On-page SEO boosts your content’s relevance and improves the user experience (UX) to help your webpages gain visibility in both traditional search results and AI-generated answers.
The good news? Many of the same on-page optimization practices that help you rank in traditional search also improve your chances of being featured in AI answers.
In this article, we’ll discuss 11 essential on-page SEO tasks and some technical SEO actions that are just as important. Here’s a snapshot of this on-page SEO checklist:
Download this on-page SEO checklist and check the boxes as you complete each task.
1. Identify Target Keywords
Find the target keywords to optimize your content around, so it can appear in both traditional search results and AI-generated answers.
Target keywords are the search terms your potential visitors use to find content like yours in search engines. Identifying relevant terms matters because these keywords are what your on-page optimizations are focused on.
When choosing keywords, consider these three key factors:
- Search volume: The average number of monthly searches the term gets
- Personal Keyword Difficulty: How hard it will be for you to rank in Google’s top 10 results for the keyword
- Search intent: What the searcher wants to find out or accomplish when searching the keyword
Search intent generally breaks down into four main categories:
- Informational: People looking to learn (e.g., “types of blue flowers”)
- Navigational: People searching for a specific website (e.g., “1800flowers”)
- Commercial: People researching products (e.g., “best flower delivery service”)
- Transactional: People ready to buy (e.g., “buy blue hydrangeas online”)
Let’s say you own a small flower shop with just one location. The keyword “blue flowers” might seem like a great keyword to target. But is it right for your goals?
The keyword “blue flowers” gets a lot of search interest—74,000 searches per month. But it also has a moderate level of keyword difficulty. Which means it could be tough for you to rank for.
Also, the search engine results page (SERP) is dominated by an AI Overview and informational articles. Which means most searchers are looking to learn more about flowers—not make a purchase.
So if your goal is to increase sales, “blue flowers” might not be the keyword for you.
To find keywords that are worth targeting, use Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool.
Open the Keyword Magic Tool, enter your seed keyword (a broad phrase related to your product or business), and click “Search.” You can add your domain here, too. This will give you some personalized data on the next screen.
You’ll then see a list with lots of keyword ideas:
But you want to narrow this keyword list down to only show keywords that suit your specific business goals. To do this, filter the list by:
- Volume: You want a high search volume to reach more people with your content
- Intent: Choose keywords matching your page’s purpose (e.g., transactional for product pages)
- Personal KD%: Lower personal keyword difficulty indicates your domain is more likely to rank in the top 10
Take note of all the keywords that meet your ideal criteria. We’ll be using them in the next steps to complete the on-page SEO checklist.
2. Optimize the Title Tag
Optimize your title tag to clearly communicate to search engines and users what your page is about and entice clicks.
Title tags appear in browser tabs and can show as clickable headlines in search results (Google will sometimes choose its own title). Here’s what a title tag can look like if it’s displayed on the SERP:
And this in the HTML code for the same title tag:
<title>What Is a Title Tag & How to Optimize Your Title Tags for SEO</title>
Your title tag should be clear, relevant, and compelling. Here’s how to optimize it:
- Place your primary keyword near the start
- Write clear, descriptive titles that accurately reflect your content
- Add relevant secondary keywords naturally (without stuffing them in) if possible
- Keep it to around 55 characters at most to avoid it getting truncated like this:
Use Semrush’s On Page SEO Checker to check if your title tags contain target keywords and if there’s any keyword stuffing.
Open On Page SEO Checker and create your project. After that, go to the “Optimization Ideas” tab to see your webpages and a number of optimization ideas for them. And click on “# ideas” next to any page to see its specific recommendations.
The “Content” section in On Page SEO Checker will tell you whether your title tag includes target keywords without keyword stuffing.
Go through all your pages to ensure you’ve optimized your title tags.
3. Use an H1 Tag for Your Headline
Every page should have one H1 tag that clearly describes the content to visitors—it’s one of the simplest yet most important on-page SEO tasks.
Your H1 tag is different from your title tag. It appears directly on your webpage. Here’s an example of what it looks like in HTML and on the page:
Your H1 tag should be similar to your title tag since they both tell search engines and users what the page is about. But while Google can truncate your title tag in search results if it’s too long, your H1 tag can be more descriptive.
