A page’s visibility on search engines and generative AI platforms depends on six key elements:
- Title,
- Meta tags,
- HTML headings,
- Links, internal and external,
- Images,
- Structured data.
When optimizing a page, I rely on three free browser extensions to quickly reveal those components: Devaka Tools, Site Inspector, and SEO Meta in 1 Click.
What follows is my explanation of the six elements, followed by a side-by-side table comparing the three extensions.
Title of page
The title tag is the most important on-page optimization element because search engines use it to understand the page’s purpose. Descriptive and keyword-focused page titles improve and diversify organic rankings.
The title tag appears in the browser tab and is not necessarily visible on the page.
Meta tags
Two types of meta tags are key for search engine optimization:
- A meta description does not directly impact rankings, but it may appear in search snippets and thus affect click-throughs.
HTML headings
HTML headings such as H1, H2, and H3 organize on-page content. This article includes HTML headings: “Title of page,” “Meta tags,” “HTML headings,” et cetera. The headings, while optional, help readers digest the content and assist crawlers in identifying relevant info for searchers’ queries. Using keywords in HTML headings serves both purposes.
Links, internal and external
Internal links signal to search engines the importance of a page: the more internal links pointing to a page, the higher its significance.
Internal links also help search engines understand the linked page. The link’s anchor text is the strongest signal, although its surrounding words also send relevancy signals, per Google. Improving internal linking structure is often a quick way to streamline crawlability and increase organic search visibility.
External links to authoritative sites add credibility to the page, especially in “Your Money Your Life” niches.
Images
Images enhance visitor engagement, a Google ranking factor, and improve visibility in image search results.
Image alt tags are essential for both visually-impaired visitors and search engines. Compressing images enhances page speed and thus Core Web Vitals, another ranking factor.
Structured data
Structured data helps search engines and AI platforms understand a site, its pages, and the owner. Schema.org’s “vocabulary” of structured data is the most popular. Google and Bing recognize it as well as other methods.
Browser Extensions
You can quickly see all of these elements using one or more of the following browser extensions:
| Feature | Devaka Tools | Site Inspector | SEO Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browser | Many | Chrome | Chrome |
| Title of page | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Meta tags | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HTML headings | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Links: internal, external | Yes | Yes | Yes (plus highlighting nofollow links) |
| Images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Structured data | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Excel export | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Notes | Can highlight keywords, show image alt text, reveal hidden text. Provides links to tools such as Schema.org validator and Search Console. | Can keep sidebar open to automatically load data. | Provides a page summary with word count, headings, images. Can export a page’s copy. Includes a page preview and Schema.org validator. |