Explaining On-Page SEO (Internal SEO) in Detail

2024.05.22

contents

1 Related Articles on On-Page SEO
2 What is On-Page SEO?
3 SEO Internal Strategies: Content SEO and Technical SEO
4 8 Content SEO Measures to Improve Search Rankings
5 Improving User Experience with 6 Technical SEO Elements
6 Common Questions About On-Page SEO
7 Summary

On-page SEO

On-page SEO, also known as internal SEO strategies, aims to improve a website’s ranking by making adjustments within the site itself. In general, SEO strategies are divided into two main types: internal and external. Further, internal strategies can be split into content SEO and technical SEO, leading to a wide range of potential on-page SEO actions.

Often, there’s confusion about exactly what strategies should be implemented for effective on-page SEO.

This article, inspired by common queries, will introduce essential actions for on-page SEO. Given the broad scope of on-page SEO tasks, it’s advisable to create a checklist in an Excel file or similar to ensure nothing is overlooked during implementation.

What is On-Page SEO?

On-page SEO involves enhancing a website’s content and system to boost SEO effectiveness. It primarily focuses on improving the following four elements

Objective of Strategies/Objective and Effect of Strategies

Crawlability
- Overview : Making it easier for search engine crawlers to navigate.
- Objective : Improve the website to be frequently crawled.
- Effect : Promotes indexing and reduces the time it takes for page updates to reflect in the search engine.
Indexing
- Overview : Being registered on the search engine.
- Objective : Improve the website to be easily registered in search results.
- Effect : Reduces the time for indexing and increases the number of pages that get indexed.
Search Ranking
- Overview : The ranking on the search engine.
- Objective : Create web pages that meet search needs.
- Effect : Removes factors that make it difficult to rank high in search results.
Usability
- Overview : The convenience of search users.
- Objective : Improve the website to be user-friendly.
- Effect : Makes the content more accessible to search users, enhancing the impression of the website.

Overall View of SEO Strategy

Fundamentally, SEO strategies are broadly categorized into two types: on-page SEO and off-page SEO. Moreover, on-page SEO is divided into content SEO and technical SEO.

Strategy	Explanation
Technical SEO	A strategy to improve the system and functionality within the website. Strictly speaking, it’s a part of on-page SEO.
Content SEO	A strategy to create high-quality content within the website. Strictly speaking, it’s a part of on-page SEO.
On-Page SEO	Strategies to improve site design and the internal content and systems.
Off-Page SEO	Strategies using external environments to enhance the evaluation of one’s site.

Related Article: What is SEO? An Easy-to-Understand Guide to SEO Strategies for Beginners

SEO Internal Strategies: Content SEO and Technical SEO

Content SEO and Technical SEO, both fall under the category of internal strategies (on-page SEO), but their tasks differ.

Content SEO primarily revolves around crafting well-developed articles. It’s crucial to create content that not only addresses search needs but also fulfills users’ latent desires. This involves tasks such as article writing by writers, keyword selection, and managing writers by directors.

On the other hand, Technical SEO enhances a site’s technical aspects to optimize it for search engines. This involves tasks like coding, server configuration, and site design from a technical perspective. Therefore, coders, producers, server engineers, and others collaborate to carry out these tasks.

Improving Crawling Ability with 7 Technical SEO Measures

Crawling ability refers to how easily a website is crawled. While there are numerous aspects to address, seven key areas require particular attention

-Sitemap

-Internal Links

-Breadcrumb Navigation

-robots.txt

-Directory Structure

-Pagination

-Redirects

Related Article: Understanding Crawling Ability and Its Relationship with SEO

Sitemap

There are following two types of sitemaps: Here, we focus on the latter, XML sitemap, which communicates the website’s structure to search engines, facilitating easier crawling.

HTML sitemap: A sitemap for search users

XML sitemap: A sitemap for search engines

Related Article: What is a Sitemap? Explanation of Creation and SEO Benefits

Internal Links

Internal links refer to links placed within a webpage that direct users to other pages within the same site.

Crawlers navigate through links to discover new URLs. Therefore, enriching internal links enhances crawling efficiency. Notably, new pages are often discovered through internal links from existing pages, making them crucial.

Given these characteristics, concentrating internal links on core pages within a website helps convey their importance to search engines.

Related Article: What are Internal Links? Key Points for Strengthening SEO with Internal Links

Breadcrumb Navigation

Breadcrumb navigation refers to internal links that help search users understand ‘where they are positioned within the site’ while browsing a webpage.

Primarily designed for search users, breadcrumb navigation also serves the role of conveying the correct site structure to search engines.

