10 On-Page SEO Best Practices That Still Matter

On-Page SEO in 2025: What Still Works

Search algorithms have changed dramatically over the past decade. AI-powered ranking systems, helpful content updates, and a growing emphasis on user experience have reshaped what it takes to rank. But amidst all the change, on-page SEO fundamentals remain as important as ever.

Getting your pages right — the content, the code, the structure — is still the foundation of any effective SEO strategy. No amount of link building or technical wizardry compensates for a page that’s poorly written, slow to load, or confusing to navigate.

Here are ten on-page SEO best practices that continue to deliver results.

1. Write Title Tags That Work for Humans and Search Engines

Your title tag is the single most important on-page SEO element. It tells search engines what the page is about and appears as the clickable headline in search results.

Best practice: Keep titles between 50–60 characters, lead with your primary keyword, and make sure the title accurately describes the page. Avoid keyword stuffing — “Houston Web Design | Web Design Houston | Houston Website Design” is a red flag, not a strategy. Write for the person reading it first.

2. Craft Meta Descriptions That Drive Clicks

Meta descriptions don’t directly influence rankings, but they have a significant impact on click-through rates. A compelling meta description can be the difference between someone clicking your result or scrolling past it.

Best practice: Keep descriptions under 160 characters. Summarize the page’s value clearly, include your target keyword naturally, and end with a subtle call to action when appropriate. Think of it as a mini ad for your page.

3. Use a Clear Header Hierarchy (H1 Through H3)

Headers (H1, H2, H3) serve two purposes: they make content easier to scan for readers, and they signal topic structure to search engines. Every page should have exactly one H1 that matches or closely aligns with the title tag. Subsequent sections use H2s, and sub-points within those sections use H3s.

Best practice: Don’t skip heading levels or use them purely for visual styling. A logical hierarchy — H1 > H2 > H3 — helps both crawlers and readers understand how ideas relate to each other.

4. Keep URLs Clean and Descriptive

URL structure is often overlooked, but it contributes to both SEO and user experience. A clean URL tells users (and search engines) what to expect before they even click.

Best practice: Use lowercase letters, hyphens instead of underscores, and avoid unnecessary parameters or numbers. /blog/on-page-seo-best-practices is better than /blog?id=482&cat=3. Keep URLs as short as possible while still being descriptive.

5. Build a Strong Internal Linking Structure

Internal links connect your pages to each other, help search engines discover and index content, and distribute “link equity” across your site. They also keep users engaged by pointing them toward related content.

Best practice: Link to relevant pages using descriptive anchor text — not “click here” or “read more.” Think about which pages are most important to your business goals and make sure they receive links from multiple other pages. Audit internal links periodically to find and fix broken links.

6. Optimize Images With Alt Text, Compression, and WebP Format

Images can slow down a page and be completely invisible to search engines if not handled correctly. Proper image optimization addresses both issues.

Best practice: Use descriptive, keyword-rich file names (houston-web-design-portfolio.webp rather than IMG_4832.jpg). Write accurate alt text that describes the image content — this is critical for accessibility and gives search engines additional context. Compress images and serve them in WebP format, which delivers smaller file sizes than JPEG or PNG at equivalent quality. Use lazy loading for images below the fold.

7. Prioritize Page Speed

Page speed is an official Google ranking factor and directly affects user experience. A slow-loading page loses visitors before they even see your content — and those lost visitors send a negative engagement signal back to search engines.

Best practice: Target a Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) under 2.5 seconds. Minimize render-blocking JavaScript, use a content delivery network (CDN), enable browser caching, and keep server response times low. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and WebPageTest will show you where your biggest performance gaps are.

8. Ensure Full Mobile Responsiveness

Google uses mobile-first indexing, which means it primarily looks at the mobile version of your site for ranking purposes. A page that looks great on desktop but is broken or awkward on mobile is actively penalized.

Best practice: Use responsive design that adapts fluidly to all screen sizes rather than maintaining a separate mobile site. Test your pages on real devices — not just browser emulators — and check for common mobile issues like text that’s too small to read, buttons that are too close together, and content that requires horizontal scrolling.

9. Implement Schema Markup

Schema markup (also called structured data) is code added to your page that helps search engines understand the content more precisely. It can unlock rich results in Google Search — star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, event details, and more — which increases visibility and click-through rates.

Best practice: Use JSON-LD format (Google’s preferred method) to add relevant schema types: LocalBusiness for service-area businesses, Article for blog posts, FAQPage for FAQ sections, BreadcrumbList for navigation context. Validate your markup with Google’s Rich Results Test before deploying. Even if you don’t qualify for rich results immediately, schema still provides context that helps Google categorize your content accurately.

10. Create High-Quality Content That Demonstrates E-E-A-T

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) is the framework Google’s quality raters use to evaluate content. It’s not a direct ranking factor in the algorithmic sense, but the qualities it describes are exactly what Google’s systems try to reward.

Best practice: Write content that genuinely helps your audience. Draw on real experience and expertise — don’t just restate what every other site says. Cite authoritative sources. Keep content updated as information changes. Include author credentials where relevant. Make it easy to find contact information and business details that establish trust. Thin content, duplicated content, and pages that exist only to rank rather than to inform will increasingly struggle as AI-driven ranking systems improve.

Putting It All Together

On-page SEO isn’t a checklist you run once and forget. It’s an ongoing discipline that requires attention to both technical details and content quality. The sites that rank consistently well over time are the ones that take all ten of these areas seriously — not just the easy ones.

If your website isn’t generating the traffic or leads you need, on-page issues are often a major part of the problem. Fixing them is foundational work that pays dividends across every other marketing effort you invest in.

Ariel Digital specializes in SEO-driven web design and digital marketing for businesses in the Houston area. If you’d like a candid assessment of your current site’s on-page SEO, or you’re ready to build something new from the ground up, give us a call at 281-949-8240. We’re happy to talk through what’s working, what isn’t, and what the path forward looks like.