On-page SEO

Titles, descriptions, headings, copy, images and structured data: what to put on each page so search engines and people understand it.

2 min read · updated 24 September 2026

On-page SEO is everything on the page itself that helps a search engine understand what it is about and helps a person decide to click and stay. It is the part of SEO you control completely, which makes it the best place to start.

Title tag

The title is the blue link in search results and the text on the browser tab. It is the strongest single on-page signal.

• Put the main keyword near the start: "Boiler Repair in Leeds | Smith & Sons Plumbing".
• Aim for roughly 30 to 60 characters so it is not cut off.
• Give every page a different title.

Meta description

The description is the grey text under the title in results. It does not directly affect ranking, but it affects whether people click.

• Around 70 to 160 characters.
• Say what the page offers and why to choose you: "Same-day boiler repairs across Leeds. Gas Safe engineers, fixed prices, no call-out fee."
• If you leave it empty, the search engine picks a snippet from the page, often a poor one.

Headings

Use one H1 that says what the page is about, then H2 and H3 headings to break the content into sections. Headings help readers skim and tell search engines how the page is structured. Do not use heading tags just to make text bigger.

The copy itself

• Answer the searcher's question early. The opening paragraph should confirm they are in the right place.
• Use the words customers use, naturally. Repeating a keyword over and over reads badly and does not help.
• Cover the topic properly. A service page should say what is included, the area covered, prices or how pricing works, and how to get in touch.
• Show who is behind the business: qualifications, reviews, photos of real work.

Very short pages ("thin content") rarely rank for anything competitive.

Images

• Describe each meaningful image in its alt text ("engineer servicing a combi boiler"). It helps visually impaired visitors and tells search engines what the image shows.
• Compress images. Large photos are the most common reason a small business page loads slowly.

Links on the page

Link to your related pages with descriptive text: "see our boiler servicing prices" as the link, rather than "click here". Internal links pass visitors, and a share of each page's standing, around your site.

Structured data

Structured data is code (usually JSON-LD) that states facts in a form machines read reliably: your business name, address, phone number, opening hours and reviews. For a local business, a LocalBusiness block is the one that matters most. The local business checker shows what yours contains and what is missing.

Mobile and speed

Most local searches happen on phones. Pages need a mobile viewport, readable text without zooming, and tap targets that are not crammed together. Page speed matters most on slow mobile connections; the full on-page tool measures Core Web Vitals.

Check a page now

The SEO page checker grades any page on these points and gives the fix for each one that fails.