On-page SEO: the essential practices for ranking in 2025

Executive overview

Most pages fail to rank not because of backlinks or domain authority, but because they don't match what searchers actually want. On-page SEO controls two things: how your page appears in search results and how useful it is to visitors.

The fix is systematic: place keywords in the right spots, then reverse-engineer the top-ranked pages to understand what content to write.

The single biggest lever is search intent — matching the format, depth, and topics that already rank for your keyword.

Where to place your target keyword

• Title tag: most important placement; keep under 60 characters; include keyword naturally
• Meta description: under 160 characters; include keyword naturally; write it as an ad, not a list
• URL slug: use the keyword with hyphens; keep it short; avoid years or filler words
• H1 heading: the main on-page headline; must include the keyword
• H2 subheadings: at least one secondary heading should include the keyword
• Body text: include near the start and naturally throughout; no keyword stuffing
• Image alt text and file name: use if the image legitimately relates to the keyword; aids image search visibility

Search intent: the most important factor

• Identify what type of page ranks (blog post, product page, free tool)
• Identify the subtype (list article, in-depth guide, comparison post)
• Identify which subtopics the top pages cover and how long they are
• Use Google's top results as the benchmark — they already satisfy searchers
• Depth beats brevity when the keyword requires comprehensive answers
• Fast time-to-value matters: define the concept early, then go deeper

Analysing competitor pages

• Open 3–5 top-ranking pages for your keyword
• Note the format, structure, and topics each one covers
• Ignore outliers with unfair authority advantages (e.g. official government pages)
• The most in-depth, easiest-to-skim page tends to outrank shorter, harder-to-read ones
• Walls of text, long introductions, and missing subheadings hurt rankings

Content readability

• Short paragraphs, descriptive subheadings, bullet points, comparison tables
• Don't waste the introduction — define the concept immediately
• Easy-to-follow sentences; no unnecessary qualifiers
• Images help break up text

Using SEMrush tools

• SEO Content Template: enter your keyword; shows semantically related words from top-ranking pages; covering these topics helps rank for secondary keywords
• SEO Writing Assistant: paste a draft or write in Google Docs; flags missing keywords, long paragraphs, readability issues, missing alt text
• On-Page SEO Checker: run an existing site through it; surfaces optimisation issues sorted by potential impact; covers on-page, technical, and off-page signals