Question 1

What is on-page SEO?

Accepted Answer

On-page SEO is the optimization of individual web pages to rank higher in search results. It covers every element you control on the page: title tags, meta descriptions, URL structure, heading hierarchy, content quality, images, internal links, schema markup, and performance signals like page speed and Core Web Vitals. On-page SEO is what makes a page relevant and readable to both search engines and the people searching.

Question 2

What are the most important on-page SEO ranking factors?

Accepted Answer

Title tag optimization, content that matches search intent, heading structure, page speed, and Core Web Vitals are consistently among the highest-impact on-page factors. In 2026, EEAT signals, schema markup, and AEO-formatted content for AI Overviews have become increasingly important alongside the traditional factors. No single factor determines rankings alone: all 25 factors on this checklist contribute to the overall quality signal a page sends.

Question 3

How many keywords should I target per page?

Accepted Answer

One primary keyword and a cluster of three to eight semantically related secondary keywords per page. Targeting more than one primary keyword splits the page's focus and often results in ranking for neither term well. Secondary keywords should appear naturally throughout the content where they are topically relevant, not forced into every section for coverage.

Question 4

Does on-page SEO help AI Overviews?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Google's AI Overviews pull from well-structured pages with clear headings, direct answers in the opening sentences of each section, and comprehensive topic coverage. Proper schema markup, particularly FAQ schema, also increases the likelihood of being cited. On-page optimization specifically for AI Overviews means structuring content to answer questions directly and completely rather than building to the answer.

Question 5

Is schema markup important?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Schema markup is one of the most consistently underused on-page SEO factors, which means implementing it gives your pages a genuine advantage over competitors who have not. FAQ schema earns expanded search results that take up significantly more SERP space than standard listings. Article schema enables rich result display. Organization schema supports brand entity recognition. All of these improve click-through rates at the same ranking position.

Question 6

How many internal links should a page have?

Accepted Answer

Enough to give search engines a clear path to your most important related pages, and enough to give human readers useful next steps. For most blog posts and service pages, three to eight internal links distributed throughout the content is appropriate. Avoid stuffing internal links into every paragraph: one or two per major section is sufficient for most pages.

Question 7

How often should I update on-page SEO?

Accepted Answer

Audit your most important pages quarterly. Update any page that has dropped more than five positions from its peak ranking, any page with outdated statistics or information, and any page whose content no longer matches the current search intent for its target keyword. Freshness updates on high-value pages that already have backlinks recover ranking faster than rebuilding from scratch.

Question 8

Does page speed affect rankings?

Accepted Answer

Yes, directly. Google uses Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, and CLS) as ranking signals, and these metrics are primarily determined by page speed and visual stability. A slow page that produces poor Core Web Vitals scores ranks lower than a technically equivalent fast page. Page speed also affects conversion rates independent of rankings: a one-second improvement in load time reduces bounce rates measurably across most industries.

Question 9

What is the ideal content length?

Accepted Answer

Long enough to fully satisfy the search intent for the target keyword, and no longer. For competitive informational keywords, top-ranking pages typically contain 1,500 to 3,000 words. For transactional keywords, shorter and more conversion-focused pages often rank better than long informational ones. Check the word count of the top five results for your target keyword and use that as your baseline rather than a universal number.

Question 10

What is the difference between on-page SEO and technical SEO?

Accepted Answer

On-page SEO covers what is visible on the page: content, headings, title tags, images, internal links, schema, and readability. Technical SEO covers the site infrastructure: crawlability, indexing, site speed, server configuration, HTTPS, XML sitemaps, and robots.txt. Both affect rankings, but they address different problems. A page with excellent on-page SEO on a site with technical indexing issues will not rank. A technically perfect site with weak on-page optimization will rank poorly for competitive terms.

SEO checklist

On-Page SEO Checklist for 2026: 25 Proven Strategies to Boost Your Website Rankings

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