Related Article: What is Breadcrumb Navigation? Benefits and Installation Methods

robots.txt

robots.txt is a text file used to control search engine crawling.

For instance, it allows specifying pages that do not need to be crawled or pages that should not be crawled, giving instructions to crawlers.

Related Article: What is Robots.txt? Explanation of Objectives and Specific Writing Methods

Directory Structure

Directory structure refers to the organization of a website.

Directories are folders used to store web pages (HTML files). By arranging directories appropriately, website pages can be organized. Consequently, this results in a clear and simple directory structure that is easily understandable by search engines.

Related Article: Explanation of Building a Directory Structure Strong in SEO

Pagination

Pagination is the technique of splitting one long article into multiple pages.

It’s commonly used for news articles or review articles. One advantage is that compared to publishing pages separately, pagination allows conveying strong interrelation between pages to search engines. Consider adopting it while considering compatibility with your website.

Related Article: What is Pagination? Explanation of Benefits, Drawbacks, and Implementation Methods

Redirects

Redirects refer to the technique of forcibly transferring users or crawlers from one webpage to another.

With redirects, it’s possible to transfer SEO evaluations from the source page to the redirected destination page. Therefore, when you need to change page URLs due to certain reasons, use redirects.

Improving Indexing with 5 Technical SEO Measures

Indexing refers to the registration of web pages in a search engine’s database. The process is called indexing.

URL Normalization Canonical Tags Structured Data Noindex Nofollow

-URL normalization

-Canonical

-Structured data

-Noindex

-Nofollow

Related Article: What is Indexing? Detailed Explanation of Terminology, Mechanisms, and Confirmation Methods

URL Normalization

URL normalization involves conveying information about the correct page URL that should be indexed by search engines. Cases where URL normalization is necessary include:

-Presence or absence of the ‘www’ host

-Presence or absence of URL parameters

-Presence of SSL encryption (https)

Specific techniques for URL normalization include canonical settings and redirect settings.

Related Article: Methods of URL Normalization

Related Article: What is a URL? Clear Explanation of Meaning and Components

canonical

canonical tags specify which page URL should be indexed.. Canonical settings are mainly used for URL normalization or when integrating pages. The way to specify it is by simply entering it into the <head> tag of the HTML file. For detailed instructions, check the article below.

Related Article: What are Canonical Tags?

Structured Data

Structured data refers to the data format used to convey content information to search engines. And the process of constructing structured data is called structured data markup. By marking up structured data, the following information can be conveyed to search engines:

-Tokyo SEO maker (*Name of this site) = Proper noun for the website

-Admano (*Our Company Name) = Proper noun for the company

By utilizing this technology, information within the website can be accurately communicated to search engines. Consequently, it may contribute to receiving appropriate evaluations for content and promoting indexing.

Related Article: What is Structured Data?

noindex

noindex refers to the attribute of a meta tag used to prevent a crawled webpage from being indexed. Main scenarios include:

-Operating a test site for debugging

-Providing pages exclusively for website members

-Necessity for low-quality or duplicate pages due to certain circumstances like CV

noindex can be set by writing within the <head> tag of the HTML file.

Related Article: Explanation of noindex and Differences from nofollow and SEO Effects

nofollow

nofollow is the attribute of a meta tag used to prevent passing page evaluations to the linked page and to instruct not to crawl it. It’s usually used when placing external links with low relevance to the page. Be cautious not to mistakenly apply nofollow to internal links as it could hinder indexing.

Related Article: Explanation of noindex and Differences from Nofollow and SEO Effects

8 Content SEO Measures to Improve Search Rankings

To enhance search rankings, it’s essential to improve content quality or differentiate from other sites, offering a ‘search experience that can only be obtained on your site’ to search users.

However, before that, adopting inappropriate content or work methods within the site may lead to a decline in search rankings. It’s also important to remove factors that lower search rankings, such as minor errors within the site. Therefore, here are 7 essential content SEO measures to focus on:

-Title

-Meta Description

-Headings

-Alt Attribute for Images

-Duplicate Content / Copied Content

-Outbound Links

-Rewriting

-Information about Authors or Supervisors

Related Article: What is SEO Ranking? Introduction to Search Ranking Check Methods and Recommended Tools

Title

Here, ‘title’ refers to the title tag of the HTML language. In content SEO, including keywords related to the page theme within the title tag is a fundamental approach. However, avoid the following improper usage:

-Excessive keyword usage

-Creating title texts different from the page content

Meta Description

Meta description refers to the description text inserted into the meta tag of a webpage.

The description set in the meta description appears in the snippet of search results, affecting the click-through rate on search result pages. Hence, it may indirectly contribute to SEO effects.

