On-page SEO is the work of optimising the pages and content you control so Google can understand them, match them to the right searches and rank them accordingly. This on-page SEO checklist covers the six elements that matter, in the order DigiFix works through them on Melbourne client sites, from keyword research through to internal linking.
- Google’s SEO Starter Guide, last updated 10 December 2025, states that creating content people find compelling and useful will likely influence a site’s presence in search results more than any other single suggestion.
- Google’s title link documentation says there is no length limit on a title element, and the title link is truncated to fit the device width rather than at a fixed character count.
- Google’s snippet documentation, last updated 20 April 2026, states there is no length limit on a meta description, and Google uses the tag only when it summarises the page better than the content itself.
- Google’s link documentation says every page you care about should have a link from at least one other page on your site.
- Keyword research comes first because keyword placement, title tags and meta descriptions all depend on the target you chose.
- Internal linking is the most commonly skipped item on a business website, and it is element six in this checklist.
Last updated: September 2026
What is on-page SEO?
On-page SEO is the set of changes you can make on your own website, covering both the content and the HTML behind it. It is also called on-site SEO, and it is the part of search optimisation you fully control.
On-page SEO covers the words on a page, the headings that structure it, the title tag and meta description that appear in search results, the images and their alt text, and the internal links that connect one page of your site to another.
It does not cover off-page signals such as links from other websites, or technical factors such as hosting and site speed. Those matter, but they sit outside what a page-level checklist can fix. This guide stays on the on-page half.
Why does on-page SEO matter?
On-page SEO determines whether Google can work out what a page is about and whether the page deserves to rank for that topic. Get it wrong and a strong page competes for the wrong searches, or none at all.
The payoff is compounding. Google’s SEO Starter Guide, last updated 10 December 2025, makes the point directly: creating content that people find compelling and useful will probably influence your site’s presence in search results more than any other single thing you do.
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What are the six on-page SEO elements?
A page that checks all six boxes is a page Google can read, trust and rank. A page that misses any one of them leaves something on the table.
The table below lists the six elements, what each one changes, and the single biggest mistake DigiFix sees on each.
| Element | What it changes | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Keyword research | Which searches the page targets | Targeting a term nobody searches |
| 2. Keyword placement | What the page signals about its topic | Using the keyword once, in the last paragraph |
| 3. Image optimisation | Image search visibility and page speed | Leaving camera file names such as IMG_4821 |
| 4. Title and H1 | The click from the results page | Keyword buried at the end of the title |
| 5. Meta description | Click-through rate from search | Repeating the title instead of answering it |
| 6. Internal linking | Discovery, context and page strength | Anchor text reading “click here” |
How do you do keyword research for a page?
Keyword research is the step of choosing the specific search a page should win. Every other element on this checklist depends on that choice, which is why it comes first.
Start with one page and one intent. Ask what the person searching wants to do, then list the phrases they would actually type. A page selling a service and a page explaining a service need different targets even when the topic is the same.
Then check the phrase against real data before you commit to it. Look at whether the term has search demand, whether the results page is full of businesses like yours, and whether the pages ranking are the kind of page you can build.
Pick one primary keyword per page and a handful of supporting variations. One page trying to rank for five unrelated terms usually ranks for none of them. For the full method, see the DigiFix guide to finding the best keywords for SEO and the explainer on what keywords are and how to use them.
Where should you place your target keyword?
You place the target keyword in six specific locations on a page, and nowhere else on repeat. Placement tells Google what the page is about without the writing becoming unnatural.
- The page title, meaning the H1 your visitors read first.
- The title tag, meaning the clickable headline in search results.
- Within the first 100 words of the page.
- In at least one H2 subheading.
- The meta description.
- In the alt text and file name of at least one image.
Google is explicit that repetition without purpose is a problem. Its title link guidance advises against keyword stuffing and warns that repeating the same text across pages and titles hurts rather than helps.
Write the sentence you would say out loud, then check whether the keyword appears naturally. If it does not, the sentence needs rewriting, not the keyword needs adding again.
How do you optimise images for search?
Image optimisation is the work of making the pictures on a page findable in image search and cheap to load. It is the element most businesses skip entirely.
Four things to do on every image. Use a descriptive file name in lowercase with hyphens instead of a camera default. Write alt text that describes the image in plain language, adding the keyword only where it genuinely fits. Scale the image to the width it will actually display rather than uploading a 4000 pixel original. Choose JPEG for photographs and PNG or SVG for logos and graphics with flat colour.
Google’s image documentation makes the technical requirement clear: use standard HTML image elements, because Google finds images in the src attribute and does not index images loaded through CSS.
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How do you write a title tag and an H1?
A page has two titles and they do different jobs. The title tag is the headline in search results, and the H1 is the heading a visitor sees when they land on the page.
Put the keyword near the front of the title tag. A truncated title loses whatever sits at the end, so the most important words should not be there. Google’s title link documentation, last updated 10 December 2025, states there is no limit on how long a title element can be, and that the title link is truncated as needed to fit the device width.
That is worth knowing, because the old advice of a hard 60 character limit is a rule of thumb rather than a Google rule. The practical guidance still holds: front-load the keyword and keep it readable. Avoid vague labels such as Home, and avoid stuffing the same phrase twice.
