7 Simple Steps to Better On-Page SEO (And Google Rankings)

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has always been about making your page the most relevant result. However, the rise of Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and generative AI in search has shifted the focus: it’s no longer just about ranking your page; it’s about making your content the direct answer that AI assistants, featured snippets, and voice search systems select.

The core 7 keys of on-page SEO remain the necessary foundation, but they must now be executed with an AEO-first mindset.

If you’ve identified a specific product or service you want to rank for, like “hot water services Geelong, these steps are your starting point, now enhanced for the answer-driven era.

Here is the breakdown of the seven keys to on-page SEO, with the modern AEO imperative:

1. The title tag (the most important element)

The title tag is the clickable headline that appears in Google search results and in the tab at the top of your web browser. This is the most critical place to get your target keyword right.

SEO best practice

• Your most important keyword or phrase should be at the beginning of the title tag.
• A recommended structure is to place the primary keyword phrase first, followed by an optional secondary keyword, and finish with your brand name. For example: Hot Water Services Geelong | Professional Plumber | Bob’s Plumbing.
• Aim for 50–60 characters (including spaces and separators). Google often truncates titles longer than this, which can hurt your click-through rate (CTR).
• The pipe symbol (|) is the widely accepted, professional separator.
• Do not create a nonsensical list of keywords. It must still be readable and enticing to a human.

AEO enhancement: intent alignment

Ensure the title tag promises an answer. If the page answers a question (“How much does a hot water service cost?”), make sure the title reflects that intent to capture high-value search traffic.

2. The meta description (your ad copy)

The meta description is the short block of text that appears beneath your title tag in the Google search results.

SEO best practice

• The content of the meta description itself has zero direct impact on your Google ranking.
• It functions as an advertisement for your page. A compelling, relevant description will encourage more people to click, which increases your CTR and provides an indirect ranking boost.
• Keep it concise. Aim for around 120–155 characters.
• Include a clear call-to-action (e.g., “Find Out How,” “Get a Quote”).
• You should still include your target keyword naturally. Google will bold the search term when it appears in your meta description, which draws the user’s eye and confirms relevancy.

AEO enhancement: direct answer preview

Use the meta description to provide a hint of the direct, concise answer the user will find on the page, encouraging the click-through needed to prove to Google your page is the best source.

3. The URL / permalinks (descriptive structure)

The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the unique address of your page. For secondary pages (like a service page or blog post), you have control over the permalink.

SEO best practice

• If possible, include your target keyword in the URL, such as yourdomain.com.au/hot-water-services-geelong.
• Always separate words with a hyphen (-), not an underscore (_). Hyphens are a clear word separator for Google.
• Keep the URL as short and readable as possible. Remove unnecessary ‘stop words’ (like ‘the’, ‘and’, ‘a’) unless they are essential for context and readability.
• Use all lowercase letters to avoid potential case-sensitive issues.

4. Headings (H1,H2,H3) tags (content hierarchy)

Heading tags ($H1$ to $H6$) structure your content, making it easier for users to scan and for search engines to understand the hierarchy of topics.

SEO best practice

• $H1$ Tag: Use only one $H1$ tag per page. It should be the main title of the page and must include your primary target keyword. Avoid generic terms like “Welcome” or “Home.”
• $H2$ Tags: Use $H2$ tags to break your content into major sections or subtopics. These should logically follow the main topic and can include secondary or related keywords. For example, under an $H1$ of “Hot Water Services Geelong,” use $H2$s like “Hot Water System Installations” and “Hot Water Service Repairs.”
• Hierarchy: Maintain a correct, sequential hierarchy. Never skip from an $H1$ directly to an $H3$.

AEO enhancement: conversational headings

Structure your $H2$ and $H3$ tags as natural language questions that real users ask (e.g., “What is the lifespan of a gas hot water system?”). This makes it easy for answer engines to directly pull content corresponding to common queries.

5. Body content (writing for users)

The actual text on your page is the ultimate test of value and relevance.

SEO best practice

• Prioritise the user. Your content must be natural, easy-to-read, and answer the user’s search intent.
• Include your primary keyword naturally, ideally within the first paragraph or the first 100 words, to immediately establish the page’s topic.
• Keyword Density is not an official metric, but a general guideline is to keep your exact keyword usage around $0.5\%$ to $1\%$ of the content where it sounds natural. Over-repetition is considered “keyword stuffing” and can result in penalties.
• Use related keywords and synonyms (Latent Semantic Indexing or LSI keywords) to help Google understand the topic more comprehensively.

AEO enhancement: front-load the answer

When addressing an $H2$ question, immediately provide a direct, concise, 40–60 word answer in the very first paragraph of that section. This “snippet-first” approach makes it simple for AI and featured snippets to extract and quote your content.

6. Image alt descriptions (accessibility and context)

The alternative text (alt text) is a written description of an image. It is crucial for accessibility (screen readers for the visually impaired) and helps Google understand the image’s context.

SEO best practice

• Describe the image concisely and naturally. Avoid using phrases like “Image of.”
• Use your target keyword only if it is relevant to the image. This is a ranking signal, but it must make sense in context.
• Aim for under 125 characters to ensure screen readers read the full description.

7. Image file names (final signal)

The final, easy element to optimise is the actual file name of the image you upload.

SEO best practice

• Separate words in the file name with hyphens (-), not underscores (_).
• Use a descriptive, relevant file name that includes a keyword. This provides one last clear signal to Google about the image’s topic.
• For example: Instead of IMG00042.jpg, use hot-water-service-install-geelong.jpg.

Has on-page optimisation changed?

Yes, on-page optimisation has fundamentally changed. The goal is no longer solely to rank in a list of links, but to be the Answer Source.

The 7 traditional keys are still the foundation, but AEO requires a sharper, more deliberate focus on:

1. Content must be structured to provide immediate, definitive answers, favouring conversational language, bullet points, and concise summaries.
2. Using question-based $H2$ and $H3$ headings to mirror natural user queries.
3. Using structured data not as an afterthought, but as an essential tool to signal high-value, answer-ready content to AI.
4. Creating deep, comprehensive content clusters that prove your Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust (E-E-A-T) to the AI models that choose the answers.

Ready to advance beyond the basics? If your website is technically sound and your content is answer-focused, it’s time to build a professional SEO strategy. Contact Pixeld today for a comprehensive SEO audit and discover how our expert team can drive qualified traffic and business growth through the evolving landscape of Search and Answer Engine Optimisation.