How to Optimize On Page SEO with Semrush: Ultimate Guide

Reader Disclosure: Some of the posts on our site may contain affiliate links. Clicking may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! Read our Disclosure

Ever wonder how some websites effortlessly secure top positions on Google search results? The secret lies in mastering on page SEO. You can greatly enhance your site’s visibility and user experience by optimizing key elements like content, meta tags, headers, and internal links.

On-page SEO is essential as it forms the foundation of your search engine ranking strategy and has a direct influence on user engagement and conversion rates.

Enter Semrush, a powerhouse tool designed to supercharge your on-page SEO efforts. Semrush offers a range of features, including detailed site audits and insightful keyword research.

Additionally, it provides actionable content recommendations. Together, these tools equip you with everything needed to optimize your web pages effectively.

Ready to elevate your on-page SEO game? Let’s dive into how Semrush can help you achieve outstanding results.

Key Takeaways:

1. Learn the fundamentals of on-page SEO, including its importance for improving website visibility and user engagement.
2. Discover how to use Semrush’s Site Audit Tool to identify and fix technical issues.
3. Learn how to leverage Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool to find and select the best keywords for your content.
4. Get insights on how to craft compelling title tags and meta descriptions that improve click-through rates.
5. Understand the importance of using headings and subheadings to enhance content organization, readability, and SEO performance.
6. Learn techniques for creating unique, engaging, and SEO-friendly content, including using Semrush’s SEO Content Template to refine your writing.
7. Best practices for creating SEO-friendly URLs and effective internal linking strategies to improve site structure and user navigation.
8. Explore advanced optimization strategies to boost your site’s search engine visibility.

What is a Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization, commonly known as SEO, improves a website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).

The primary goal of SEO is to drive organic (non-paid) traffic to your website by making it more valuable and relevant to search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. 

Through a combination of on-page and off-page strategies, SEO helps ensure that your website appears at the top of search results when users search for keywords related to your business.

Recommended Blogs for You:
👉 Semrush Review: The Ultimate SEO Tool for Digital Marketers
👉 How to Use Semrush for Content Marketing: A Comprehensive Guide
👉 Ultimate Guide to Shopify SEO
👉 How to do WordPress SEO? Why do you need WordPress SEO?
👉 SEO Checklist for Small Business Websites
👉 Semrush vs Similarweb: The Ultimate SEO Tool Comparison

What is On Page SEO?

On page SEO refers to the practice of optimizing individual web pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. This includes optimizing both the content and HTML source code of a page.

Unlike off-page SEO, which involves external signals like backlinks, on-page SEO focuses on elements within your website that you can control and improve. 

The goal is to make each page more understandable and valuable to search engines and user-friendly for visitors.

How to Optimize On Page SEO with Semrush

To optimize your on-page SEO with Semrush, understand the key factors that influence page ranking. Use Semrush’s comprehensive toolkit to maximize your impact and improve your site’s performance.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to utilize Semrush to achieve top-notch on-page optimization.

1. Conducting an On Page SEO Audit

The first step in optimizing on-page SEO is conducting a thorough audit. It helps you  understand your website’s strengths and weaknesses. Semrush’s Site Audit Tool can help you identify technical issues, prioritize fixes, and analyze current on-page SEO performance.

Using Semrush Site Audit Tool

The Site Audit Tool scans your website for errors, warnings, and notices. It provides a detailed report on issues that need immediate attention. Common technical issues include broken links, duplicate content, and missing meta tags. Semrush highlights these issues so you can fix them promptly.

Using Semrush for Site Audits:

1. Accessing Site Audit:
   • Navigate to “Site Audit” under the “On Page & Tech SEO” section in Semrush.
   • In the search bar, enter your website URL and click “Start Audit.”

