Q1: So, what is on-page SEO, in plain English?
It’s every little tweak you make on your own site—from the headline users see in Google to the alt text hidden behind an image—to help search engines figure out what the page’s about and why it deserves a spot near the top.
Q2: I’ve already built backlinks. Why should I bother with on-page?
Backlinks are the votes; on-page work is the manifesto. Without clear, relevant content, Google has no clue what those votes are endorsing.
Q3: Which tags do the heavy lifting?
Your title tag is the A-lister, the H1 is its best friend, and well-structured H2s/H3s round out the entourage. Nail those and you’ve done half the job.
Q4: Meta descriptions don’t affect ranking, right?
Technically no, but a punchy description gets more clicks. More clicks tell Google, “Searchers like this page,” and that feedback can nudge you upward.
Q5: Give me a title-tag length I won’t forget.
Think tweet-size: 60 characters or fewer keeps it from being chopped off in search results.
Q6: How do I write a meta description that people actually read?
State the problem, promise the benefit, sprinkle in a quick call-to-action. Example: “Out of coffee? Free next-day delivery across Bristol—order beans now.”
Q7: Everyone’s talking about E-E-A-T. What’s the quick take?
Google wants content written by people who know their stuff (experience + expertise) and can prove it (authority + trust). Real credentials, real references, real transparency.
Q8: Image optimisation—worth the hassle?
Absolutely. Compressed images load fast, descriptive file names help SEO, and alt text makes things accessible and indexable. Three wins for one task.
Q9: Where do internal links fit into all this?
They’re the site’s GPS. Good links steer visitors (and Google) to your best pages, keeping folks around longer and spreading ranking power.
Q10: Which numbers should I keep an eye on?
Click-through rate, dwell time, and bounce rate. They’re your crowd’s applause—or silence—so watch them in Google Analytics and Search Console.
Q11: My bounce rate is sky-high. Panic?
Nope. Start with speed checks, tighten up mobile design, and make sure the page actually delivers what the headline promises. Test, tweak, repeat.
Q12: Is page speed really that big a deal?
Yes. Google’s Core Web Vitals are baked into the algorithm, and slow pages are like slow baristas—people bail before they get their coffee.
Q13: Should I design for mobile first nowadays?
Definitely. Google crawls mobile versions, and most visitors are already on phones. Desktop comes along for the ride.
Q14: How often should I refresh content?
Quarterly’s a solid rhythm. Update stats, prune stale bits, add fresh insights, and tighten the copy—all before it gathers dust.
Q15: When is it smarter to hire an agency?
When you’d rather run the business than read another SEO blog, or when you need advanced tech (schema, programmatic pages, site audits) done right the first time.
Keep this cheat sheet by your keyboard. Tidy up on-page basics, and every backlink, ad campaign, or social share you land will perform that much harder for you.