Related Article: Explanation of Description and How to Write, and Changes in Character Count

Headings

Here, ‘headings’ refer to the h-tags arranged within a webpage.

Organizing headings results in a more readable article page. It not only helps search users but also makes it easier for search engines to understand the information correctly, thus increasing the value of the content.

Related Article: What are Headings? Explanation of the Use and Role of h1 to h6 in SEO

alt Attribute for Images

alt refers to the attribute of the img tag used to insert a description for image data. By adding descriptive text to image data using the alt tag, search engines can accurately convey the content of the image data.

Related Article: What is the alt Attribute? Description of Methods to Maximize SEO Effectiveness

Duplicate Content / Copied Content

Duplicate content refers to similar content within the same site. On the other hand, copied content refers to content copied from external sites or content that has been slightly modified to appear as original. In either case, it is an action that lowers the page’s evaluation, so please be cautious.

-Set unnecessary pages to noindex

-Redirect unnecessary pages to remaining pages

-Delete unnecessary pages

If there is copied content from other sites on your company’s site, deal with it as follows:

-Request removal from the website that created the copied content

-Submit a DMCA request

Related Articles: What is Duplicate Content? Explanation of How to Check Copy-Paste Rate and Countermeasures

Related Articles: Explanation of the Impact of Copied Content on SEO and Countermeasures

Outbound Links

Outbound links refer to links placed from your own site to external sites. Properly placing outbound links improves user convenience, thus increasing the value of webpage content. Additionally, although rare, there are cases where the linked site returns backlinks.

Related Article: What are Outbound Links?

Rewriting

Rewriting refers to the process of updating information on a webpage. Examples of situations where rewriting is required include;

-Updating outdated information to the latest information

-Improving the quality of low-quality pages

Rewriting is considered an important task in content SEO strategies. Rewriting a page may also dramatically change search rankings.

Information about Authors or Supervisors

Including information about the author or supervisor of a webpage ensures the credibility of the information written on the page.

As seen in the E-E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) web page evaluation criteria announced in 2022, reliability of content is highly valued nowadays. Therefore, providing information about the author who created the article and the supervisor can enhance the credibility of the page. Additionally, add information about the site operator to the whois information where domain information is posted.

Related Article: What is Article Supervision? Explanation of Costs, Market Prices, and Points for Choosing a Supervisor to Enhance Effectiveness

Improving User Experience with 6 Technical SEO Elements

Enhancing user experience can positively impact indexing status and search rankings. Neglecting user experience can sometimes lead to factors that lower search rankings, so please be mindful. Specifically, check the following points:

-SSL Encryption (HTTPS)

-Font Size

-404 Pages

-Page Loading Speed

-Server Speed

-MFI Compatibility

Related Article: What is User Experience? Explanation of its Impact on SEO and Differences from Accessibility

SSL Encryption (https)

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a technology that encrypts data exchanged on a website. On sites with SSL, the protocol part of the URL changes from “http” to “https.”

Implementing SSL on a website enhances security and prevents hacking by external third parties. Especially for sites that handle user information or have membership features, SSL implementation is essential. Furthermore, as of 2024, Google has explicitly stated that “SSL affects SEO,” so it is widely adopted as part of SEO measures.

Related Article: What is HTTPS (SSL Encryption)? Explanation of Setup Methods and Site SSL Implementation

404 Pages

A 404 page is an error page displayed when clicking on a link to a non-existent page. The 404 page serves to inform users that the page does not exist.

Customizing the 404 page can help prevent users from leaving the site. Customization may involve design changes and internal link placement.

Related Article: What is a 404 Not Found Error? Explanation of its Impact on SEO

Page Loading Speed

Page loading speed refers to the time it takes for a webpage to appear on a device after a user clicks a link.

Longer page loading times can cause user frustration. According to Google, data shows that more than half of mobile users will bounce if it takes more than 3 seconds for a page to load. Furthermore, Google’s search engine has algorithms that lower page rankings for extremely slow page loading speeds, so please be cautious.

Related Article: What is Site Speed (Page Loading Speed)? Explanation of Checking Tools and Improvement Methods

Server Speed

By speeding up server processing, the overall page loading speed of a website increases. Methods to increase server speed include:

Upgrading server specifications

Using caching functionality

Organizing source code

Reducing content size

Organizing the database

Server processing affects not only page loading speed but also response speed, among other factors. Additionally, these speed evaluations are quantified into Core Web Vitals, which also affect SEO rankings, so countermeasures are necessary.

Related Article: What is Server Speed Optimization? Explanation of Mechanisms and Benefits

MFI Compatibility

MFI (Mobile First Index) is Google’s search algorithm that prioritizes mobile page information for factors such as determining search rankings.

