SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is still one of the most misunderstood concepts in the digital space. A Google search for “What is SEO?” returns 287,000,000 results, so it’s no surprise that there’s still so much confusion around what constitutes SEO.

When working on a website, you have a number of ways to boost your SEO rankings through on-page optimization tactics. The consensus among the SEO community is that on-page factors amount to 30% of overall ranking.

I always think of on-page optimization as “the basics of web design” which is why I like this Infographic from Neil Patel so much. All of the factors listed on the infographic are important, but I tend to think of the following 3 areas as the easiest to tackle:

1. Use Keywords in URL Extensions

Have you ever visited a website and noticed that the URL of the page had a bunch of random characters that didn’t make much sense? Often, a CMS (Content Management System) will automatically generate the page’s URL. It’s up to the folks maintaining the site to ensure that each page’s URL has keywords, particularly in the first 3-5 words of the address.

2. Perfectly Optimized Title

A good title tag (that which appears in a user’s browser) should be kept under 55 characters as Google will display the first 50-60 characters of a title tag. A page’s title should always be set to an H1 heading as that signifies to Google that it is relevant copy.

3. Optimize image file name and ALT tags

This is probably the area of SEO that I see most often skipped on websites. Images are uploaded with file names that have little to no meaning and no ALT tags. Not only are ALT tags important for SEO, they also help visually impaired users navigate your site.

Have a look through the infographic below for the rest of the factors you should be focusing on when working on a SEO-optimized web page:

Image source: QuickSprout

Do you have questions about SEO? Feel free to ask them below or reach out on Twitter.