On-page SEO terms

Title tags, meta descriptions, headings, URLs and images. 20 terms, each with what it means, why it matters for SEO and what to do about it.

Above the fold

Above the fold is the part of a page visible without scrolling. It should show the main content quickly, not a wall of ads or banners.

Alt text

Alt text is a short written description of an image in its HTML alt attribute. It helps screen reader users and tells search engines what the image shows.

Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs are a row of links showing where a page sits in a site’s hierarchy, such as Home > Shoes > Running. They help users and search engines.

Content optimizationWhite hat

Content optimization is improving a page’s content so it better matches search intent, covers the topic fully and earns more clicks and rankings.

H1 tag

An H1 tag is the main heading of a web page. It tells readers and search engines what the page is about, and most pages should have one.

Header tags (H1–H6)

Header tags (H1–H6) are HTML headings that structure a page into sections, helping readers scan and search engines understand the content.

Heading hierarchy

Heading hierarchy is the logical order of H1 to H6 headings on a page, so sections nest correctly and readers and crawlers can follow the outline.

Image SEO

Image SEO is optimising images so they load fast, are understood by search engines and can rank in Google Images and image results.

Internal links

Internal links are links from one page on your site to another. They help visitors navigate, help crawlers find pages and spread link authority.

Meta description

A meta description is an HTML tag that summarises a page. Google may show it as the snippet under the title; it affects clicks, not rankings.

Meta keywords tag

The meta keywords tag is an old HTML tag for listing a page’s keywords. Google ignores it for ranking and has done since at least 2009.

Meta robots tag

A meta robots tag is an HTML tag that tells search engines whether to index a page, follow its links and how to show it in results.

On-page SEO checklist

An on-page SEO checklist is a list of items to check on each page, from intent and title tag to headings, images, links and structured data.

Open Graph tags

Open Graph tags are meta tags that control how a page looks when shared on social platforms and messaging apps: title, description and image.

SEO-friendly URL

An SEO-friendly URL is short, readable and descriptive, uses hyphens and lowercase, and shows where a page sits in the site’s structure.

Title tag

A title tag is the HTML element that names a page. Google often uses it as the clickable headline in results, so it affects rankings and clicks.

Title tag length

Title tag length is how long a page title is. Google truncates by pixel width, about 600px on desktop, so aim for roughly 50 to 60 characters.

Twitter card (X card)

A Twitter card (now X card) is a set of meta tags that controls how a link looks when posted on X, including its title, description and image.

URL slug

A URL slug is the last part of a URL that names a specific page, such as /blue-running-shoes. Short, readable slugs help users and search engines.

Word count

Word count is the number of words on a page. Google says it isn’t a ranking factor; the right length is whatever fully answers the query.