Basic SEO Page Inclusions & Structure – An Introduction

The ideal with any page is to provide enough valuable information in the basic page inclusions to satisfy the user’s initial query and guide them to the next part of their journey (research / comparison / action). The user should not need to go back to Google and click the next link or refine their search.

Similar to a website information architecture, a good page must be well-structured.

If the content is good quality, authoritative and expert, as well as giving the user a good experience, it is likely to attract shares and links naturally, as well as aiding the site overall in attaining likes, shares and links naturally.

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Basic SEO Page Inclusions – Must-Haves

  • Unique, optimised H1 heading tag.
  • Unique, optimised title tag.
  • Unique, optimised meta-description.
  • Unique, original, valuable, well-written, engaging, natural content which addresses the relevant topic in an authoritative and expert manner.
  • Optimised links to Key Landing Pages on the site.
  • Optimised links to Secondary Landing Pages in the same content silo.
  • Optimised links to related supporting pages on the site within the same content silo.
  • Optimised links to other supporting pages which deal with other aspects of the same topic..
  • Relevant calls-to-action (sign up / download etc).
  • Links to HTML Sitemap & site-wide hygiene pages.
  • Site wide header / footer, incl contact + like / follow buttons).
  • Optimised & natural links within the main body of copy.
  • Sensible keyword usage – primary keyword + secondary keywords and natural variations.
  • No spam – keyword stuffing, repetition.

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Basic SEO Page Inclusions – Should-Haves

  • Opening paragraph which introduces the topic and uses the primary keyword naturally.
  • Should include what the topic is, why it is useful, and the benefit to the user.
  • Can be bullets / short sentences to act as a summary for “content-snackers”.
  • Middle section which discusses the topic and uses directly-related and broader keywords / phrases naturally.
  • Closing section which almost repeats the opening paragraph.
  • Breadcrumb links.
  • Optimised image relating to the topic of the page – avoid generic images where possible.
  • Optimised & relevant Open Graph tags.
  • Social Share buttons for the specific URL.
  • Links to selected related supporting pages on the site outside the content silo.
  • Links to relevant authoritative external sources of information on the topic.
  • High-quality, original, shareable, engagement objects such as video, charts, tables, graphics, PDF downloads, memes.
  • Optimised H2, H3 & other heading tags.
  • Date stamp, especially for time-sensitive topics / pages.
  • Sidebar / top nav / bottom nav navigation links.
  • Links to useful UJ / UX pages.

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Basic SEO Page Inclusions – Nice-To-Haves

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Basic SEO Page Structure

This is the basic structure needed for a page – it’s not wholly prescriptive, but it is useful for guiding the basic layout of a page.

<Metas>:

  • <title>
  • <description>
  • <og tags>

<Body>:

  • Top Nav
  • <H1>
  •  Opening para
  • Main Body with <H2> /< H3>
  • Content image
  • Main Body with <H2> /< H3>
  • Engagement objects
  • Closing para
  • Sidebar Nav
  • Bottom Nav

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