Clwyd Probert 22-12-2025

HOW TO IMPROVE ON-PAGE SEO IN 2026: THE COMPLETE UK GUIDE

Last Updated: 22 December 2025 · 12 min read

On-page SEO in 2025 centres on creating genuinely helpful content that satisfies search intent, crafting compelling title tags under 60 characters, writing meta descriptions that drive clicks, demonstrating E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust), and meeting Core Web Vitals thresholds. According to Semrush's 2024 ranking factor study, text relevance now shows the highest correlation (0.47) with search rankings—making content quality the foundation of modern SEO success.

For UK B2B companies investing in professional SEO services, understanding these fundamentals is essential. SEO drives 76% of B2B website traffic and generates twice the revenue of other marketing channels, according to BrightEdge research. The businesses that master on-page optimisation build sustainable competitive advantages their competitors struggle to replicate.

Why Content Quality Now Outweighs Keywords

Google's approach to ranking content has fundamentally shifted from keyword matching to understanding helpfulness. In March 2024, Google integrated its Helpful Content System directly into the core algorithm, making "people-first" content creation non-negotiable for ranking success. The days of optimising primarily for keyword density are decisively over.

onsite-seo-framework

According to Conductor's 2025 research, 91% of marketers confirm that SEO positively affected their website performance and marketing goals. However, this success comes from creating content that genuinely serves users—not from gaming the algorithm. As Google's Search Liaison Danny Sullivan stated in September 2024: "If you're producing really good content for your audience, you have it in mind, you feel you're right with what people would want, then you should continue to do that. And we're going to continue to try to reward that kind of content."

What "Helpful Content" Actually Means

Demonstrates first-hand experience with the topic being discussed
Provides substantial value beyond what's readily available elsewhere
Satisfies the user's search intent completely within the content
Leaves readers feeling satisfied they've learned what they needed
Written by or for humans, not primarily for search engines

John Mueller, Google's Search Advocate, reinforced this in 2024: "Unfortunately there's more to online success than just adding more pages. It's important that things which you add actually bring new and unique value to the web. It's important that your site overall is unique, compelling, of high quality." For B2B companies working with inbound marketing strategies, this means every piece of content must earn its place by genuinely helping potential customers.

The data supports this shift toward quality. First-page Google results now average 1,447 words according to Backlinko's research, whilst long-form content receives 77.2% more backlinks than shorter pieces. Articles exceeding 3,000 words generate three times more traffic than average-length content. This isn't because length matters intrinsically—it's because comprehensive, helpful content naturally requires more depth.

How to Craft Title Tags That Rank and Convert

Title tags remain the second most important on-page ranking factor according to Moz's industry research. Despite Google's increasing reliance on AI understanding, a well-crafted title tag directly influences both rankings and click-through rates. Backlinko's analysis found that title tags between 40-60 characters achieve 8.6% higher click-through rates than those outside this range.

However, there's an important caveat: Google now rewrites 60-70% of title tags and meta descriptions to better match user intent. This means your title must both satisfy Google's quality standards and accurately represent your content. If Google perceives a mismatch between your title and the page content, it will substitute its own version.

Title Tag Best Practices for 2025

Keep titles under 60 characters to prevent truncation in search results
Place your primary keyword within the first 60 characters
Include your brand name for recognition (especially for established businesses)
Make titles compelling and click-worthy whilst remaining accurate
Use numbers, dates, or power words where natural and appropriate

The top three Google results capture 68.7% of all clicks according to AIOSEO's research. This concentration makes title tag optimisation crucial—even small improvements in click-through rate compound significantly when you're competing for position one versus position three.

Writing Meta Descriptions That Drive Clicks

Meta descriptions don't directly influence rankings, but they significantly impact click-through rates—which in turn affects how Google perceives your page's relevance. Think of meta descriptions as your 155-character sales pitch to searchers scanning results. A compelling description can mean the difference between a click to your site and a visit to a competitor.

Research from Search Engine Journal confirms that Google rewrites meta descriptions 60-70% of the time. However, when Google chooses to display your original description, it signals that your copy accurately represents the page content. The key is writing descriptions that are both engaging and precisely aligned with what users will find on the page.

Element	Recommendation
Length	150-155 characters maximum
Primary keyword	Include naturally within the first 120 characters
Call to action	Include a compelling reason to click
Unique descriptions	Every page needs its own description
Active voice	Write with energy and directness

For B2B companies, meta descriptions should address the specific pain points your target audience faces. Rather than generic descriptions, speak directly to marketing directors struggling with attribution, RevOps managers dealing with data silos, or business owners trying to prove marketing ROI—the challenges your services actually solve.

