12 on-page SEO basics every small site needs

Here’s the encouraging thing about on-page SEO: it’s the part of search you actually control. You can’t make Google trust you overnight or force competitors to drop their links, but you can fix every item on this list yourself, mostly without a developer, and most small sites are quietly losing rankings to two or three of them right now.

On-page SEO basics are the things you control on your own website to help Google understand your pages and show them to the right people: clear title tags, meta descriptions, headings, fast loading, mobile-friendly design, useful content, internal links, image alt text, clean URLs, schema markup, HTTPS, and a logical structure. Get these right and search engines can read, trust and rank your pages.

The 12 basics

1. Title tags. The clickable blue headline in search results. Lead with your main keyword and town, keep it under ~60 characters, make every page’s unique. (How to write title tags.)
2. Meta descriptions. The grey summary under the title. Doesn’t directly affect ranking, but a clear, benefit-led line earns more clicks. Aim for ~150 characters. (What is a meta description.)
3. One H1 per page. Your main on-page heading. It should match the page’s purpose and contain your core topic. Use H2s and H3s for the rest.
4. Useful, original content. Answer the question the visitor actually has. Thin or copied pages rarely rank. Write for the reader first, the search engine second.
5. Mobile-friendly design. Most local searches happen on phones, and Google ranks the mobile version. Text readable, buttons tappable, no zooming.
6. Fast loading. Slow pages lose visitors and rankings. Compress images, avoid bloated plugins, use decent hosting.
7. Clean URLs. Short, readable, keyword-friendly: /emergency-plumber-leeds/ beats /page?id=4471. Hyphens, lower case, no junk.
8. Internal links. Link related pages to each other with descriptive anchor text. Helps Google find pages and spreads authority around your site.
9. Image alt text. A short description of each image. Helps screen readers and gives Google context. Describe what’s in the image, naturally.
10. HTTPS (SSL). The padlock. A confirmed ranking signal, and browsers warn visitors away from sites without it.
11. Schema markup. Code labelling your content (business, reviews, FAQs, products) so search engines understand it. (What is schema markup.)
12. Logical site structure. A clear menu and shallow hierarchy, so any page is a few clicks from the homepage. Easy for people and crawlers alike.

Quick wins vs longer jobs

Some you can do this afternoon; others need a bit more work or a developer:

• Quick wins (today): title tags, meta descriptions, fixing the H1, adding alt text, tidying a few URLs.
• Medium jobs (a week): internal linking across pages, writing genuinely useful content, basic schema markup.
• Bigger jobs (a project): site speed, mobile redesign, fixing site structure, migrating to HTTPS if you’re not already.

What on-page SEO can’t do alone

On-page is the foundation, not the whole house. It makes your pages eligible to rank, but won’t fight strong competition by itself:

• Off-page (links and mentions from other sites) builds authority.
• Local signals (a complete Google Business Profile and consistent name, address, phone) drive map results.
• Time. New pages take weeks to months to settle, see how long does SEO take.

No honest provider can promise a #1 ranking. What good on-page work does promise is that you’re not losing rankings to fixable, self-inflicted problems.

How we handle it

We build every client site with these 12 baked in: unique titles and descriptions, fast mobile pages, HTTPS, schema, a clean structure, then keep them maintained as your content grows. Part of every plan, not an add-on. See what’s included on the pricing page or get in touch for a quick audit.

A simple monthly check

On-page SEO isn’t set-and-forget. Once a month, spot-check a few pages:

1. Does each still have a unique, accurate title?
2. Is it loading quickly on your phone?
3. Any broken links or images missing alt text?
4. Have you added internal links from new content to key pages?

Fix the basics, keep them tidy, and you give every other bit of marketing a stronger base to work from.