It might be quicker to answer what isn’t… on-page SEO refers to anything, well, on-page. This includes (but is absolutely not limited to):
Content
This mainly pertains to the words on the page, but also encompasses images and video. Each play their own role in optimising the page for a chosen term. For years SEOs have argued over the right amount of times to insert a keyword into a section. But, search engines are intelligent enough now to understand keywords, their derivatives, and how these words relate to each other. This means that writing well reading, unique, informative content is more important than ever.
Meta data
Meta data plays various roles in the construction of the web page, from the page title, to the meta description and H-headers. These are key ‘touch points’ for search engines, and must be handled with care – not only do they affect ranking ability, but the click through rate.
UX
Search engines don’t necessarily care if a box is pink or purple, but they do care how long users stay on page, how they engage with it and if they simply bounce off to look elsewhere. User experience is a key part of on-page SEO and is a never-ending process.
Schema
Schema can be used in several ways, but in essence Schema markup are some not-so-subtle signals that are inserted in the code telling search engines to LOOK AT THIS!
Responsiveness
This point is almost taken for granted these days, but Mobilegeddon is clear in most of our memories here at Kangaroo. Simply put, your website must be as easy to use and navigate on mobile and tablet as it is on desktop.
Speed
How fast a site loads and how quickly users can access meaningful information are vital factors in SEO. It’s been proven that users cast a judgement on a website in the first 7 second of being on it, it’s vital to get the right content in front of people as soon as possible. All other things being equal, a faster site will come out on top.