Demonstrating E-E-A-T for Better Rankings

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google added the extra "E" for Experience in December 2022, emphasising that first-hand knowledge matters for content quality. According to Google's Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, Trust is "the most important member of the E-E-A-T family" because untrustworthy pages have low E-E-A-T regardless of how experienced, expert, or authoritative they may appear.

For B2B websites offering services like HubSpot onboarding or marketing consultancy, demonstrating E-E-A-T signals is particularly important. Your potential clients are making significant business decisions—they need confidence that you're genuinely qualified to help them.

How to Demonstrate E-E-A-T on Your Website

Experience: Share case studies with specific results. Include screenshots, data, and real examples from client projects. Content written by practitioners with hands-on experience outperforms theoretical advice.

Expertise: Display relevant qualifications, certifications, and credentials prominently. For a HubSpot Diamond Partner, that certification should be visible. Author bios should detail relevant background and specialisations.

Authoritativeness: Earn mentions and links from respected industry sources. Guest post on authoritative publications. Speak at conferences. Build a reputation that exists beyond your own website.

Trustworthiness: Make contact information easily accessible. Display reviews and testimonials. Maintain accurate, up-to-date content. Be transparent about who you are and what you do.

Lily Ray, VP of SEO Strategy at Amsive and a leading voice on E-E-A-T, noted at MozCon 2024: "SEO is not a bag of tricks. The most innovative SEO strategies will involve leveraging real experts and real contributors, and putting their online profiles at the centre of all SEO activities. Authenticity will become increasingly important."

Meeting Core Web Vitals Requirements

Core Web Vitals are Google's standardised metrics for measuring user experience. In March 2024, Interaction to Next Paint (INP) replaced First Input Delay (FID) as the responsiveness metric, completing Google's current set of page experience signals. Industry data indicates only 47% of websites currently pass all Core Web Vitals thresholds—creating a genuine competitive advantage for sites that do.

Metric	What It Measures	Target
LCP	Largest Contentful Paint (loading speed)	≤ 2.5 seconds
INP	Interaction to Next Paint (responsiveness)	≤ 200 milliseconds
CLS	Cumulative Layout Shift (visual stability)	≤ 0.1

Core Web Vitals represent approximately 10-15% of Google's ranking algorithm weight according to industry estimates. Whilst this makes them important, they're unlikely to override poor content quality. Think of Core Web Vitals as table stakes: failing them can hurt you, but passing them won't compensate for weak content or poor relevance signals.

The practical impact extends beyond rankings. Slow, janky websites frustrate users. Research consistently shows that conversion rates drop as page load times increase. For B2B companies where a single conversion might be worth thousands of pounds, the business case for technical performance is compelling even without considering SEO benefits.

Optimising for AI Answer Engines

The rise of AI answer engines—ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Claude—represents the most significant shift in search behaviour since mobile. These platforms don't show ten blue links; they synthesise information from multiple sources into direct answers. For businesses, this means getting mentioned and recommended within AI responses, not just ranking in traditional results.

Ahrefs' analysis of 1.9 million AI citations found that 76% of AI Overview citations come from pages ranking in the top 10 organic results. This confirms that traditional SEO fundamentals remain essential—you must rank well in organic search to be cited by AI systems. However, AI engines have distinct content preferences that influence which high-ranking pages they choose to cite.

What AI Answer Engines Prefer

SE Ranking's November 2025 study of AI citation patterns revealed clear preferences:

AI-cited articles cover 62% more facts than non-cited content
Articles over 2,900 words average 5.1 AI citations versus 3.2 for shorter content
Content updated within 3 months receives 6 citations versus 3.6 for older content
Pages with 120-180 words between headings receive 70% more ChatGPT citations
Direct answers in opening paragraphs dramatically improve citation likelihood

The practical implication is that content must be structured for AI extraction. Lead with direct answers. Make each section self-contained (AI systems extract individual passages independently). Include statistics with clear source attribution. Reference your brand name within extractable statements so that when AI cites your content, your company name travels with it.

HubSpot's 2025 research indicates that visitors who discover a brand through AI recommendations convert at significantly higher rates than traditional search visitors—they arrive with context and a form of AI "endorsement." For companies investing in SEO, optimising for AI visibility represents a high-value opportunity.

