On page SEO is the part of search you have complete control over. No waiting on Google, no chasing links, no competitor getting in your way. It is just getting each page right. And it is where most small business websites leave easy wins on the table: missing page titles, headings that say nothing, no internal links, images that weigh a megabyte each.

Here is a checklist you can work through page by page.

What on page SEO means

On page SEO is everything on a given page that helps search engines understand what it is about and helps a visitor get what they came for. Title, headings, content, links, images, web address. Get these consistently right across your site and you give every page its best chance to rank.

Pick the search term first

Before you touch a page, decide what it is trying to rank for. One main search term per page, plus a few related phrases. A page trying to be about five different things ranks well for none of them.

Ask: what would a customer type to find this page? "Emergency plumber Eastbourne" is a search term. "Welcome to our website" is not.

The page title

The page title, or title tag, is the clickable headline in Google results and the text in the browser tab. It is one of the strongest on page signals.

• Include your main search term, near the front

• Keep it under about 60 characters so it does not get cut off

• Make it read like something a person would click

• Add your business name at the end if there is room

• Every page needs its own unique title

The meta description

The short summary under the title in search results. It does not directly affect ranking, but a good one gets more people to click, and that matters.

• Around 150 to 160 characters

• Include the search term naturally

• Say what the page offers and give a reason to click

• Unique for every page

Headings

• One H1 per page, usually the visible page heading, containing the main search term

• H2s to break the page into clear sections, using related phrases where it is natural

• H3s under H2s where a section has sub points

• Headings should describe what follows, not be clever. "How much a rewire costs" beats "The money question"

The opening paragraph

Say what the page is about in the first sentence or two, and include your main search term there. Do not bury the point under a long wind up. Both readers and Google give the opening weight.

The body content

• Cover the topic properly. If competing pages go into more useful detail, match or beat them

• Write for a person first. Read it aloud. If it sounds stiff or repetitive, fix it

• Use related and natural language, not the same phrase repeated

• Short paragraphs, bullets, the occasional table. Make it easy to scan

• Answer the questions a customer would actually ask

Internal links

• Link from each page to other relevant pages on your site

• Use descriptive link text: "our boiler repair service", not "click here"

• Make sure every important page is linked from somewhere

• New pages should be linked from existing ones so Google can find them

Images and alt text

• Compress images before uploading. Large files are the top cause of slow pages

• Use descriptive file names: bathroom-installation-eastbourne.jpg, not IMG_4821.jpg

• Add alt text describing the image, for screen readers and for Google

• Do not stuff alt text with search terms

The web address

• Short and readable, for example /bathroom-installation rather than a string of numbers

• Include the search term where it fits

• Use hyphens between words

• Do not change existing addresses without setting up redirects

Speed and mobile

Technically these sit alongside on page work rather than inside it, but they affect every page. Check your pages load quickly and work cleanly on a phone. Our guide to a technical SEO audit covers this in full.

The full checklist

For every important page:

• One main search term chosen

• Unique page title under 60 characters with the term near the front

• Unique meta description, 150 to 160 characters, with a reason to click

• One H1 containing the main term

• H2s and H3s that describe each section

• Main term in the first paragraph

• Content that covers the topic better than the pages you are competing with

• Internal links in and out, with descriptive text

• Images compressed, sensibly named, with alt text

• Short, readable web address

• Loads quickly and works on mobile

The takeaway

On page SEO is a checklist, not a mystery. Pick one search term per page, write a strong title and opening, structure it with clear headings, link it to the rest of your site, and keep your images light. Work through your key pages one at a time and you will have done more than most of your competitors.

If you would rather have it audited and sorted for you, Koprio's SEO service includes on page work across your whole site as standard. Get in touch for a free audit.