5.2 On-Page SEO

The title tag is the clickable headline in search results. It's the single most important on-page SEO element. Rules:

• Keep under 60 characters (Google truncates longer titles)
• Put your primary keyword near the front
• Include your business name at the end, separated by a pipe or dash
• Make it compelling -- it's the first thing searchers see
• Example: "Photo Booth Hire Perth | Weddings & Events | RMD Booth Co"

The meta description is the grey text below the title in search results. It doesn't directly affect rankings but massively affects click-through rate.

• Keep under 155 characters
• Include your primary keyword naturally
• Include a call to action: "Book online," "Get a free quote," "Call now"
• Make it specific -- mention pricing, location, or a unique selling point
• Every page needs a unique meta description. Never duplicate them.

Headings create a content hierarchy that Google uses to understand your page:

• H1 -- one per page, contains your primary keyword. This is your page title.
• H2 -- major sections of the page. Include secondary keywords where natural.
• H3--H4 -- subsections within H2 blocks.
• Never skip levels (don't jump from H2 to H4).
• Never use headings for visual styling -- use CSS instead.

Clean URLs help both users and Google understand what a page is about:

• Use hyphens, not underscores: /photo-booth-hire-perth not /photo_booth_hire_perth
• Keep them short and descriptive: /services/wedding-photo-booth not /services/page?id=42
• Include your primary keyword
• Use lowercase only
• If you change a URL, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one

Every image on your site is an SEO opportunity -- and a potential performance problem:

• Alt text -- describe what the image shows, include your keyword if natural. "Wedding photo booth setup with gold backdrop at Crown Perth" not "IMG_4521.jpg"
• File names -- rename before uploading: wedding-photo-booth-perth.jpg not DSC_0042.jpg
• File size -- compress images before uploading. Use Squoosh (free) or TinyPNG. Target under 200KB per image.
• Format -- use WebP where supported, JPEG for photos, PNG only when you need transparency.

Internal links connect your pages to each other and tell Google which pages are most important:

• Every page should link to at least 2--3 other pages on your site
• Use descriptive anchor text: "see our wedding photo booth packages" not "click here"
• Link from high-authority pages (homepage, popular blog posts) to pages you want to rank
• Add related service links at the bottom of each service page
• Fix any broken internal links -- check in Google Search Console under Coverage

Google rewards pages that thoroughly answer the searcher's question:

• Service pages: minimum 500 words. Include what the service is, who it's for, how it works, pricing indication, FAQ
• Blog posts: minimum 800 words for informational content
• Include your primary keyword in the first 100 words
• Use your secondary keywords naturally throughout
• Write for humans first, search engines second -- keyword stuffing hurts rankings