2. Setting Up a New Project:
   • If you don’t have a project set up, click the blue “+ Create project” button in the upper left-hand corner to add a new domain and start a new audit.
3. Configuring Site Audit Settings:
   • In the “Site Audit Settings” dialog box, select the number of pages you want Semrush to crawl and audit.
   • Click “Start Site Audit.”

Tip: Ensure you select a number higher than your total page count to audit every page. With a free account, you can crawl up to 100 pages.

Pro Tip: Customize Site Audit settings to better suit your needs as you get familiar with the tool.

4. Reviewing the Crawl Results:
   • Semrush will crawl your website, examining your content, images, and links.
   • Once the crawl is complete, click on the project name to view the detailed report.
5. Identifying and Prioritizing Issues:
   • At the bottom of the report page, you’ll see a list of “Top Issues.” These are prioritized to help you address and fix problems that can optimize your site for SEO.
   • In the “Number of issues” column, click on a number to see a detailed list of specific issues needing attention.
   • Alternatively, check the prioritization widgets at the top of the Site Audit page. Click “Overview” to see the full list of issues.
6. Understanding Issue Categories:
   • Errors: These should be addressed immediately as they likely have the greatest impact on your site’s SEO performance.
   • Warnings: Warnings indicate potential issues that may impact user experience and search engine rankings, though they are less critical than errors. Warnings should be prioritized for resolution after fixing errors to prevent future complications and improve overall site performance.
   • Notices: These are technical issues that ideally should be fixed but won’t significantly impact your SEO performance.

With these issues identified, you can proceed with the necessary SEO work to optimize your website.

Analyzing current on-page SEO performance

Analyzing your current on-page SEO performance is a critical step to understanding how well your existing content is optimized. This involves examining various aspects of your webpage to ensure it’s effectively targeting your chosen keywords and delivering high-quality content. Here’s a deeper look at what this entails:

• Keyword Usage: Assess how well your keywords are integrated into your content, including title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and body text. Check if your primary and secondary keywords are used effectively without keyword stuffing.
• Content Quality: Evaluate the relevance, readability, and depth of your content. Ensure that it provides value to users and answers their questions or solves their problems. High-quality content should be engaging, informative, and well-structured.

2. Keyword Research and Optimization

Each page on your site should focus on a single topic determined by your content strategy. For instance, if you aim to rank for “grapefruit juice,” identify a specific page—such as your homepage, a blog post, a product page, or a category page—to target this keyword. Conduct keyword research to find the best keywords for each page, ensuring your content is high-quality and meets searcher expectations.

Finding the right keywords with Semrush Keyword Magic Tool

Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool is invaluable for this process. Access it by selecting “Keyword Magic Tool” under “Keyword Research” in the left-hand menu. Enter your topic in the search box and click “Search” to generate a list of related keywords. 

Analyzing keyword difficulty and search volume

High search volume keywords can drive more traffic but are often more competitive, as indicated by their keyword difficulty (KD %). A higher KD % means increased competition, making it harder to rank well and attract visitors.

A balanced strategy involves targeting both high-volume keywords, which can attract more traffic but are harder to rank for, and lower-volume, long-tail keywords, which are less competitive and easier to rank for. This approach helps you capture traffic from both highly competitive and less competitive searches. 

Filter keyword suggestions by specific terms or phrases using the left-hand menu. Select at least one primary keyword for each page, and consider using topic clusters by targeting multiple keywords related to the same topic. Create a spreadsheet to organize keywords for each page, simplifying content optimization.

Strategically placing keywords in content

Once you have your keywords, strategically placing them in key areas of your content is essential. Start by ensuring your primary keyword appears in the title tag, as this is crucial for SEO. 

Next, incorporate the primary keyword into your meta description to make it compelling and relevant. For headings, use the primary keyword in your H1 tag and include secondary keywords in subheadings (H2, H3) to organize your content effectively. 

Throughout the body content, integrate your keywords naturally, with a focus on including them in the first paragraph to enhance relevance and readability.

