the Top 10.
  • On-Page SEO is not about using keywords a specific number of times on a page.
  • If you needed to mention all these keywords multiple times, content would become lengthy and the user experience extremely poor.
  • For example, Healthline's article on "how to lose weight" ranks first in the search results for "diet plan", but "diet plan" is not in the title or URL, and is only mentioned once on the page.
  • GQ ranks first in the search results for "classiest watch", but the words "classiest" or "classy" do not appear on the page.

Not About Meeting a Minimum Word Count

  • While research suggests that the average content length of top-ranking pages is over 2,000 words, this doesn't mean all pages need to be that long.
  • "The third point is that on-page SEO isn't about meeting a minimum word count."
  • Ahrefs' Backlink Checker page has only 628 words, but ranks first for its target keyword and gets about 130,000 monthly visits from Google searches.
  • An image-dominant page with only 76 words can also get over 170,000 search visits monthly.

Focus of Modern On-Page SEO

  • The core is still optimizing web pages for higher search engine rankings.
  • The most important aspect is optimizing pages to meet "search intent".
  • "The keyword here is 'search intent.' Translation: the goal of your pages should be to satisfy the searcher's intent."
  • You need to consider the three aspects of search intent (3 C's of search intent): content type, format, and angle.
  • Content needs to address what users expect to see.
  • Also focus on more "substantial" elements such as titles, subheadings, internal linking, readability, and the actual content itself.

Summary

This article clearly articulates that the core concept of modern On-Page SEO is optimization around "search intent". It emphasizes abandoning outdated practices like keyword stuffing, unnecessary keyword density requirements, and blindly pursuing content word count. Instead, the focus of On-Page SEO is on creating high-quality content that truly meets the user's search intent, and optimizing "substantial" elements such as titles, subheadings, internal links, and readability.