The H1 gives you more room to communicate value. It should still contain the main keyword, and it should be the clearest description of the page on the page itself.
How do you write a meta description?
A meta description is the short summary that can appear under the title in search results. It does not rank a page on its own, and it does influence whether someone clicks.
Write it as a sentence that answers the search rather than teasing it. Include the primary keyword once, naturally. Add the benefit a reader gets from the page, and end with a reason to click rather than a generic instruction.
Google’s snippet documentation, last updated 20 April 2026, explains how the tag is actually used. Google will sometimes use the meta description to generate a snippet when it thinks the tag describes the page more accurately than the on-page content alone. The same page also states there is no length limit on the tag, and that Google truncates the snippet to fit the device width.
So treat length as a guide rather than a rule. Aim to say something complete in about one sentence, and do not pad it to hit a number. If your meta descriptions are weak across the site, the guide to what a meta description is in SEO covers the detail.
Why do internal links belong on an on-page checklist?
Internal linking is the practice of adding links from one page of your site to another page of your site. It is the element that ties the other five together.
Google’s link documentation is direct about the requirement: every page you care about should have a link from at least one other page on your site. A page with no internal links pointing at it is a page Google has to find on its own, and a page visitors may never reach.
The same documentation sets the rule for anchor text. Good anchor text is descriptive, reasonably concise, and relevant to both the page it sits on and the page it points to. Google singles out “click here” and “read more” as examples of anchor text that fails.
There is no target number of links per page. The documentation notes there is no magical ideal count, and adds a useful test: if you think it is too much, it probably is.
Link in context. If a paragraph about title tags would help a reader understand meta descriptions, link between those two pages in the sentence where the connection is real.
What does an on-page SEO review look like for a Melbourne business?
Consider a Cheltenham electrician with twelve pages and no plan behind any of them. The home page targets the business name, each service page repeats the same suburb phrase, and no page links to any other page.
What DigiFix would actually do, in order. First, choose one target search for each of the twelve pages and check that the targets do not compete with each other. Second, rewrite the H1 and title tag on each page so the keyword sits at the front. Third, place the keyword in the first 100 words and in one H2 per page. Fourth, rewrite the meta descriptions so they answer rather than repeat the title. Fifth, rename and re-export the images with descriptive file names and write alt text. Sixth, add internal links so every service page is reachable from the home page and from two related pages.
That is roughly two weeks of work for a twelve page site. If nothing is done, the pages keep competing with each other, the images stay invisible in image search, and the next competitor who tidies their on-page work simply outranks them.
Have your six elements reviewed against Google’s own guidance.
Where can you learn more about on-page SEO?
The DigiFix blog is written for business owners rather than specialists, so it is a sensible next stop if you would rather understand this than outsource it.
Three guides continue from here. The ultimate guide to generative engine optimisation covers how search now pulls answers from pages rather than only links. The guide to optimising website content walks through the rewrite once your keywords are settled. The explainer on title tags in SEO goes deeper on element four. And the guide to search queries in SEO covers how Google matches a query to a page.
Frequently asked questions about on-page SEO
How long does on-page SEO take to work?
There is no fixed answer, because on-page work removes obstacles rather than creating demand. A page that was targeting the wrong keyword can move once the target is corrected and Google recrawls it, which is usually a matter of weeks. Competitive terms take longer, and the honest position is that on-page work makes a page eligible rather than guaranteeing a position.
Does on-page SEO still matter with AI search engines?
More than it used to in one specific way. Answer engines retrieve passages rather than pages, so clear headings, definitions and self-contained sections help a machine lift your content. The six elements here are what make a page readable in the first place, which is the condition for being cited at all.
How many keywords should one page target?
One primary keyword and a small set of close variations. A page targeting several unrelated terms usually sends mixed signals and ranks for none of them. If a page has two genuinely different intents attached to it, that is two pages, not one page with two targets.
Is there a character limit for title tags and meta descriptions?
Not in Google’s documentation. Google states there is no limit on the length of a title element, and no limit on a meta description, though both are truncated in results to fit the device width. Front-load the important words so a truncated version still makes sense, and treat any character count you read elsewhere as a rule of thumb.
How many internal links should a page have?
There is no ideal number, and Google says so directly, adding that if you think it is too much, it probably is. The useful rule is that every page you care about should be linked from at least one other page, and each link should sit in a sentence where the connection is genuine.
Can I do this myself without an SEO agency?
Yes. All six elements are within reach of a business owner who is willing to write carefully. The two that take the most discipline are keyword research, because it needs real data rather than guesswork, and internal linking, because it requires a view of the whole site rather than one page.
Conclusion
On-page SEO is the part of search optimisation you fully control, and the six elements in this checklist are the whole of it: keyword research, keyword placement, image optimisation, the title tag and H1, the meta description, and internal linking.
Work them in order. Choose the target, signal it on the page, make the images findable, win the click from results, then connect the page to the rest of the site. Each step is small, and together they decide whether Google can understand the page at all.
If you would rather have it done properly, DigiFix works on on-page SEO for Melbourne businesses every week. You can see the work on the DigiFix portfolio, read about the team on the about DigiFix page, or browse the DigiFix blog for more guides like this one.
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