On-page optimization aims to help the crawlers and search engine algorithms understand the specific keywords for which you want the content to rank and also focus on the internal linking structure. It is an extremely important task that any SEO executive must undertake. Google algorithms, despite many upgrades and use of artificial intelligence, are still a set of programs that need to be told about the most important keywords that you want your article to rank for. 

That is the only way the post will become more relatable to the readers because Google can match the keywords to phrases or words in queries to understand the intent of a query and then show them your article. However, don’t write keyword-focused articles. Do a keyword research, but then try to incorporate them organically. Find out variations of the keywords and don’t try to be too rigid when trying to achieve a certain keyword ratio. 

Focus on the content and write from the perspective of your readers. Will they be satisfied? Is this article providing answers or solutions? Is this adding value to your relationship? Have you removed all the broken links and made your website responsive? Do you use a consistent copywriting and marketing strategy? All these factors will play a role. 

What are the most important on-page SEO optimization techniques for 2017?

Headline optimization

Whether it is the heading (H1 tag) or subheadings (H2 or H3 tags), you will have to optimize them. Try to incorporate your primary keyword and also keep the length at an optimum. Don’t overuse them, however, as many search engine algorithms find it difficult to manage too many headline tags. 

Title tags

A blog post or an article would be incomplete with a title tag. You need to include your target keyword preferably towards the start of the title or somewhere in the title. Keep it less than 65 words in length and use at least 40 characters. But don’t make it too short. 

Meta descriptions

Meta descriptions may not be as important as they once were but they would still be relevant in 2017. This is because Google expects you to show the searcher a relevant portion of your page so that they get an idea about the content of the page. You will have to optimize the length so that maximum relevant information gets displayed and also use the target keywords. 

Embed relevant videos

Embedding videos in your posts may be a new trend but it is worth considering. Like image posts, where you can include keywords in the alt tags, you can include keywords in the meta description of the video. Also, it has been seen that people spend more time watching a video than reading lengthy articles. So, they can be used to give out a CTA, get a subscription and also increase the overall time that your visitors spend on your website on an average. This will increase the page rank significantly. 

Internal links

Internal links will continue to be at the vanguard of on-page optimization. When you click a single link, you may end up on a page which has many more backlinks and the whole process gets repeated in cycles. Google algorithms continue to reward you for a strong internal linking mechanism. 

On-page optimizations will continue to evolve in 2017 and beyond. The focus may shift to off-page optimization but the relevance of keywords and internal links won’t go away anytime soon. Just remember to do it in a smart and natural way that the reader can relate with. This will definitely improve the visibility and the traffic to your page