Marketing Monday Newsletter #6, The Importance of On-Page Coding

The Importance Of Ensuring No Errors On Your Website

The Importance Of On-Page Coding

On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing individual web pages in order to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. On-page refers to both the content and source code of a page that can be optimized, as opposed to off-page SEO which refers to links and other external signals.

On-page coding forms an essential part of any website’s structure, ensuring that the HTML is optimized to the same level as the content itself. This side of SEO covers the footers and headers and some back-end features of pages to allow for the best possible ranking performance online.

These website elements provide essential information to users and appear on every page. As they appear so regularly, they need to be grammatically correct and optimized, in order to fall in line with Google’s expectations. With

professional providers, you can make sure that all elements on your website are optimized, enhancing your ranking ability. Read on to find out more about these services.

Header and Footer

The header and footer are essential parts of any website, appearing at the very top and very bottom of the page. These sections display branding, quick access to essential web pages, and a range of company information users may need.

These sections form an integral part of overall SEO performance, and as such, must be entirely correct and optimized. There must be no errors in these spaces, or you risk search bots* scanning your website and diminishing your score.

In order to ensure the space has value, certain information must be present such as:

Contact information
Service areas
Services
Links to frequent menu items
Links to articles or other resources

*A search bot or web crawler, or spider, is a software application that runs automated tasks on the internet, and this particular bot is typically operated by search engines like Google and Bing. Their purpose is to figure out and index the content of websites across the Internet so that those websites can appear in search engine results.

Meta Optimization Elements

Meta* optimization refers to a host of back-end elements that dictate how specific content is displayed. This coverage can include meta tags, meta descriptions, headlines, alt tags** for images, and anchor tags***.

These elements help your web content display correctly and provide Google with critical information needed to rank on search results. In addition, these essential elements help to categorize your site and pages, helping both users and search engines better understand the website you are delivering.

*Meta is a prefix that — in most information technology usages — means “an underlying definition or description.” Metadata provides basic information and descriptions which can make it easier for search bots to understand what your web page is about.
**The ALT tag contains the alternative and descriptive text for an image or a visual on a web page, telling what it is about.
***The anchor tag is essentially a link hidden behind the text on the page. You can attach it to a word or a phrase (often highlighted on the page), except it brings readers down to a different section of the page or to another webpage. You’re essentially creating a unique link on the page when you use this tag.

Company Forms

These coded elements are also vital to users’ forms and requests sent from your website.

Some common website forms include:

Contact Us
Free Estimate
Newsletter Sign-up
Payment Portal Forms

From contact forms to quotes and more, these elements make sure that all documents are sent to the proper email addresses and directories. Again, this is essential when considering communication with your users and potential feedback.

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On-page coding is a vital piece of the website puzzle that ensures all backend elements are optimized for page performance. These help users navigate your site as well as ensuring Google has the correct details.