On-Page SEO for 2019 – Moz
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On-Page SEO for 2019 – Moz

2019 called. It wants its rankings back. Unfortunately, Google’s SERPs were already turning into a
crowded party where featured snippets, “People Also Ask,” local packs, and other shiny boxes were
hogging the snacks. Meanwhile, search algorithms got better at understanding language (and worse at
tolerating content written like it was assembled by a keyword-shaped stamp).

So if you’re looking for a clean, practical, Moz-style way to think about on-page SEO in 2019,
here it is: make pages easy to crawl, pleasant to use, and genuinely worth reading. Not “worth reading”
as in “contains the keyword 37 times,” but “worth reading” as in “answers the query so well people stop
doom-scrolling and actually nod.”

The Moz-Inspired Framework: 3 Buckets That Still Hold Up

Moz’s on-page mindset for 2019 can be summarized into three buckets that keep you honest:
(1) crawlability, (2) user experience, and (3) content value.
If any bucket has a hole, your rankings leak. Let’s patch themwithout duct-taping keywords to everything.

1) Crawlability: Can Search Engines Actually Access This Page?

On-page SEO starts before you write a single sentence. If a crawler can’t reach or understand the page,
your “perfect” content becomes a diary entry locked in a drawer.

  • Indexing controls: Confirm you’re not accidentally blocking the page with robots rules,
    meta robots tags (noindex/nofollow), or authentication walls.
  • Canonical sanity: If the page has near-duplicates (filters, tracking parameters, print versions),
    use canonical tags thoughtfully so you don’t split signals across copies.
  • Crawlable internal links: Use normal HTML links for important navigation, not click-handlers that
    hide URLs from crawlers. Your internal linking should function like a helpful map, not a scavenger hunt.
  • Clean, descriptive URLs: Short and readable beats long and cryptic. Humans should be able to guess
    what’s on the page from the URL alone.
  • One page, one job: Each page should target a clear intent. If a single URL tries to rank for
    “best running shoes,” “how to run,” and “marathon training plan,” it usually ranks for none of them… impressively.

2) User Experience: If Humans Hate It, Rankings Eventually Follow

In 2019, user signals were increasingly intertwined with SEO outcomes. Not because Google reads minds
(yet), but because it measures outcomes: whether people click, stick, scroll, pogo-stick back, or bounce like
they touched a hot stove.

  • Mobile-first reality: Your mobile version needed to be the “real” version. If mobile content is
    thinner, missing internal links, or hiding critical text behind tabs that never open, you’re negotiating with
    gravity.
  • Speed & stability: Faster pages reduce abandonment. Compress images, streamline scripts,
    and avoid layout shifts that make users tap the wrong thing (aka “rage-click training”).
  • Readable structure: Use headings, short paragraphs, and lists. If your page looks like a
    “terms and conditions” wall, users treat it accordingly.
  • Don’t pick fights with the visitor: Excessive pop-ups, autoplay video, and aggressive interstitials
    can tank trust and engagement.

3) Content Value: Does This Page Deserve to Rank?

In 2019, search engines got better at interpreting meaning. That pushed on-page SEO away from “matching words”
and toward “matching intent.” Translation: the winning pages weren’t always the ones that repeated the keyword;
they were the ones that answered the question completely and clearly.

  • Intent match: Know what the searcher is trying to accomplish (learn, compare, buy, troubleshoot).
    Build the page around that outcome.
  • Topical coverage: Cover the essential subtopics users expect. If every competing page answers
    “what,” “why,” “how,” and “cost,” and yours only answers “what,” you’re not “concise”you’re incomplete.
  • Trust signals: Add author info where appropriate, cite data sources (on your published version),
    update timestamps when you actually update content, and keep claims accurate.
  • Original utility: Include examples, step-by-steps, checklists, calculators, templates,
    screenshots, or unique insights. Give the page something competitors can’t copy in five minutes.

The 2019 On-Page Checklist: The Elements That Still Move the Needle

Title Tags: Your 60-Character First Impression

Title tags matter because they communicate relevance and influence clicks. In 2019, a strong title tag was
less about “exact match everything” and more about clarity + specificity + appeal.

  • Make it unique for every indexable page.
  • Lead with the main topic when it’s natural (especially for informational content).
  • Write for humans: clarity beats cleverness when rankings are on the line.
  • Match the page: if the title promises “pricing,” show pricing.

Meta Descriptions: Not a Ranking Factor, Still a Traffic Lever

Meta descriptions often function like ad copy for organic results. Even when search engines rewrite snippets,
a well-written description helps align expectation with reality (and reduces “click then panic-back” behavior).