Therefore, it is necessary to create mobile-friendly pages (pages that are easy to view on mobile devices). Specific techniques include implementing responsive design technology.

Related Article: What is Mobile First Indexing? Detailed Explanation of its Impact on SEO and MFI

Checklist of 26 Items for On-Page SEO

When implementing on-page SEO, numerous tasks come into play. To ensure no tasks are overlooked, it’s advisable to create a checklist.

For example, the strategies highlighted on this page can be listed in a table format using Excel or similar software. Then, as each task is completed, mark it with a checkmark.

Checklist Overview

Have you submitted the sitemap?

Are internal links properly placed?

Is breadcrumb navigation installed?

Are appropriate instructions given to crawlers in the robots.txt file?

Is the directory structure clear?

Are pagination controls implemented if necessary?

Are redirects properly configured?

Have URL normalization settings been applied?

Have canonical tags been set?

Has structured data been implemented?

Is the noindex process appropriate?

Is the nofollow process appropriate?

Do titles match page content?

Do meta descriptions match page content?

Are headings clear and understandable?

Are alt attributes set for images?

Are there no duplicate or copied contents?

Are outbound links appropriately placed?

Is the page update frequency adequate?

Have author or contributor information been provided?

Is SSL encryption implemented?

Is font size properly set?

Is a 404 error page set up?

Is the page loading speed acceptable?

Is the server speed adequate?

Is MFI (Mobile First Indexing) compatibility ensured?

Common Questions About On-Page SEO

Here are some frequently asked questions about on-page SEO.

Q: What is the most important on-page SEO measure?

A: On-page SEO measures are not just recommended but essential. The strategies introduced on this page generally require verification.

However, depending on the website environment, some measures may be unnecessary. For example, if using WordPress, some internal SEO measures may already be in place depending on the theme used. In such cases, cross-reference the checklist with the website and only implement measures that are necessary but not reflected.

Q: What is the difference between on-page and off-page SEO?

A: On-page SEO and off-page SEO both aim to improve SEO but use different methods.

On-page SEO focuses on improving the internal structure of the site to make it more compatible with search engines and users. On the other hand, off-page SEO enhances the site’s evaluation using external factors.

Q: Which is more important, technical SEO or content SEO?

A: Both technical SEO and content SEO are important.

If you’re involved in web management, you’ve probably heard the phrase “Content is King.” Content is indeed crucial for SEO. However, what’s required for SEO is not just content value. If the site design is inadequate, the content may not be properly evaluated. Therefore, addressing technical aspects is also necessary.

Q: How can security be enhanced in on-page SEO measures?

A: One method to enhance security is SSL encryption (https).

Implementing SSL on a website encrypts communication data during access, preventing third-party eavesdropping. This is particularly essential for sites with customer data or payment functions.

Related Article: What is SSL Encryption?

Q: What is website diagnosis?

A: Website diagnosis involves understanding the situation of your own website through analysis of web data, market research, and competitor analysis. Based on the identified issues, on-page SEO measures are implemented.

At Tokyo SEO Maker (this site), we provide a service for diagnosing the keyword optimization and site design of target sites only for the first time. We then submit a 30-page internal modification diagnosis report. Based on this report, we proceed to modify the site.

The internal modification diagnosis report serves as a guideline for nurturing the site. By following these instructions and acquiring high-quality external links, the site naturally appears at the top for target keywords.

Reference: Materials for Tokyo SEO Maker’s On-Page SEO Service

Summary

On-page SEO refers to measures taken to improve a website internally and enhance its search ranking. SEO measures are divided into two categories: content SEO and technical SEO. While content SEO focuses on the value of content, technical SEO ensures that content information is correctly conveyed to search engines. Thus, on-page SEO measures tend to be large-scale tasks. Therefore, to avoid oversights, prepare a checklist and address the measures systematically.

Author Profile

Mr. Takeshi Amano, CEO of Admano Co., Ltd.

Mr. Takeshi Amano is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Nihon University. With 12 years of experience working in the advertising agency industry, he discovered SEO and began his research during the early days of SEO. He self-taught and conducted experiments and verifications on over 100 websites. Using this expertise, he founded Admano Co., Ltd., which is currently in its 11th year of operation. Mr. Amano handles sales, SEO consulting, web analytics (holding the Google Analytics Individual Qualification certification ), coding, and website development. The company has successfully managed SEO strategies for over 2000 websites to date.

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Author Profile

Mr. Takeshi Amano, CEO of Admano Co., Ltd.

Return to the top of Japan SEO