Ensure your primary keyword is present in the first 100 words of the first paragraph to enhance relevance and improve SEO. If appropriate, you can include 1-2 secondary keywords in the first paragraph, but ensure they are relevant and do not disrupt the flow of the content.

For detailed keyword placement and optimization, utilize the Semrush On Page SEO Checker. Select “On Page SEO Checker” from the left-hand navigation menu, enter your site URL, and click “Get ideas.” Choose the target location, language, and device for the audit. 

Now add the pages you want to optimize manually or use the auto-import feature for recommendations. Click “Collect ideas” to receive tailored suggestions for each page.

3. Optimizing Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

Optimizing title tags and meta descriptions is crucial for enhancing your website’s visibility and attracting clicks from search engine results pages (SERPs). 

Importance of title tags and meta descriptions

Title tags and meta descriptions are pivotal in influencing user clicks and search engine results.

• Title Tags: This is a single HTML element represented by the <title> tag. It indicates the title of a webpage and are displayed in search engine results, social media posts, and browser tabs. A well-optimized title tag can entice users to click on your page over others.
• Meta Descriptions: This is a single HTML element represented by the <meta name=”description”> tag. It provides a brief summary of the page content. They appear below the title tag in SERPs and can significantly impact whether a user decides to visit your page. Although meta descriptions don’t directly affect Google rankings, they play a critical role in click-through rates by matching user intent and standing out visually.

Best practices for writing effective title tags

To write effective title tags that catch both search engines and users attention, follow these best practices:

• Keep it Brief: Aim for 50 to 60 characters to ensure your title tag isn’t cut off by Search engines.
• Include Target Keywords: This helps search engines and users understand the content of your page.
• Ensure Uniqueness: Avoid duplicate title tags to clarify each page’s purpose to Search engines and make it clear to users what they are clicking on.

Crafting compelling meta-descriptions

Meta descriptions might not directly influence rankings, but they can drive more traffic to your site. Here are some tips:

• Keep Them Concise: Mobile devices truncate meta descriptions after about 120 characters, so shorter is better.
• Include Target Keywords: This helps users determine the relevance of your page to their search query. Google also bolds keywords that match the user’s search query, making your snippet stand out.
• Use Active Voice: This saves space and communicates your message more clearly.
• Add a Call to Action (CTA): Encourage clicks with phrases like “try for free” or “find out more.”

Using Semrush to analyze and optimize title tags and meta descriptions

Semrush’s On Page SEO Checker is a powerful tool for analyzing and optimizing your title tags and meta descriptions. It provides:

• Recommendations: Suggestions for better title tags and meta descriptions to align with best practices.
• Analysis: Insights into what’s working and what needs improvement, including keyword usage and length.
• Guidance: Tips on how to craft more relevant and compelling meta descriptions and title tags.

By leveraging these features in Semrush, you can ensure that your title tags and meta descriptions are optimized to attract more clicks and improve your search engine rankings.

👉 Read about Semrush vs Similarweb

4. Structuring Content with Headings and Subheadings

Organizing your content with headings and subheadings isn’t just about looking good. It’s a key part of on-page SEO that can really boost user experience while helping search engines understand and rank your content.Now we will discuss why and how to structure your content effectively using headings and subheadings.

Importance of using headings for SEO

Headings play a pivotal role in SEO by helping both users and search engines navigate and understand your content.

• User Experience: Headings allow users to quickly skim through your page and find the information they are looking for. This improves readability and keeps users engaged.
• Search Engine Optimization: Google uses headings to comprehend the hierarchy and structure of your page. Well-organized headings can help Google determine how relevant your content is to a user’s search intent, which can boost your rankings for pertinent keywords.

Best practices for structuring content

Adopting best practices for structuring content ensures that your page is both user-friendly and SEO-optimized.

