15 On-Page SEO Optimization Best Practices
As we approach the holiday rush, you probably have your focus set squarely on Q4 sales. Black Friday is a big deal, we get it. But the most successful luxury brands know that the key to thriving next year starts now.
Q1 often brings slower traffic, inventory changes, and shifting consumer behavior. So, if your on-page search engine optimization (SEO) strategy isn’t in top shape when the calendar flips, you risk falling behind competitors who started preparing early.
To set your 2025 up for luxury ecommerce success, here is your ultimate on-page SEO checklist that will help you rank higher, grow your organic visibility, increase your organic traffic, and, ultimately, drive more orders.
What Is On-Page SEO?
On-page SEO is the process of optimizing a web page’s content to improve its ranking on search engines, like Google or Bing. This includes both the visible content that users can see on the website (think title, headings, copy, images, etc), as well as the HTML source code behind them.
On-page SEO has two key goals. First, it ensures your website is easy for search engines to understand and index. And second, it provides visitors with relevant, high-quality content. Both increase your chances of ranking highly in search engines for relevant keywords.
Why Is On-Page SEO Important?
Search engines like Google use complex algorithms to determine which websites are the most relevant to a user’s search query. On-page SEO helps search engine crawlers understand your pages’ content, increasing the chances that they’ll rank higher in relevant search results.
By ranking nearer the top of search results, users will be more likely to click on your pages. It’s a cost-effective way of increasing website traffic, especially as users who arrive through organic search are often highly motivated to make a purchase.
But on-page SEO isn’t just about search engine algorithms. As with anything content-related, it’s about providing value to the users. By optimizing your content and site structure, on-page SEO provides a better user experience. Visitors can find what they’re looking for quickly and easily, which keeps them engaged and reduces bounce rates.
The Complete On-Page SEO Checklist
Here’s a comprehensive on-page SEO checklist to ensure your website is fully optimized for search engines and users in 2025.
1. IDENTIFY TARGET KEYWORDS AND ALIGN WITH SEARCH INTENT
Keyword research is the foundation of effective on-page SEO.
Start by identifying the most relevant keywords to your business, brand, and products, as well as what your potential customers are searching for. Then, create content to target those keywords (think blogs, guides, landing pages, product pages, etc). Make sure the page’s content matches the user’s search intent and where they are in the buyer journey.
Awareness
At this stage, users often have informational intent, seeking to learn more about their problem or its potential solutions. Focus your content on building brand awareness, educating the user, and positioning your company as an expert in the industry.
Content types:
Blog posts: Articles that explain common problems or introduce a topic related to your industry.
How-to guides: Detailed guides that offer practical advice on solving a problem.
Infographics: Visual representations of processes or facts that educate users on a topic.
Introductory videos: Videos that explain concepts or introduce your industry or product category.
Consideration
In the consideration phase, the buyer is aware of their problem and is actively looking for a solution. They’re exploring their options and considering which product or service may be the best fit. Create content that educates customers on why your product or solution is better than the rest.
Content types:
Product comparisons: Content that highlights the differences between competing solutions or brands.
Case studies: Real-life examples that show how your product or service has solved problems for other customers.
Product reviews: Detailed reviews that provide social proof and help build trust.
Top lists or recommendations: Articles that rank or compare the best solutions in a particular luxury category.
Decision
In the final stage of the buyer’s journey, they’re ready to take action and make a purchase. They’ve researched the various solutions and are deciding where to buy them.
Content types:
Product or service pages: Well-optimized pages that showcase your products or services, including clear pricing, features, and benefits.
Landing pages: Pages focused on converting visitors with strong calls to action (CTAs), such as "Buy now" or "Sign up for a demo."
Testimonials or reviews: Final pieces of content that provide social proof and validate the buyer’s decision.
Promotions or discounts: Offerings like "10% off your first order" to give buyers an extra nudge toward purchase.
2. OPTIMIZE THE TITLE TAG
Title optimizations are critical because users often glance at the title to assess whether the content is relevant to their intent and worth reading. Search engines also prioritize the relevance of titles when deciding how to rank content.
The title tag should clearly reflect the page’s topic and include the primary keyword you want the page to rank for. Try to incorporate it as naturally as possible to ensure it’s user-friendly and keep your title tag between 50 and 60 characters to avoid it being cut off in the search results.
In the title tag below, for example, CALPAK has included the keywords ‘suitcases’ and ‘travel luggage’, as well as their brand name.
3. WRITE YOUR HEADLINE IN A H1 TAG
The headline for your page should be written in the H1 header tag — which is not the same as the title tag. While the title tag appears in search results, your H1 tag appears on your page. As there’s no character limit, it’s a great opportunity to use the keyword in a creative way.
A luxury travel agency might write a blog targeting the keyword ‘how to pack a suitcase’. The H1 header tage could then read ‘How To Pack a Suitcase For Maximum Efficiency (Step-by-Step)’.
4. WRITE A META DESCRIPTION THAT BOOSTS CLICKS
While meta descriptions don’t directly affect your page ranking, they can affect click-through rates (CTR). Write compelling meta descriptions that concisely tell users what the page is about and why they should click on it. Keep them under 150 characters and be sure to include relevant keywords. If the user’s search query is within your meta description, Google will often put it in bold, helping your listing stand out more.
In the example below, CALPAK start their meta description with a clear call to action (CTA) ‘shop luxury luggage’, and end with an enticing proposition ‘free shipping’. This entices users to click on the link. Google has also bolded the keywords ‘luggage’, ‘suitcase’, and ‘CALPAK’ as we searched for ‘CALPAK suitcases’.