  • Summarize the value in 1–2 punchy sentences.
  • Use natural language that echoes the query without copy-pasting it.
  • Add a tiny CTA (“See steps,” “Compare options,” “Download checklist”).
  • Stay honest: don’t promise “free” if it’s “free after you give us your soul and email.”

Headings (H1, H2, H3): Make the Page Skimmable and Predictable

Headings help readers (and search engines) understand structure. A good heading hierarchy in 2019 looked like:
one clear H1, then logical H2 sections, with H3s for subpoints. Your goal is simple: if someone only reads the
headings, they should still understand the page.

Body Content: Optimize for Understanding, Not Just Keywords

2019’s big lesson: write like you’re explaining it to a smart friend who will absolutely call you out if you
dodge the question. Use related terms naturally because they’re part of the topic, not because you’re trying to
summon rankings with a vocabulary ritual.

  • Answer early: Put the core answer near the top, then expand with detail.
  • Use examples: “Good” is abstract; “here’s a good title tag for a dentist in Austin” is concrete.
  • Add supporting sections that reduce follow-up searches (FAQs, troubleshooting, comparisons).
  • Keep it current: If the info changes over time, add update notes and refresh regularly.

Internal Linking: Your Site’s Built-In Recommendation Engine

Internal links help distribute relevance and help crawlers discover pages. In 2019, internal linking was a
quiet superpower for sites with lots of contentespecially when anchored around topics and intent.

  • Link to help the reader take the next step (not just “because SEO”).
  • Use descriptive anchor text (avoid 40 “click here” links that tell nobody anything).
  • Build topical clusters: one strong “hub” page + supporting pages that interlink naturally.

Images & Alt Text: Helpful for Accessibility and Search

Image optimization is part accessibility, part discoverability. In 2019, smart SEOs treated alt text as a
genuine descriptionuseful, contextual, and not stuffed with keywords like a clown car.

  • Describe the image in context of the page.
  • Avoid keyword stuffing in alt attributes.
  • Use file names that make sense (e.g., “on-page-seo-checklist.png” instead of “IMG_4837.png”).

Structured Data: Earn Rich Results (Without Getting Yourself in Trouble)

Structured data doesn’t magically “rank you higher,” but it can help search engines understand your page and
make it eligible for rich results. In 2019, that mattered because richer snippets often win better click-through
rates in crowded SERPs.

  • Use the right schema type (FAQ, HowTo, Product, Article, LocalBusiness, etc.).
  • Follow policy: misleading structured data can earn manual actions and lose rich result eligibility.
  • Validate it with testing tools and keep it consistent with visible content.

2019 SERP Reality: Zero-Click Searches and Featured Snippets

2019 wasn’t just “rank or die.” It was “rank, then fight a dozen SERP features for attention.” Studies at the time
showed that a majority of searches could end without a clickmeaning users got answers directly on the results page.
That pushed on-page SEO toward two strategies:

Strategy A: Be the Best Click

  • Promise a clear benefit in the title and description.
  • Use specificity: numbers, timeframes, and outcomes (“7-step checklist,” “2019 update,” “templates included”).
  • Match the landing experience to the promise so users stay.

Strategy B: Be the Answer (Featured Snippet-Friendly Formatting)

Featured snippets often pull concise answers, lists, and definitions. If your page includes a clean, direct answer
plus structured sections, you give search engines something easy to lift (politely) and show.

  • Use question-style subheadings (“What is on-page SEO?” “How do I write a title tag?”).
  • Answer in 40–60 words, then expand.
  • Use ordered steps for processes and bullet lists for comparisons.

A Practical 2019 Workflow: The 60-Minute On-Page Tune-Up

Here’s a simple, repeatable process you can run on any important page (service pages, category pages, high-traffic
blog posts) without disappearing into an SEO cave for three weeks.

Step 1: Confirm the Page’s “Job”

  • What query intent does it target (informational, commercial, transactional)?
  • What would success look like (newsletter signups, calls, purchases, time-on-page)?

Step 2: Fix Crawlability Traps

  • Indexing allowed? Canonical correct?
  • Page discoverable via internal links?
  • URL clean and stable?

Step 3: Rewrite the Title + Description Like a Human Marketer

  • Title: clear topic + benefit + (optional) brand.
  • Description: 1–2 sentences, value-forward, honest CTA.