Structuring Content for Maximum Impact

Content structure directly affects both user engagement and search engine understanding. Well-organised content keeps readers on the page longer, reduces bounce rates, and makes it easier for search engines to identify the topics and subtopics your content covers. With 78% of AI Overviews including lists according to industry analysis, structural elements also improve AI citation potential.

Content Structure Checklist

Use a logical heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3, never skip levels)
Include a table of contents for longer articles
Break content into scannable sections of 150-200 words
Use bullet points and numbered lists for key information
Add comparison tables where relevant
Include a summary or key takeaways section
Add an FAQ section addressing common questions

Internal linking deserves particular attention. Links between related pages help search engines understand your site's topical structure and distribute ranking authority. For a B2B website, connecting service pages to relevant blog content, linking case studies to the services they demonstrate, and cross-referencing related topics all strengthen your overall SEO architecture.

Schema markup—structured data that helps search engines understand your content—has become increasingly important. Pages containing robust schema markup are 3.7 times more likely to appear in AI summaries according to industry research. For blog posts, Article schema with author information supports E-E-A-T signals, whilst FAQPage schema can help your FAQ content appear in rich results.

Key Takeaways

Content quality and helpfulness now matter more than keyword optimisation—focus on genuinely serving your audience
Title tags remain critical; keep them under 60 characters with primary keywords front-loaded
E-E-A-T signals (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) differentiate serious businesses from thin content
Core Web Vitals create baseline expectations—53% of sites still fail, making compliance a competitive advantage
AI answer engines represent the next frontier; structure content for extraction and citation
Regular content updates improve both rankings and AI visibility—refreshed content gets 106% more traffic

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most important on-page SEO factors in 2025?

The most important on-page SEO factors in 2025 are content quality and helpfulness, title tag optimisation, E-E-A-T signals, and Core Web Vitals performance. Semrush's 2024 research found text relevance shows the highest correlation (0.47) with rankings, confirming that genuinely helpful content matters most. Technical factors like page speed and mobile-friendliness remain important baseline requirements.

How long should content be for optimal SEO performance?

Content length should match the depth required by the topic rather than targeting arbitrary word counts. That said, first-page Google results average 1,447 words according to Backlinko, and articles over 3,000 words generate three times more traffic. Long-form content receives 77.2% more backlinks. The key is comprehensive coverage—thin content rarely ranks regardless of technical optimisation.

Do meta descriptions directly affect search rankings?

Meta descriptions do not directly affect Google rankings—they're not a ranking factor. However, compelling meta descriptions significantly impact click-through rates, which indirectly influences how Google perceives your page's relevance. Google rewrites 60-70% of meta descriptions, but well-written descriptions aligned with page content are more likely to be displayed as written.

What is E-E-A-T and why does it matter for SEO?

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google uses these signals to assess content quality, particularly for topics affecting health, finances, or safety (YMYL topics). Trust is described as "the most important member of the E-E-A-T family" in Google's guidelines. Demonstrating E-E-A-T through credentials, case studies, and authoritative content helps pages rank for competitive terms.

How do Core Web Vitals impact SEO rankings?

Core Web Vitals represent approximately 10-15% of Google's ranking algorithm. The three metrics are LCP (loading speed, target ≤2.5s), INP (responsiveness, target ≤200ms), and CLS (visual stability, target ≤0.1). Only 47% of websites currently pass all thresholds, making compliance a competitive advantage. Poor Core Web Vitals can hurt rankings, but they won't compensate for weak content.

Should I optimise content for AI answer engines like ChatGPT?

Yes—AI answer engines represent an increasingly important traffic source. Ahrefs found 76% of AI Overview citations come from top 10 organic results, so traditional SEO remains foundational. However, AI systems prefer comprehensive content (2,900+ words get more citations), recently updated pages, and content structured with clear answers in opening paragraphs. Structure content so AI can easily extract and cite key passages.

How often should I update existing content for SEO?

HubSpot's research shows refreshed content can increase traffic by up to 106%. For competitive topics, quarterly reviews are advisable. SE Ranking found content updated within 3 months receives nearly double the AI citations (6 versus 3.6) compared to older content. Update statistics, add new developments, refresh examples, and ensure information remains accurate. The lastmod date in your sitemap should reflect genuine content changes.

What schema markup should blog posts include?

Blog posts should include Article schema with author information (supporting E-E-A-T signals), FAQPage schema for FAQ sections, and Organization schema for your business. Pages with schema markup are 3.7 times more likely to appear in AI summaries. Use JSON-LD format as recommended by Google, validate with Google's Rich Results Test, and ensure schema content matches visible page content exactly.

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