It is one of the questions that almost all the beginners in SEO will ask at one time:
What on-page factor is of the greatest weight to SEO?
I recall that I had inquired the same when I first learned of SEO. This confused me since all people gave different answers. Some mentioned content, some mentioned keywords, others title tags. This is why I decided to experiment myself when working on small websites and blogs.
Although I have spent years in learning, observing, and making mistakes to get to this point, the simple truth is:
It does not have a magic element, but one element is evidently more weighty than others.
We will have to simplify this down in a very basic, entry-level manner.
The elements of on-page SEO are as follows:
On-page SEO elements refer to those elements within your website or blog post that assist Google to know what your page entails.
Examples of some of these common on-page elements are:
- Page title
- Content
- Headings
- URL
- Images
- Internal links
- Meta description
All of these work together. However, there are those that are more important than the others.
Which Element of On-Page is the most important then?
The page content is of the greatest importance to SEO.
Yes, content.
Not content of any kind, but useful, relevant and well-written content that is in line with what people are seeking.
Google’s main job is simple:
Provide the users with the most feasible reply to their question.
Assuming that your content provides the answer to the question, then the likelihood of ranking increases regardless of the imperfection of other aspects.
The reason why the content has the highest weight.
I would like to put it in a simple manner.
Imagine someone searches:
What is the most valuable on-page factor to SEO?
Google will:
- Read your content
- See whether you really reply to this question.
- Check whether your explanation is good.
- Compare it with other pages
Your content should not be shallow and confusing since even when your title and your keywords are excellent; Google will not rank it.
My experience has shown pages to rank with:
- Simple design
- Average backlinks
- Basic optimisation
But strong, useful content.
That is what can be so strong as content.
Which Type of Content has a Higher SEO worth?
Not long content.
Not keyword-stuffed content.
But satisfying search intent content.
Good SEO content usually:
Obviously answers the big question.
Uses simple language
Is easy to read
Covers the topic fully
Feels do not write to search engines, but to humans.
Google is smart now. It comprehends not only keywords.
The second most significant aspect is the Page Title (Title Tag).
The page title has a lot of SEO following content.
The title tells Google:
- What the page is about
- Similarity with the search query.
A good title:
- There is the key word in between.
- Is clear and readable
- Makes people want to click
Example:
Which On-Page Factor has the Highest SEO Relevance?
Simple. Clear. No tricks.
Even the best content could not do well in case your title is confusing or misleading.
Headings (H1, H2, H3) Also Matter
Google recognizes structure with the help of headings.
imagine sub-titles such as billboards within your text:
- H1 = main topic
- H2 = main points
- H3 = supporting points
They do not bear heavier weight than content, however, they bear content well.
Personally, I observed improvement in my ranks when I began to plan my articles and not write all the information in a block.
URL: Small but Important
Your URL must be clear in regards to what your page is all about.
Good URL:
/which-on-page-element-most-important-seo
Bad URL:
/page-id-1234
The URLs do not rank the pages in isolation but assist in Google and user contextualizing.
Internal Links: Passive SEO Boosters.
Internal links are not given due attention though they are greatly powerful.
They help:
- Google discover your pages
- Pass relevance
- Improve user experience
Your content is already good and internally connected, which makes it even better.
Meta Description: It Is not a Ranking Factor, and It is Still Useful.
Most newcomers believe that meta description has a direct influence on ranking.
It doesn’t.
But it affects:
- Click-through rate
- User interest
The higher the clicks, the higher the engagement, the positive indicators.
So although it does not have a ranking value, it helps in your SEO performance.
Pictures and Alternative Text: Supporting Role.
Pictures themselves are not the heaviest in terms of SEO but they:
- Improve user experience
- Help with image search
- Support accessibility
Alt text is useful to Google in that it can interpret images however, it does nothing to replace content.
Speedy Comparison: SEO Weight Order (Simple).
The following is a very simple priority order in the real-world SEO:
- Content (Most Important)
- Page title
- Headings
- Internal linking
- URL
- Images & alt text
- Meta description
It all begins and ends with content.
Mistakes that beginner types make.
Many beginners try to:
- Over-optimise titles
- Stuff keywords
- Only tools and scores should be in focus.
They lose sight of the primary objective, though, which is to assist the reader.
I personally have been able to move up rankings by simply reformatting some content in order to make it easier to understand and more helpful without having to do any tweaking of the keywords or backlinks.
Final Answer (Clear & Simple)
The content is the most weighing on-page factor as far as SEO is concerned.
If your content:
- Answers the search query
- Is easy to understand
- Feels written for people
Such on-page elements then just supplement it.
Final Thoughts
There is no magic trick of SEO. It is having the fundamentals down to a tee.
Start with strong content.
Optimise headings, links and titles about it then.
In case this article made you learn more about SEO, do not forget to share it on social media so that other people can also learn.
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blissful learning and blissful ranking.