5. CHECK THE URL SLUG FOR SEO-FRIENDLINESS
The URL slug is the part of the URL that directs you to a specific page. Your URL slug should be clean, concise, and include your target keyword. Here are some more tips on optimizing your URL slug:
Avoid long strings of numbers and unnecessary keywords
Separate words using a hyphen (-) rather than an underscore (_)
Avoid including years that may change
If you ever change or update your URL slug, make sure to redirect the old one to your new page
The URL for our previously-mentioned ‘How to pack a suitcase’ blog, for example, might be ‘how-to-pack-a-suitcase’.
6. ADD TARGET KEYWORDS TO YOUR BODY CONTENT
Remember your list of keywords? It’s time to put them to good use. Aim to weave them naturally throughout the body of your content. You should also use your primary keyword within the first paragraph, if possible.
Avoid keyword stuffing, though! It’s an old trick that people used to use to get their websites to rank highly, but now, Google is likely to penalize your website for it. Just focus on creating valuable, helpful, and informative content that answers the user’s query.
7. GET TO THE POINT FAST
We live in the era of the “tiktok-ification” of content. Users want answers quickly and clearly. If they don’t get them, they’ll move on to the next.
So, start with the most relevant information at the top of your page, addressing your customer’s pain points immediately. This keeps users engaged and reduces bounce rates, both of which are important in SEO.
8. REVIEW YOUR CONTENT QUALITY
High-quality content is important for both the user experience and for SEO. Google’s algorithm favors content that is informative, well-researched, and offers something new.
Here’s what you should double-check for in your content:
Covers the topic in full
For every piece of content you create, make sure you’re covering the relevant topic in full. If you can give users all the answers they’re looking for, they’re more likely to reward you with a purchase. Doing this can also help you rank for more relevant keywords and draw in even more traffic.
Check the other pages that are ranking for your keywords to see everything they mention in their content.
Has “information gain”
There’s a lot of content on the internet, so, of course, Google would prefer to prioritize the most original and helpful.
This could be done by offering unique insight into a topic. Consider carrying out research that won’t be available in any of the related content (unless they reference and credit you).
Showcases your experience
Google likes content that demonstrates EEAT — Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust. You can do this in various ways, e.g. by quoting someone and giving their credentials. For instance, a luxury fashion brand may quote a Vogue stylist with nine years of experience.
Good readability
The more readable your content is, the more likely your visitor is to read it all and take action. Google also rewards websites that retain and engage users with higher rankings. To make your content more readable, use:
Short sentences and paragraphs
Bullet points
Images
Simple language
9. MARK UP SUBHEADINGS WITH HEADER TAGS
Header tags (H2, H3, etc.) help search engines and users understand the structure of your content. Use these tags to organize your content logically, with H1 for your main headline and H2 and H3 for subsections.
You should have one H1 tag, but you can use as many H2-H6 tags as needed in your content. They work in a hierarchy, as demonstrated below:
H1
H2
H2
H3
H3
H2
H3
H4
H4
H4
10. IMPROVE NAVIGATION WITH INTERNAL LINKS
Internal links link to other pages on your website. They help search engine crawlers, as well as users, navigate their way around the site. It’s best to link using descriptive anchor text, rather than generic text such as ‘click here’, so that users know roughly the type of content they’ll find more information on. It’s also important that you link to relevant pages to provide a good user experience.
Add the end of your ‘How to pack a suitcase’ blog, for example, you might end with a CTA ‘Shop all our packing cubes and accessories’ and hyperlink it to your package cube product page.
11. USEFUL LINKS TO EXTERNAL RESOURCES
When creating informational content, it’s important to link to your sources — which are often external pages. While external linking isn’t necessarily a ranking factor, it can be useful for users. It shows Google and your visitors that you’ve done your research, making your content more credible and trustworthy.
Make sure that any external links open up in a new tab, so users don’t leave your page behind.
12. ADD ENGAGING VISUAL CONTENT WITH ALT TEXT
Visuals like images and videos enhance the user experience by breaking up large blocks of text and making the page more engaging. In fact, pages with images and videos get up to 84% more page views.
Don’t forget to add alt text to your images too. This not only helps visually impaired users but also gives search engines context for the image. It’s also best practice to compress your image files so they don’t affect your page speed and negatively impact SEO.
Lovingly, for example, incorporate images throughout their blogs to make them more engaging.
13. APPLY SCHEMA MARKUP
Schema markup, also known as structured data, helps search engines understand the different content types on the page. This allows Google to more accurately rank your content, as well as create “rich results”—i.e. Product listings that include reviews, pricing, etc.
There are many types of schema, including FAQ, Event, How-To, Product, Local Business, and more. Check out Google’s structured markup helper to simplify the process.
14. MAKE SURE YOUR PAGE IS INDEXED
If your pages aren’t indexed, they won’t show up in search results. Use Google Search Console to check if your pages are indexed and resolve any crawl errors that may prevent indexing. You can also request indexing by inspecting the URL and then clicking ‘request index’.
15. INCREASE PAGE SPEED
Page speed is a critical ranking factor. If your website is slow, users are likely to abandon it and search engines are less likely to recommend it.
Check your page speed using PageSpeed Insights and use its guidance to improve your page load times.
We Offer On-Page SEO Services
Need help improving your on-page SEO? Work with Block & Tam’s SEO team today.