Step 4: Restructure Headings for Scannability

  • One H1 that matches the page’s purpose.
  • H2s that mirror the questions users ask.
  • Use H3s to break heavy sections into digestible bites.

Step 5: Strengthen Content Value

  • Add missing sections competitors cover (without copying them).
  • Include examples, definitions, and practical steps.
  • Improve trust: accurate claims, clear authorship, up-to-date references.

Step 6: Add Internal Links That Make Sense

  • Link to supporting pages (“technical SEO checklist,” “keyword research,” “content audit”).
  • Link out only when it improves the reader’s understanding.

Step 7: Quick UX Pass

  • Mobile readability: font size, spacing, tap targets.
  • Page speed basics: compress images, reduce heavy scripts.
  • No “surprise” pop-ups that block content before the user even blinks.

Conclusion: On-Page SEO in 2019 Was Really “On-Page Helpfulness”

If you remember one thing from 2019 on-page SEO, make it this: search engines were getting better at understanding
language, and users were getting pickier about experience. The winning formula wasn’t “more SEO tricks.”
It was clear structure, crawlable pages, fast and usable design,
and content that truly answers the intent.

Do that consistentlyand the rest (better CTR, longer dwell time, more internal discovery, richer snippets)
tends to follow like a well-trained puppy. A very nerdy puppy. With a sitemap.

Field Notes: of Real-World 2019 On-Page SEO Experiences

Below are common “in-the-trenches” experiences teams ran into during 2019 on-page workpatterns that showed up
across audits, content refreshes, and launch fixes. Think of this as the stuff you learn after your third cup of
coffee and your tenth “why is this page not ranking?” meeting.

Experience #1: The Great Title Tag Identity Crisis. One of the most frequent 2019 problems was
a site where every title tag sounded like a legal document: “Home | Company Name,” “Services | Company Name,”
“Blog | Company Name.” When those titles were rewritten to reflect real intents (for example, “Emergency Roof Repair
in Phoenix: Same-Day Service” instead of “Services”), impressions didn’t always jump overnightbut clicks often did.
The reason was simple: people finally understood what the page offered before clicking.

Experience #2: Content That Technically “Ranks,” But Doesn’t Convert. Many businesses had pages
pulling traffic for broad informational queries, yet generating almost no leads. The fix wasn’t stuffing in more
keywordsit was adding the missing “next step.” A helpful comparison table, a pricing range, a checklist, or a
short “How to choose” section often turned a page from “interesting” into “actionable.” The best 2019 content upgrades
reduced the need for follow-up searches by answering the questions users ask right after the first answer.

Experience #3: Internal Linking Was the Cheapest Growth Hack Nobody Wanted to Do. Teams loved
publishing new content but hated maintaining old content. In practice, some of the biggest lifts came from building
simple topical pathways: hub pages linking to related guides, and guides linking back to the hub. It helped crawlers
discover deeper pages and helped users stay in a learning flow instead of bouncing back to Google. The “aha” moment
usually arrived when analytics showed that internal links created a second (and third) pageview per sessionwithout
buying a single ad.

Experience #4: Mobile-First Was a Content Problem, Not Just a Design Problem. A classic 2019 scenario:
desktop pages had robust content, while mobile versions hid key sections behind tabs, accordions, or “read more”
elements that few users opened. When teams surfaced the most important answers earlier (and ensured critical content
was actually present and accessible), rankings became more stable. User engagement improved too, because mobile visitors
no longer had to excavate the page like archaeologists.

Experience #5: Snippet Wins Came from Formatting, Not Fancy Tools. Many featured snippet wins
started with a boring change: add a question-based H2, answer it directly in a short paragraph, then expand with
details. Lists and steps helped, especially for “how to” queries. The teams that treated formatting as part of the
product (not as decoration) tended to earn more SERP features over timebecause their pages were easier to parse.

Experience #6: Speed Work Paid Off Even When Rankings Didn’t Immediately Spike. In 2019, improving
performance often showed benefits first in behavior metrics: fewer bounces, more pages per session, better conversion
rates. Those improvements created a stronger foundation for SEO because users stopped leaving in a hurry. The SEO win
was sometimes indirect, but very realespecially on mobile connections where every extra second felt like an hour.

The biggest takeaway from these experiences is wonderfully unglamorous: the best on-page SEO in 2019 was
competent publishing. Clear promises. Clear structure. Helpful answers. Fast pages. Honest metadata.
Do the basics relentlessly well, and you’ll outperform sites chasing shiny tricksbecause search engines (and humans)
reward the pages that make life easier.