Prior to this course, I can honestly say that I didn’t know what onsite SEO was. I just assumed it was all about keywords (and maybe linkbuilding) and that Google just guessed what a page was about based on words on a page. Therefore, when we learned all about onsite optimization, it dawned on me how much ranking comes from things done properly from within the site. The titles, coding, internal linking, H2s; even how images are tagged. This made me reconsider how I not only built my site but how I assessed sites going forward.

One particular piece of information I got from the slides is that onsite SEO counts for one-third of Google’s algorithm. This shocked me, I didn’t realize it was that much. But then again, it’s only fair. If you can’t get things from your own house in order— unclear and missing parts, or overrun with cluttered/repeated nonsense— how is Google supposed to know what it should rank you for? The slides made it clear to create a natural footprint so that it reads as if the information should be there, which means no spammy tricks; no duplicate content, no hidden text, no keyword stuffing. Before this lesson, I didn’t even know keyword stuffing was something that got you penalized.

In terms of making changes to my WordPress site from an onsite SEO perspective, the first thing I adjusted was my title tags. I previously had them kind of tossed together but after learning how they work from our lesson, I rewrote my title tags to put the main keyword near the front and under 65 characters so they can be displayed properly in search results. It was the first time I ever felt like I was writing for my own purposes and not just picking a title that sounded good.

Then I revisited all my meta descriptions. Mine were one sentence—some vague and some not even relevant to the page. After learning that my meta descriptions should be two sentences with the main keyword appearing at least once, mine became more detailed with a natural flow but still unintentionally vague because Google rewrites them sometimes. Regardless, something important needs to be in place to give Google a chance to rewrite it, so I knew mine had to have value.

Headings became a logical approach instead of an aesthetic one. Prior to this course, I was winging my decisions about headings because it looked nice. I didn’t realize that H1 should only show up once and be on the same level with the main keyword. Plus, that H2 and H3 help distinguish logical paragraphs for Google to more easily navigate. Once I cleaned up my headings, my pages looked tidier than they needed to so I understood why Google would want to clarify them.

Internal linking is something I had never done in my old posts but learned through the slides is a necessity for onsite SEO. Internal links help Google understand how pages are related and they help transfer authority easier throughout your site. Once this clicked for me, I was able to link my Tesla keyword research blog to other blogs on my site where applicable. For example, if I discussed Tesla’s reliability concerns in one blog, I made sure to link it to a blog where I mention EV pricing; while not every blog is directly related without needing segmentation, it made my site look less of a hodgepodge of singles and instead, something more cohesive.

Image optimization is something I completely ignored prior to this course. I just uploaded images and never considered titles or ALT text, until I learned that ALT tags help Google understand what an image is. Therefore, if I’ve imported a graph from my Tesla keyword project, I’ll title it “Tesla EV search volume chart” so Google can understand it for further relevance.

I’ve also learned what to avoid from the slides. I’ve been avoiding duplicate content, repeating the same keyword too often, and avoiding anything that would seem forced or unnatural. These things can effectively drop your ranking score highly and before this course, I had no clue.

Overall, onsite SEO really helped me understand how much control I have over how successful my site can be, rankings are not arbitrary but instead, a function of clear delineation, appropriate tagging, valuable information, and a site that makes sense with actual search intent. While my site isn’t there just yet, I’ve learned how to make it something Google would want to index.