/seo-onpage

name: seo-onpage
description: "Run a comprehensive on-page SEO audit or optimization pass covering title tags, meta descriptions, header structure, content quality, internal links, image optimization, URL hygiene, and on-page schema. Use this skill whenever the user asks to optimize a page, audit on-page SEO, fix titles or meta tags, review header structure, check internal linking, improve a single URL's search performance, or write SEO-friendly copy. Triggers on on-page SEO, page audit, title tag, meta description, H1, header structure, internal links, image alt, URL slug, page optimization, optimize this page, SEO this page. Also triggers for any single-page review where ranking, click-through, or relevance signal quality is the goal, even if the user does not say 'SEO' explicitly."
category: seo-foundation
catalog_summary: "Single-page audits and optimization across 8 dimensions"
display_order: 1

On-Page SEO

Optimize a single page for search relevance, click-through, and crawler comprehension. Stack-agnostic. Works on any CMS, framework, or static site.

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When to use

• Auditing or optimizing a single page (homepage, product page, article, landing page)
• Writing or reviewing title tags and meta descriptions
• Fixing header structure or content hierarchy
• Reviewing internal links from or to a page
• Improving a page's CTR from search results

When NOT to use

• Site-wide crawl, indexing, or speed issues (use `seo-technical`)
• Keyword research or intent mapping (use `seo-keyword`)
• Competitor SERP analysis (use `seo-competitor`)
• Auditing many pages at once for prune/merge decisions (use `seo-content-audit`)

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Required inputs

• The page URL or the draft content if pre-launch
• The primary target query (one phrase the page should rank for)
• The page's role in the site (commercial, informational, navigational)

If the target query is unknown, run `seo-keyword` first or ask the user to name one.

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The framework: 8 dimensions

A complete on-page audit covers eight dimensions. Score each as Pass, Needs work, or Fail. Note the specific fix.

1. Title tag

• One unique title per URL across the site
• Roughly 50 to 60 characters (longer gets truncated in SERPs)
• Primary query near the front
• Brand at the end if it earns inclusion
• Distinct from the H1 (often very similar, but should not be identical word-for-word)

2. Meta description

• One unique description per URL
• Roughly 150 to 160 characters
• Restates the value proposition, not the title
• Includes a soft CTA where natural
• Treats the description as ad copy that earns the click

3. Header structure

• Exactly one H1 per page
• H1 contains or paraphrases the primary query
• H2 sections cover the major sub-topics
• H3+ used only when an H2 has genuine sub-points
• No skipped levels (no H2 followed by H4)
• Headers describe sections accurately enough that a reader could navigate by them alone

4. Body content

• Opens with the primary user intent answered in the first paragraph
• Covers the topic comprehensively (define your competition's depth, then match or exceed it)
• Includes related entities and supporting concepts naturally
• Avoids keyword stuffing (write for the reader, not the bot)
• Reading level matches the audience (run a readability check)
• Paragraphs short enough to scan on mobile (3 to 5 lines)

5. Internal links

• At least 2 to 3 outbound internal links to closely related pages
• At least 2 to 3 inbound internal links from related pages
• Anchor text is descriptive, not "click here" or "learn more"
• Links to canonical URLs, not redirects
• No broken internal links

6. Images and media

• Every meaningful image has descriptive alt text (skip alt for purely decorative images)
• File names are descriptive ("blue-running-shoe.jpg" not "IMG_4032.jpg")
• Modern format used where supported (WebP, AVIF)
• Lazy loading on below-the-fold images
• Width and height attributes set to prevent layout shift

7. URL slug

• Lowercase, hyphen-separated
• Includes the primary query naturally (no stuffing)
• Short (under 60 characters where possible)
• No dates unless the page is genuinely time-bound
• No session IDs, tracking parameters, or random hashes
• Matches the site's URL pattern conventions

8. On-page schema

• Appropriate Schema.org type for the content (Article, Product, FAQPage, HowTo, Recipe, etc.)
• Required properties filled (review Schema.org docs for the type)
• Validates in Google's Rich Results Test or equivalent
• Matches what is visible on the page (do not lie to crawlers)
• Author and publisher schema linked correctly for content pages

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Workflow

1. **Confirm the target query.** If unclear, ask. Do not optimize without one. 2. **Render the page.** View it as a user would. Read the content top to bottom. 3. **View the rendered HTML.** Inspect the actual served markup, not just the visual page. Check `<title>`, `<meta>`, headers, and schema in the source. 4. **Run the 8-dimension framework.** Score each, note specific fixes. 5. **Prioritize.** Group fixes into Critical (broken or missing), Important (suboptimal), and Nice-to-have (polish). 6. **Write the report.** Use the template in [`references/audit-template.md`](references/audit-template.md). 7. **Offer to draft fixes.** If the user wants, draft the new title, meta, headers, or copy directly.

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Failure patterns

When you spot one of these, push back before delivering.

• **"Make it more SEO."** Vague. Ask for the target query and what's broken first.
• **"Add the keyword 5 times in the body."** Keyword density is not a real ranking signal. Prioritize relevance and topical depth instead.
• **Optimizing a page that is not crawlable or indexable.** Check `seo-technical` first. No on-page work helps a noindexed page.
• **Optimizing a page with no clear user intent.** A page that does not serve a real query will not rank no matter how well-tagged it is.
• **Targeting the same query as