{"id":14708,"date":"2013-04-16T10:55:40","date_gmt":"2013-04-16T10:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.adviceinteractivegroup.com\/?p=5166"},"modified":"2013-04-16T10:55:40","modified_gmt":"2013-04-16T10:55:40","slug":"buried-seo-treasures-4-on-page-optimization-musts-for-google-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.advicelocal.com\/blog\/buried-seo-treasures-4-on-page-optimization-musts-for-google-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Buried SEO Treasures: 4 On-Page Optimization Musts for Google Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

On-Page Optimization Techniques for Google Love<\/h2>\n

\"On-Page<\/p>\n

Do you ever get the feeling you\u2019ve forgotten something? It\u2019s a feeling you can\u2019t shake, but you just can\u2019t put your finger on it. The problem is, it often happens when you forgot something very important, something that can ruin an important event, your day, or even worse.<\/p>\n

As the saying goes, “It\u2019s the little things that matter.” Minor things which seem too insignificant to bother with can have a nasty habit of turning out to be more important than you first thought.<\/p>\n

The very same thing happens in SEO. Look, I know that there is a lot to remember and it\u2019s easy to overlook some key SEO techniques; in fact, it\u2019s quite common nowadays with all the changes thanks to Panda and Penguin. Or, maybe you just never knew (and nobody bothered to tell you) about some website optimization best practices that are important to Google. Without these tips, your website may not be receiving the rank it deserves.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s The Little Things That Matter: Keep Google Happy<\/b><\/h2>\n

The following on-page optimization tips are so simple and basic, they’re often overlooked. Neglect these important optimization musts and your SEO plan can fail. These are the simple things Google looks for in a relationship.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Never Go Out Without a Map<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nobody talks much about sitemaps these days. It\u2019s as if they no longer hold any importance, but this is simply not true. Google considers them important and loves to see\u2014no,\u00a0expects to see\u2014a clear link to a sitemap on all website pages. Although Google won\u2019t punish a website for not having a sitemap link, it does give a website higher credibility if one is present.<\/p>\n

Sitemaps are often overlooked during a website build and optimization, even though they’re one of the easiest and most basic items in a good SEO plan. Simply place a link to the website\u2019s sitemap in the footer. This allows it to be universally visible, without having to manually add a link to every page.<\/p>\n

Google expects to see a sitemap link on a reputable website because an accessible sitemap ensures Google’s bots can locate and index all of a website’s pages. A sitemap is also a useful tool for visitors searching for content deep inside a website\u2019s architecture.<\/p>\n

Oh, and one more thing: don\u2019t forget to add the sitemap to Google Webmaster tools<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Watch Those Headings<\/b><\/h2>\n

By “Watch Your Headings,” I am referring to the HTML tags used for headings. Yes, I know, use of “H” tags are very old school SEO, but their usage is still very important today. Everyone uses them, but the one million dollar question is: Are they using them right? If you\u2019re not familiar with heading tags, they are the H1-H5 HTML tags you see surrounding headings when you look at a website\u2019s source code.<\/p>\n

The big rookie mistake is to use H1 tags for every heading (including sub-headings). The number beside the H indicates the level of importance. Number 1 is the top dog, number 2 is, well\u2026 number two, and so on.<\/p>\n

Google assumes H tags contain important content, so use them wisely to let Google know what your page is about. Use a H1 heading for the main page\/post title (the one with main keyword(s) in it). Use H2 or H3 for major sub-headings. The idea being that each H tag is used in a hierarchical system. The importance of the heading dictates the level of H tag used.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0<\/b>Show Your Hand<\/b><\/h2>\n

Google views a reputable website as one that has nothing to hide, so lay all your cards on the table. Make sure you clearly display a link to these three items:<\/p>\n