• H1 Tag: Use the H1 tag for your main page title or headline. This should clearly convey the topic of your page.
• H2 Tags: Utilize H2 tags to denote major subtopics within your content. These act as primary sections that break up your content into digestible parts.
• H3, H4, etc.: For more detailed information beneath your H2 headings, use H3, H4, and subsequent tags. This helps in further organizing content into smaller, easy-to-digest sections.

Incorporate keywords and their variations into these headings to provide Google with more context about your page’s content. This practice not only aids in SEO but also makes it easier for users to find the information they are looking for.

Utilizing Semrush to check heading hierarchy and keyword placement

Semrush’s On Page SEO Checker is an invaluable tool for ensuring your headings are well-optimized.

• Heading Hierarchy: The tool provides insights into the hierarchy of your headings, ensuring that your H1, H2, H3 tags are used appropriately and logically.
• Keyword Placement: Semrush offers recommendations on where to place keywords and their variations within your headings to maximize SEO benefits.
• Optimization Tips: You’ll receive actionable tips and ideas to improve your heading structure, making your content more accessible and SEO-friendly.

By leveraging Semrush’s On Page SEO Checker, you can refine your headings and subheadings to enhance both user experience and search engine rankings. This structured approach ensures that your content is not only easy to read but also optimized for maximum visibility.

5. Enhancing Content Quality and Relevance

Creating content that stands out in the crowded digital landscape requires a blend of originality, engagement, and strategic optimization. Here’s how you can elevate your content quality and relevance using proven techniques and Semrush’s powerful tools.

Writing unique and engaging content

Unique and engaging content is the cornerstone of any successful content strategy. It not only captures the reader’s attention but also differentiates your brand in a competitive market. Focus on:

• Originality: Avoid duplicating content. Always strive to bring a new perspective or unique value to your audience.
• Engagement: Use compelling headlines, storytelling, and interactive elements to keep readers hooked. Engaged readers are more likely to share your content, increasing its reach and impact.

Using Semrush SEO Content Template

Semrush’s SEO Content Template is an invaluable tool for crafting SEO-friendly content. It provides guidelines and recommendations based on top-performing articles in your niche. Here’s how it helps:

• Keyword Recommendations: Suggests primary and secondary keywords to include in your content.
• Readability: Offers advice on optimal text length and readability to ensure your content is easy to consume.
• Backlink Sources: Identifies potential backlink sources to improve your content’s authority.

Content ideas

Generating fresh and relevant content ideas can be challenging. Semrush’s tools simplify this process by:

• Trending Topics: Analyzing current trends to suggest timely and relevant topics.
• Competitor Content: Providing insights into what’s working for your competitors, allowing you to create content that meets or exceeds industry standards.

Competitor analysis

Understanding your competitors’ strategies is crucial for staying ahead. Semrush offers comprehensive competitor analysis tools that help you find:

• Keyword Gaps: Identify keywords that your competitors rank for but you don’t, uncovering new opportunities.
• Content Performance: Analyze your competitors’ top-performing content to understand what resonates with their audience and how you can create even better content.

Recommended keywords and readability score

Optimizing your content for both search engines and readers is key. Semrush assists by:

• Keyword Suggestions: Recommending relevant keywords to integrate naturally into your content, boosting its SEO potential.
• Readability Score: Evaluating the readability of your content to ensure it’s accessible and engaging for your target audience. The tool offers tips to improve sentence structure, vocabulary, and overall flow.

6. Optimizing URLs and Internal Links

Optimizing URLs and internal links is crucial for improving your website’s SEO performance. Here’s how you can effectively manage both using best practices and Semrush’s powerful tools.

Best practices for SEO-friendly URLs

Creating SEO-friendly URLs is essential for both search engines and users. Here are some best practices to follow:

• Simplicity: Use simple and relevant words in your URLs so users can easily understand what the page is about.
• Avoidance of Cryptic Elements: Stay away from using random numbers, dates, or full sentences. These can be confusing and intimidating to users.
• Inclusion of Keywords: Incorporate your target keyword into the URL. This helps Google understand the page’s topic and can improve your ranking for that keyword.