So, when writing your H1:
- Include your primary keyword close to the start
- Explain your content in simple terms and tell readers exactly what to expect
- Hook your readers with compelling words (e.g., “Learn to Create …” is more engaging than “How to Make …”)
- Align it with your page’s content (in other words, keep it relevant)
- Fulfill your headline’s promise and avoid making claims your content can’t support
Head back into Semrush’s On Page SEO Checker to check your H1 tag for target keywords and keyword stuffing.
4. Write a Meta Description That Boosts Clicks
Your meta description is a brief page description that can appear under your title in search results, meaning it can influence whether users click through to your page.
A meta description looks like this when it appears on the SERP (but Google can also generate its own description):
And this is what a meta description looks like in your HTML code:
<meta name="description" content="Meta description here.">
The meta description isn’t a direct ranking factor for Google. However, a compelling meta description can significantly increase your click-through rate (CTR) in search experiences.
Follow these tips to optimize your meta descriptions:
- Include your target keyword naturally. Search engines often bold these terms when they match user searches.
- Clearly mention what users will get from your page or what pain point the page solves
- Share what makes you unique. Mention specific features, offers, or expertise that set you apart.
- Add a clear next step. Invite readers to “discover,” “learn,” or “explore” (but avoid pushy phrases like “click here”).
- Keep it short and complete. Stay under ~105 characters to prevent your meta description from getting truncated on desktop and mobile.
Writing clear, relevant descriptions that match search intent reduces the likelihood of search engines generating their own descriptions. And gives you more control over how your page appears in search results.
Use Semrush’s On Page SEO Checker to check your meta description for target keywords and keyword stuffing. It will also flag if Google is rewriting your description in the search results.
5. Check the URL Slug for SEO-Friendliness
SEO-friendly URL slugs help search engines and users understand your page content.
The URL slug is the unique part of your webpage address that describes a specific page.
In this example, the URL slug is “what-is-a-url-slug”:
Here’s how to optimize URL slugs:
- Make them descriptive. Something like “wedding-flowers” is better than “wf-arrangements-2025-page1.”
- Use your primary keyword. Use it naturally—don’t stuff it in.
- Separate words with hyphens. Use “fresh-flower-delivery” not “freshflowerdelivery” or “fresh_flower_delivery.”
- Keep it short and simple. Something like “summer-flowers” works better than “beautiful-fresh-summer-flowers-for-sale.”
- Avoid special characters. Stick to letters, numbers, and hyphens.
- Skip unnecessary words. Remove words like “and,” “the,” and “a.”
- Remove dates that might change or become irrelevant. For example, “flower-care-guide” is better than “flower-care-guide-2025.”
Also, if you ever change a URL slug, always set up a redirect from the old URL to the new one. This helps maintain your ranking power and prevents visitors from clicking broken links.
Check out our dedicated guide for more advice on creating SEO-friendly URLs.
6. Add Target Keywords to Your Body Content
Incorporate target keywords naturally throughout your content, so search engines and AI tools can confidently match and show your page for relevant queries.
Your content needs the right balance of primary keywords, related terms, and supporting topics. Here’s what natural keyword use looks like:
In contrast, you want to avoid keyword stuffing—i.e., forcing keywords where they don’t sound natural. Like this:
When incorporating keywords in your content for on-page optimization:
- Place your main keyword naturally in the first paragraph
- Include related terms that add context (like “gift cards” and “in-app purchases” when discussing app store credit)
- Use variations of your keyword in ways that fit naturally
To get some ideas on how to use keywords and related terms, look at the top-ranking pages (But don’t copy them!).
Alternatively, use Semrush’s SEO Content Template to save time. It provides key recommendations based on the top 10 results for your target keyword(s).
SEO Content Template makes it easy to analyze your competitors’ keyword use.
While you don’t want to copy what your competitors are doing, studying their content does give you a good idea of the kinds of keywords they’re using and where they’re using them. To give you ideas for how to optimize your own content.
7. Review Your Content Quality
Review the content to make sure it is accurate, satisfies search intent, and provides real value to users because high-quality content is more likely to perform well in traditional search results and AI answers.
