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On-page SEO basics: four ranking factors that move the needle
Executive overview
Most on-page SEO comes down to four keyword placements: URL, title, H1, and body content. Get those right and you've covered the fundamentals. The rest is execution detail.
Put the keyword early in the title — the closer to the start, the stronger the signal.
The four on-page ranking factors
- Keyword in URL or domain — exact-match domains still rank well despite Google downplaying them; keyword in the URL slug also helps
- Keyword in page title — place it as close to the beginning as possible; a word before the keyword weakens the signal
- Keyword in H1 tag — check page source for the
h1element; missing the keyword here is a missed ranking opportunity - Keyword in body content — use it within the first 100–300 words; natural usage beats keyword stuffing, though both can rank
Keyword density and stuffing
- Repetitive keyword use throughout the page can look over-optimised
- Google appears to tolerate stuffing when content is still relevant and coherent
- Natural-sounding usage is lower risk and more sustainable
Finding pages to optimise with Ahrefs
- Open Site Explorer, enter your domain
- Go to Top Pages report → Backlinks tab
- Review your 20–30 highest-backlink pages
- For each, check whether the keyword you want to rank for appears in URL, title, H1, and early body text
- Pages with strong backlinks but weak on-page signals are your quickest wins
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