An unfriendly URL might look something like this: www.example.com/12345678. Instead, an optimized URL would look like this: www.example.com/seo-tips.

Using Semrush to audit and optimize URLs

Semrush offers a comprehensive suite of tools to audit and optimize your URLs:

• Site Audit Tool: This tool scans your website and identifies URLs that are not optimized. It highlights issues such as long URLs, missing keywords, and the presence of cryptic elements.
• Optimization Recommendations: Semrush provides actionable recommendations to improve your URLs, ensuring they are SEO-friendly and user-centric.

Importance of internal linking for SEO

Internal linking is a vital aspect of on-page SEO. Here’s why it matters:

• Site Structure Understanding: Internal links help search engines understand the structure of your website and how different pages are interconnected.
• Page Discovery: They enable Google crawlers to discover and navigate new pages on your site, improving indexation.
• Value Signaling: Internal links signal to Google which pages are valuable, potentially boosting their ranking.
• User Navigation: Improve visitor experience by making your website easy to navigate, increasing engagement and retention.

Using Semrush Link Building Tool to identify and fix internal linking issues

A strong internal linking structure is vital for both user experience and SEO, guiding visitors smoothly through your content while signaling important pages to search engines. Semrush’s Link Building Tool is instrumental in optimizing your internal links, ensuring your website is not only user-friendly but also search engine-friendly. 

Here’s how it helps: 

• Link Audit: The tool audits your current internal linking structure, identifying broken links, orphan pages, and opportunities for improvement.
• Optimization Suggestions: It offers recommendations on where to add internal links to strengthen your site’s architecture and improve SEO performance.
• Actionable Insights: The tool provides actionable insights that help you strategically place internal links to enhance both user experience and search engine indexing.

7. Optimizing Images for SEO

Optimizing images is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of SEO that can significantly enhance a website’s performance. Here’s how to ensure that images contribute positively to search engine rankings and the overall user experience.

Importance of image optimization

Optimized images can improve your search engine rankings and drive traffic from Google Images. Properly optimized images can:

• Enhance Page Load Speed: Faster-loading pages improve user experience and can positively affect rankings.
• Improve Accessibility: Alt tags make your content accessible to users with visual impairments.
• Boost SEO: Images with optimized alt tags and file names can help search engines better understand your content, improving your chances of ranking well.

Best practices for image SEO

To make sure your images contribute effectively to your SEO efforts, it’s important to follow best practices for image optimization. By ensuring that your images are both search engine and user-friendly, you can improve your site’s visibility and enhance the overall user experience.

Follow these best practices for optimization:

Alt tags

Write descriptive alt tags that provide context for search engines and screen readers. They serve to describe the image to search engines and assistive technologies. Tips for writing effective alt tags include:

• Keep It Brief: Screen readers typically stop reading alt text after about 125 characters.
• Include Keywords: Use your target keyword where relevant, but avoid keyword stuffing.
• Avoid Redundancies: Skip phrases like “image of” or “picture of” as they are unnecessary.
• Focus on Context: Ensure the alt text accurately describes the image’s content and context.

File names

Use clear and relevant file names that reflect the content of the image. Descriptive file names help search engines understand the image content. Best practices include:

• Be Descriptive: Use concise, relevant words that describe the image.
• Include Keywords: Incorporate target keywords naturally without overloading.
• Use Hyphens: Separate words with hyphens (e.g., rabbit-eating-greens.jpg).

Image size and compression

Optimizing image size and compression is vital for maintaining fast load times. Consider the following:

• Tools for Compression: Use tools like ImageOptim to reduce file sizes without compromising quality.
• Lazy Loading: Implement lazy loading to delay loading images until necessary, improving initial load times.

Using Semrush to identify and fix image optimization issues

When it comes to optimizing your images for better search engine performance, Semrush’s Site Audit tool proves to be an invaluable asset. By addressing image-related issues, you can enhance your site’s SEO and improve user experience. 

