On-page SEO breaks down into three buckets: technical elements, content structure, and user signals. Start with the technical foundation. Your title tag should be 50-60 characters with your primary keyword near the front. Meta description stays under 155 characters and includes a clear value proposition, though it won't directly rank you. Your H1 must contain the main keyword and appear only once per page. Subsequent headings (H2, H3) create logical hierarchy and should incorporate semantic variations of your topic. Page speed matters more than most agencies admit. We target under 2.5 seconds for LCP on mobile because Google's Core Web Vitals directly affect rankings in competitive niches. Compress images to WebP format, lazy-load anything below the fold, and eliminate render-blocking JavaScript. A typical Ottawa SEO client site runs 30-40KB of critical CSS inline, defers the rest. Content optimization means matching intent first, keywords second. If the query is transactional ("buy running shoes Ottawa"), your page needs product listings and pricing, not a 2000-word guide. For informational queries, structure answers to capture featured snippets: short paragraph answers within 40-60 words, followed by supporting detail. Use your exact target keyword in the first 100 words, then write naturally. Internal linking passes authority and keeps users engaged. Every important page should sit within 3 clicks of your homepage. Link contextually using descriptive anchor text, not "click here." We typically add 3-5 internal links per 1000 words, prioritizing pages that need ranking help. The signals Google can't easily measure, like dwell time and pogo-sticking, depend on content quality and page layout. Break text into 2-4 sentence paragraphs, add relevant images every 300 words, and front-load your answer. Users decide in 3-5 seconds whether to stay. Schema markup for FAQs, products, or local business helps Google understand context but won't rescue poor content. Run your changes through Google Search Console and watch for impressions-to-clicks improvement over 4-6 weeks before adjusting strategy.