According to contently, search accounts for about one-third of all Internet traffic. So if you’re serious about getting the most value out of your content, understanding how to use SEO the right way is something content marketers should be paying close attention to in 2016.
SEO is simply defined as search engine optimization: meaning optimizing your website in a way which can help you to rank ahead of others in search engine results, or in other words improving our SERP(Search Engines Page Result).
There are primarily two types of search engine optimization, one is known as on-page search engine optimization and another is off page. In this article, we will focus on “on page” search engine optimization.
This article will explain you in most simple and practical manner what on page optimization actually is.
By doing on page SEO we primarily focus on the following parts of our article:-
- Title
- Heading
- Permalink
- Keywords
- Media
- Design
1. Permalink
Permalink should always be small and should contain relevant keywords. Permalink is what comes after our domain name which uniquely identifies our post. You can change Permalink format under settings in WordPress as shown in the pic below. Google generally gives more importance to the initial three words off our Permalink so you should always place your target keyword there.
Short URL not only helps in search engine ranking but also make our search results more attractive and hence improve the click through rate known as CTR. For example, if a hundred users see your site on first page of the Google and 20 of them click on your link then your CTR will be 20%.
2. Title
As explained above Google gives more importance to the initial few words so not only your targeted keywords should be in your post title, but they should be placed in the initial position. Title having targeted keyword is the most important part of on page SEO.
3. Media
Just having text will not suffice the purpose. You should compliment your article text with images and videos as well. Having multimedia on your website will make a user stay for a longer time and will decrease your bounce rate. As Google also considers user behavior in ranking factors, the time spent on your website is extremely important.
4. Keywords
Always try to use the relevant keywords within the first hundred words off your article. The earlier the keywords are placed, the easier it becomes for search engines to understand what your article is about.
5. Website loading speed
Search engines also record the time your website takes to load. Hence, if you are using high-quality images, it is important to first compress them before uploading to your website. You can even use a plug-in to do this. Technically your websites should not take more than four seconds to load because it is proven by research that 75% of subscribers will not return to your website if it takes a longer time to open. They are a lot of tools available online which you can use to check your website loading time.
Here is the speed test of this website using pingdom 🙂
6. Modifiers
Try to use modifiers like best, top, famous, tips, complete guide, review, helpful etc in your post title. For example, if you are writing an article on ways to make money online then your title could be
- Top 10 ways to make money online.
- 15 famous ways to make money online.
- Best ways to make money online.
- A Complete guide on how to make money online.
- Tips to make money Online.
People tend to click on the articles with these modifiers.
7. Social Sharing
It is obvious that you should always use social sharing buttons on your website. The easier it is for people to share your stuff, the more organic traffic you will get. They are a lot of free services like Sumome that can be easily added to your website. BTW I am also using Sumome on this website. 
8. Longer Content
The longer the content, the easier it is for your website to rank higher. Long form content not only helps in SEO but also makes your readers stay for a longer time. An article with minimum 2000 words is considered good for high-ranking. IMHO you should always try to write an article with a minimum of 1000 words. Longer articles will also allow you to use long tail keywords in your post.
9. Internal Links
Internal links mean having a hyperlink of your other articles within your posts. However the link shared in the post should be relevant to the current article. As a rule of thumb, every article should have a minimum of 2 links to any older content on your website.
10. Heading Tags
Always try to use H2 and H3 tags in your post and don’t forget to use the relevant keywords.
11. Image Text
People make a big mistake when they simply upload an image to their post without changing its name. Having keywords as your image name is also important for search engine ranking. You should consider using ALT Tag for better SEO.
12. Description
when we share our post online the result primarily comprises of Title, Permalink, Image Thumbnail and Post Description. Hence having a search engine friendly description with targeted keywords can work wonders for your search engine ranking. If your theme does not have this built-in feature, you can use third-party plugins like Yoast SEO. These plugins allow you to modify descriptions before publishing your content.
The steps outlined above may seem like a huge task for any beginning blogger, but I can assure you that it is definitely worth your time to be successful in the long run.