Here’s how the tool helps you with image optimization:

• Identify Missing Alt Text: The tool highlights images missing alt attributes, allowing you to add descriptive alt text.
• Check File Names: Ensure your file names are SEO-friendly and relevant.
• Optimization Recommendations: Semrush provides actionable insights for improving image load times and overall optimization.

8. Advanced On-Page SEO Techniques

Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals of on-site SEO, it’s time to explore more advanced page optimization techniques. 

1. Optimizing for page speed

Page speed is a confirmed ranking factor by Google, making it essential for your SEO strategy. Faster page load times improve user experience and can boost your rankings. Use Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool to assess your website’s performance for both mobile and desktop. The tool evaluates Core Web Vitals, including:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures the loading time of the main content.
• First Input Delay (FID): Measures the time it takes for the page to respond to the first user interaction.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures the visual stability of the page as it loads.

Using Semrush Site Audit Tool for speed analysis

Using Semrush’s Site Audit tool for speed analysis is essential for ensuring your website performs optimally. Semrush’s Site Audit tool offers a comprehensive approach to speed analysis, helping you pinpoint and address performance issues effectively.

Here’s how Semrush’s Site Audit tool can assist you in improving your website’s speed:

• Comprehensive Analysis: The tool provides an in-depth analysis of your website’s speed and performance metrics.
• Core Web Vitals: It highlights issues related to LCP, FID, and CLS, offering a detailed report on areas that need improvement.

Implementing recommended fixes

Once you have identified the issues, follow these steps to implement the recommended fixes:

• Optimize Images: Compress images using tools like ImageOptim.
• Enable Compression: Use Gzip to compress text files.
• Minimize JavaScript and CSS: Reduce or defer JavaScript and CSS files to improve load times.
• Implement Lazy Loading: Load images and other media only when the images and media are visible on the screen.

2. Targeting featured snippets

Featured snippets appear above the regular search results and can significantly boost your click-through rate (CTR). Here’s how to target them:

Identifying opportunities with Semrush

Use Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool to find keywords that have existing featured snippets. A featured snippet is a special box that appears at the top of search results, providing a concise answer to a query. By targeting keywords with these snippets, you can aim to have your own content featured, which can boost visibility and drive more traffic to your site.

Structuring content to target snippets

Format your content to directly answer the query. Use concise, clear answers, tables, lists, and videos to increase your chances of capturing the snippet.

3. Adding schema markup

Schema markup helps search engines understand your content better and can enhance your search visibility.

• Role of Schema Markup: It provides structured data that can result in rich snippets, which are more attractive in search results.
• Types of Schema: Common types include reviews, products, events, and local businesses.

Importance of Schema for SEO

Schema markup can improve your organic CTR and provide rich snippets that stand out in search results. By adding schema markup, you can convey detailed information about your content to search engines, making it easier for them to display relevant rich snippets.

Using Semrush to identify and implement schema markup

Semrush can assist in optimizing schema markup:

• Identify Schema Issues: Use the Site Audit tool to find pages that lack schema markup or have implementation issues.
• Implement Schema Markup: Follow the recommendations and use tools like Schema.org to validate your markup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Optimizing on page SEO is essential for improving your WordPress site’s visibility and ranking. By leveraging Semrush’s powerful tools, you can conduct comprehensive audits, perform effective keyword research, and enhance every aspect of your on page SEO.

Semrush’s comprehensive suite of tools goes beyond basic SEO practices. It provides detailed site audits to identify areas for improvement, insights into keyword opportunities for better targeting, and guidance on optimizing page speed. 

Its features for targeting featured snippets and implementing schema markup ensure your content stands out in search results.

Ready to take your SEO to the next level? Learn How to optimize on page SEO with Semrush.

Start optimizing today and watch your site climb the search engine rankings.

Sign up for Semrush and start optimizing today!