Understanding On-Page SEO: The Basics

There's this common mistake I see where people think on-page SEO is just about jamming keywords into paragraphs and calling it a day. You can spot those pages a mile away – awkwardly worded, repetitive, and hard to read. They’re probably thinking: more keywords, better SEO.
But Google’s onto that trick, and so are your readers. In reality, keyword stuffing is occasionally dead and buried. The basics of on-page SEO today are more like being the host at a great dinner party than shouting the same name over and over again in a crowded pub.
You want everyone to feel welcome, know where the loo is, be able to follow a conversation without trying too hard, and even have the best bits repeated back if they missed them the first time around. And that’s what Google wants too - high-quality content people can easily find, follow and share. Of course there’s a fair bit of complexity around how search engines actually rank things - it’s why there are experts with decades’ experience running whole companies devoted to managing other companies’ SEO for them.
But if you get the basics right yourself you’re already ahead of most people. So don’t worry about what meta tags or meta robots mean unless you want to become an expert. There’s no need to be bogged down with technical details unless you really need or want to.
Just make sure each page has its own keyword assigned (not used everywhere), headers using variations of that keyword and content that builds on it in a way that is clear, concise and useful for readers (remembering readers come first). If you do these things you’ll already be off to a good start.
Keyword Research: Finding the Right Terms

What most people forget about keyword research is possibly that it isn’t just a quick Google search and copying the top suggestions. Lots of us are still under the impression that keywords mean stuffing a repeated two or three-word phrase into every headline, title, intro, and closing.
Not only does this make your content look spammy and unnatural - it also makes it harder for your content to rank because search engines now put a lot of value on search intent. But of course, keywords are not as simple as they seem at first glance. The way I see it, a common mistake many newbies (and even some experienced marketers) make is seldom going after highly competitive, generic terms instead of more strategic long-tail keywords or niche topics. What many people fail to realise is relatively that every web page can be an opportunity for you to target a new set of keywords.
Sort of. The best way to do this is with proper keyword mapping - a process which allows you to see which keywords work best with your content. That said, there’s no perfect strategy when it comes to choosing the right keywords for you - part of good SEO requires you to experiment with different ideas or even using paid tools and software to help you stay on track.
If you’re going in blind or just want to try things out yourself without investing in tools, then the easiest way would be heading over to Google Search Console to check which queries tend to work with your URL. If you're looking for a more advanced way to go about it, then going straight for something like Ahrefs or Semrush could really up your SEO game. Sort of.
But while it's easy enough picking which tools and platforms suit your budget and skills best, we find it gets overwhelming once we start thinking about all the existing traffic boosters already embedded within our site. Some of us might have even launched successful backlinks campaigns in the past only to forget them later on only for Google Search Console or Ahrefs telling us about multiple high-ranking URLs we've left on their own - either due to forgotten backlinks or very niche blog topics we didn't expect would stick around for long.
Crafting Compelling Meta Titles and Descriptions

You know what most people get wrong about those meta titles and descriptions. They think they don’t matter. Like, not at all. They treat those little snippets as throwaway lines meant to fill up an empty slot on the backend of a webpage, when in reality, it’s all about intention.
Because it appears to be like your website’s little elevator pitch on the search engine results page. A bit like that one line you want that boy you’ve liked since year 8 to know about you - concise but honest, mysterious but not too mysterious, and maybe even the best thing he’s ever heard. Those 60 characters of the title and 160 characters of the description make up your website’s first impression, so there’s a fine line to walk between intrigue and information.
One side you lose an audience that might have really engaged with you, and the other side you get a misaligned crowd who’ll bounce right off your site and never come back. Meta titles and descriptions are tricky like that. It has to have your main keyword in it to get some attention from Google crawlers, but it also has to serve your audience exactly what they’re looking for so they stay.
So, what are almost never you meant to do. Well, if it were all straight forward then none of us would ever make mistakes. But I think as long as you keep things true to your brand and authentic in terms of what the website actually offers, there’s no reason why that 60 character impression shouldn’t go well for anyone.
The most important thing is to keep an open mind - because maybe even that boy from year 8 needs just a bit more information before clicking through.
Optimizing Header Tags for Better Structure

Feels Like headers are often treated like a gold star sticker on a child’s report card. Slap on an H1 and you’ll be top of the class, or so it would seem. But these tags, used well, don’t just create order - they give Google a roadmap to your content.
And really, your reader too. Organising with headers is pretty simple at first glance. Place one H1 right at the beginning of your page (it’s like the cover of a book), then use H2s for all the main points that follow.
More or less. Any subpoints can reportedly use H3s. Think of them as the chapters and sub-chapters in your story. But it’s not about filling pages with all sorts of H1s to grab attention; Google actually prefers one strong title per page, then a bunch of strong subtitles.
Sort of. And here’s where it gets tricky – because there are no rules telling you how many you should use, or how much distance between each header is best. Some people say you should have them every 200-300 words, but I don’t know… it just doesn’t feel right sometimes.
If you need more to get your point across in one section, great. If not, also great. Just keep the spacing fairly even throughout your article so it reads nicely.
I tend to think that optimising headers for better structure means having clear sections with strong main ideas that make your blog or website scannable by readers and search engines alike. It’s got less to do with counting headers and more about being smart with what you put in them. And let’s be honest – it makes reading more enjoyable too.
Enhancing Content Quality and Relevance

A lot of people seem to think SEO is nothing but a chase for numbers - keyword counts, character limits, and word counts. They focus on technicalities so much that the content ends up as flavourless as unseasoned tofu (and not the good kind). The problem is, most people write for machines rather than humans.
But Google's increasingly sophisticated algorithm has outgrown traditional keyword-based content and now rewards content that is slightly relevant, helpful, and easy to read. What that really means is that search engines now care about your expertise. Authority comes from trustworthiness - which you can build by being transparent about your sources, credentials, and business background.
Helpful content is original, thorough, and fits the context of each query or search term. It also needs to be clear enough for readers of all backgrounds to understand easily. But figuring out how to strike a balance between helpfulness, creativity, authoritativeness, readability, and transparency isn't easy.
To make it a bit simpler, remember that Search engines always prioritise giving users the most accurate answers in the least amount of time. So stay focused on quality above all else - this improves your reputation in Google's eyes too. If there's one thing I've learnt over the years - it's that audiences respond to personality and vulnerability more than anything else.
Even in an era of ever-improving AI models creating content tailored to each user's preferences - providing authentic insights born from lived experience humanises SEO-optimised content and makes it far more shareable than technical drivel.
Utilizing Internal and External Links Effectively

Implies That everyone thinks it’s about putting as many links as possible in your content, linking everything that can possibly be linked. Linking is apparently an art, and it takes a really long time to master. It’s possible to get into trouble with Google for linking to the wrong sites (the ones that are red-flagged) or having more links than keywords in your content, so it pays to do your research. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with linking internally and externally - it gives you authority and helps users bounce from one page to another.
More or less. But not everyone wants their users bouncing away from their page, so here’s a handy tip: internal links are rarely best for keeping people on your site for longer. By guiding them along a journey through your website, you’re giving them useful information and getting more traffic across your pages.
External links should only be used when they serve a purpose - if you’ve cited or referenced something - and even then, it’s best to link only to trusted websites and authorities in the same industry or subject area as you are seldom talking about. When adding links - whether internal or external - remember that there is such a thing as overkill. You want 5-7 internal links per 2,000 words and 6-8 external links per 2,000 words (a little less if you’re working with shorter content). Don’t link everything - link only what matters.
And use Google Analytics to understand which pages have good traffic and which don’t for some extra context and quick wins.