ONPAGE · SEO GLOSSARY
On-Page SEO
Optimising the content and HTML elements of an individual page — title tag, meta description, headings, body copy, images, and internal links — to rank for its target query.
Definition
On-page SEO is the practice of optimising individual page elements that you directly control — as opposed to off-page SEO (backlinks from other sites) or technical SEO (site infrastructure). The main on-page elements: (1) **Title tag** — the most important on-page ranking signal; should include the target keyword near the front and stay under 60 characters. (2) **Meta description** — not a ranking factor, but affects click-through rate; 150–155 characters with the keyword and a compelling hook. (3) **H1** — the page's primary heading; should match or closely mirror the title tag and clearly establish the page's topic. (4) **H2/H3 structure** — supporting headings that cover the topic's subtopics and People-Also-Ask variants. (5) **Body content** — comprehensive, original treatment of the topic; keyword used naturally throughout without stuffing. (6) **Images** — descriptive `alt` attributes for accessibility and image SEO; compressed and in modern formats. (7) **Internal links** — links to related pages distribute PageRank and help Googlebot discover related content.
Why it matters for SEO
On-page SEO is the most direct lever for signalling what a page is about to Google. Title tags are the primary input for what Google displays as the SERP headline. H1 and H2 structure tells Google which subtopics a page covers. Image alt text is often the only signal Google has about non-text content. Canonical tags prevent duplicate content from splitting ranking signals across multiple URLs. Unlike off-page signals (which depend on other sites), on-page factors are entirely within your control and can be changed and measured immediately.
How DeepSEOAnalysis checks this
The on-page category carries 22% weight in the overall audit score. The engine checks: title tag length (≤60 chars), uniqueness across all crawled pages, and keyword placement; meta description presence, length, and uniqueness; H1 presence and uniqueness per page; heading structure depth and question-heading ratio; image alt text coverage; canonical tag presence and correctness; and content length vs. category norms.
Useful tools and resources
GLOSSARY
Related terms
onpage
Title Tag
The HTML <title> element that names a page in browser tabs, SERP snippets, and social shares — the single most important on-page SEO element.
Read definition →onpage
Meta Description
An HTML tag that describes a page's content; used by search engines to generate SERP snippets when relevant to the query.
Read definition →onpage
Heading Tags (H1–H6)
HTML elements that define the hierarchical structure of page content — H1 for the page title, H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections — used by Google to understand content organisation and topic coverage.
Read definition →links
Internal Linking
Links between pages on the same domain that distribute PageRank, establish site hierarchy, and guide crawlers to important content.
Read definition →technical
Canonical URL
The preferred URL for a page, declared via <link rel="canonical"> to prevent duplicate content from splitting ranking signals.
Read definition →onpage
SEO Copywriting
Writing page content that satisfies both search engine ranking signals (keyword relevance, structure, depth) and human readers (clarity, persuasion, and genuine usefulness).
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