Here are some of the main content quality indicators:
|
Quality indicators |
Best practice |
|
Search intent |
Understand what users want when they find your page. A shopper needs product details, while a researcher wants comprehensive information. |
|
Accuracy |
Make sure your content is factually correct and up to date. Check your facts, fix spelling errors, and update outdated information. |
|
Originality |
Create fresh content that offers unique value. Avoid copying content from other sites or duplicating it across your own pages. |
|
Answer clarity |
Start sections with direct answers to user questions. If someone asks “what is [concept]” give the definition immediately. For “how to” queries, start with clear steps. |
|
Readability |
Write in a way your audience understands. Break down complex topics, explain technical terms, and use examples when needed. |
|
Structure |
Use headers, short paragraphs, and bullet points to make your content easy to scan and understand. |
|
Engagement |
Match your writing style to your audience. A medical article needs professional language, while a cooking blog can be more conversational. |
Search intent is one of the most important factors to consider when looking at your content’s quality. If you aren’t giving the user what they want, they’re likely to leave the page. Or at least they’re unlikely to convert.
So, meeting search intent isn’t just good for the user—it’s good for your business, too.
Regularly review your content against search intent and other quality indicators to identify gaps in information, opportunities for clearer explanations, and areas where you can add more value for your readers. For help with the review, run your content through Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant.
SEO Writing Assistant provides SEO, readability, and tone of voice suggestions based on the top 10 competitors for your target keyword(s). And it checks for plagiarism, too.
If you get writer’s block, you can even use the built-in AI features to compose or rephrase content.
8. Organize Your Content Using Header Tags
Structure your content with header tags to help both readers and search systems quickly understand how your information is organized.
Header tags range from H1 to H6 and create a structured outline of your content in a nested hierarchy system.
The H1 tag is your main page title, and you should only use one per page. H2s mark your primary sections, while H3s and beyond create subsections. Like this:
Header tags create clear visual breaks between topics, which makes long-form content digestible. Search engines can also use headers to identify and extract specific information when generating AI responses.
When using header tags, make sure you:
- Write clear, descriptive headers that preview the content
- Maintain a logical flow between sections
- Include relevant keywords naturally
- Break up long content into manageable sections
- Keep each section focused on one topic
9. Improve Navigation with Internal Links
Using internal links to connect pages on your website helps users discover more relevant content, makes it easier for search engines to understand your site structure, and distributes ranking potential across your site.
For example, Soak&Sleep has internal links to similar category pages and individual product pages on its single bedding page.
(There are also helpful links in the navigation menu, breadcrumb navigation, and other elements.)
When creating internal links, your anchor text—the clickable words in your link—matters. So, use descriptive terms to help readers understand what they’ll find on the linked page. (It also provides more helpful context about the page for Google.)
When creating internal links, keep these best practices in mind:
- Place links where they naturally fit in your content
- Ensure linked pages are truly relevant and helpful
- Avoid linking to the same page multiple times on one page (in most cases)
- Link to your most important pages more often
- Keep the number of links reasonable—using too many can overwhelm readers
Blog posts offer excellent opportunities for internal linking. Because you can link to your previous articles when covering related topics. And you can link to relevant product pages when discussing what you offer in more informational content.
10. Add Engaging Visual Content
Visual content (like images and videos) makes your pages more engaging and easier to understand to boost your user experience—and your SEO.
Optimized visuals also give search engines valuable information about your page through properly implemented alt text and descriptive file names.
When adding images to your content:
- Choose visuals that enhance your content’s message
- Add alt text to each image that conveys meaning. This is a written description in your page’s code that helps search engines understand your image and assists visually impaired users (as screen readers may read this text aloud).
- Place images next to relevant text they support
- Compress your images using tools like TinyPNG to keep your page loading quickly without sacrificing quality
When adding videos to your content:
- Create video content that matches your page’s purpose (like tutorials for how-to guides)
- Host your videos on YouTube and embed them from there
- Add captions to make your videos more accessible
Learn more about image SEO and video SEO with our in-depth guides.
11. Apply Schema Markup
Add schema markup to help search engines better understand and display your content in results.
Schema markup (a type of structured data) is code you add to your page’s HTML that gives search engines more information about the different types of data on your page. And the better search engines can understand your page, the more likely they will be to show your content for relevant search terms.
