On-Page SEO
On-Page SEO checks the content elements on the HTML page itself: title tag, meta description, headings, images, and body copy.
Details
Title tag
The <title> tag is the most important on-page SEO element. It appears as the blue headline in Google search results and in browser tabs.
Optimal length: 30–60 characters. Shorter titles waste relevance signals; longer titles get cut off in SERPs. Every page must have exactly one unique title tag containing the primary keyword.
Meta description
The meta description appears as the snippet below the title in search results. It does not directly affect rankings, but a compelling description improves click-through rate (CTR).
Optimal length: 120–160 characters. If missing, Google auto-generates a snippet from page content — often less relevant than a hand-crafted description.
Heading structure (H1–H6)
Headings create a logical document outline. Each page should have exactly one H1 containing the primary topic. H2 and H3 headings help Google understand the page's subtopics and improve readability.
Missing H1, multiple H1s, or skipping heading levels (H1 → H3) are common issues.
Images and alt text
Alt text (the alt attribute on <img> tags) describes an image to search engines and screen readers. Images without alt text miss an opportunity to rank in Google Images and reduce accessibility score.
Content length
Thin content (fewer than ~300 words) is often insufficient to rank for competitive queries. The audit counts words and paragraphs. Very short pages may be flagged as low-quality by Google's Helpful Content system.
Metrics
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Title length | Character count of the page title. Optimal: 30–60 chars. |
| Meta description length | Character count of the meta description. Optimal: 120–160 chars. |
| H1 tags | Number and text of H1 headings. Should be exactly one. |
| Heading structure | Summary of H1–H6 distribution on the page. |
| Images without alt | Number of images missing an alt attribute. |
| Word count | Approximate number of words in the visible body text. |