Google uses schema to create rich results—enhanced search listings that display extra details like ratings, prices, or event dates directly in search results. Like this:
Google supports several types of schema markup, including:
- Article: For blog posts and news articles
- Product: For ecommerce pages with prices and availability
- Event: For dates, times, and locations
- Local Business: For address, hours, and contact details
- Recipe: For ingredients, cooking times, and ratings
For example, Recipe schema helps King Arthur Baking earn a valuable spot on the SERP. And gives users more information about the page’s content—ratings, time to make the recipe, and ingredients used.
This is one of the more advanced tasks on this on-page SEO checklist. But Google does have a Structured Data Markup Helper that helps you add schema to your pages.
Learn more in our guide to schema and structured data.
BONUS: Start on Your Technical SEO
While technical SEO is different from on-page SEO, you need both to perform well in Google.
You can read our in-depth guide to technical SEO for more info. But here are three quick ways to get started:
12. Ensure Robots.txt Allows Crawlers to Access Your Pages
Make sure your robots.txt file isn’t accidentally blocking crawlers from accessing your pages.
Your robots.txt file tells crawlers (computer programs created by search engines and AI platforms) which parts of your site they should or shouldn’t access.
If the robots.txt file is misconfigured, you could be preventing key pages from being crawled and discovered. And if that happens, your pages won’t appear in search results or be available to AI-powered search experiences.
To check your robots.txt file, go to “yourdomain.com/robots.txt” in your browser.
Look for rules that might be blocking important crawlers. For example, pay attention to something like this:
User-agent: Googlebot
Disallow: /
The above entry is telling Googlebot to avoid accessing your entire site. This means your pages won’t appear in Google’s search results at all—even if everything else on this checklist is perfect.
AI crawlers like OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot are equally important. Blocking them means your content won’t appear in ChatGPT search results or Perplexity answers when users are using the web search mode.
Review your robots.txt file carefully and remove any disallow rules that might be blocking crawlers you actually want visiting your site. This is one of the most common technical issues that undermines on-page SEO work.
13. Increase Page Speed
Page speed directly impacts both search rankings and the user experience.
Fast-loading pages can reduce bounce rates, keep prospective customers on your site, and improve your business’s bottom line.
Things that could slow down your page speed include:
- Redirect chains
- Unoptimized images or media files
- Render-blocking JavaScript
In our study of 50,000 domains for our technical SEO checklist, we found that around 35% of those domains had speed issues. This was one of many technical SEO problems we found affecting a significant portion of websites.
Check your page speed in Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. Just enter your page’s URL and click “Analyze.”
Then look at your “Core Web Vitals Assessment” (on both “Mobile” and “Desktop”) to see whether you passed. Core Web Vitals are key user experience metrics that can affect Google rankings.
The three Core Web Vitals are:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): The time it takes for the main content of the page to load
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP): The time between a user’s interaction and the page’s next visual update
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): A measure of unexpected layout movements that occur during loading
Semrush’s Site Audit tool has a Core Web Vitals report that analyzes up to 10 pages per crawl. (Note that, as INP requires user interaction data, Site Audit uses TBT instead.)
14. Make Sure Your Pages Are Mobile-Friendly
Google predominantly evaluates and ranks your content based on the mobile version of the page, which is known as mobile-first indexing.
As of 2025, 62.73% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices. This means mobile SEO is paramount.
Here are three quick tips for making your website mobile-friendly:
- Use a responsive design. This ensures your website works just as well on mobile as it does on desktop.
- Create mobile-friendly content. To cater to smaller screen sizes, use short sentences and paragraphs to make your content easier to read
- Make sure all your buttons and menus work properly. Make sure your buttons are easily tappable, not just clickable, and that your menus are easy to navigate (as they’ll likely be hidden behind icons on mobile).
Improve Your On-Page SEO
Streamline your on-page optimization process by identifying exactly what each page needs to show prominently in search results.
Use Semrush’s On Page SEO Checker to do this quickly and easily. It analyzes your pages against top competitors and provides actionable on-page SEO ideas to save you time while also helping you prioritize the optimizations likely to have the biggest impact.
Try the On Page SEO Checker today.
