By Alaa Alhalemi
When I started building Alémi, I was focused on creating a place where independent artists could share their work. But having a website is one thing, and getting people to find it is another. That’s why I’m learning more about onsite SEO. It’s the part of SEO that involves things you can change directly on your website. I’m still learning how it all works, but these are five things from my marketing class that I’m starting to understand and apply to Alémi.
What is a title tag?
A title tag is the title that appears in your browser tab and can appear as the clickable headline in Google search results. It isn’t necessarily the same as the heading people see when they open your page.
One thing I learned is that each page should have its own title tag that tells people what the page is about. It should include a relevant keyword without repeating it just to get more attention.
For example, a page titled “Gallery” doesn’t tell someone much about what they’ll find. A title like “Online Art Gallery | Alémi” gives a little more context. The goal is to make the page easier to understand before someone even clicks on it. I’m learning to pay more attention to these small details instead of focusing only on how the website looks.
What is a meta description?
A meta description is a short summary of a webpage that may appear underneath its title in Google search results. It’s written in the page’s code, so visitors usually won’t see it when they’re browsing the page itself.
I think of it as a small introduction to the page. If I’m searching for something, I’d be more likely to click a result that actually explains what I’ll find instead of one that just repeats a bunch of keywords.
For Alémi, a description could mention that people can browse original artwork by independent artists. It gives someone a reason to visit without making the description unnecessarily complicated. Google doesn’t always use the description you write, but it’s still worth giving each page a clear one.
Why do images need alt text?
Alt text describes an image in words. It helps people who use screen readers understand what’s being shown, and it also gives search engines more information about the image.
This matters for an art website because the artwork is the main focus. A photograph of a painting might look obvious to a person, but search engines can’t understand everything about it just by looking at the file name.
For example, naming an image IMG_4417.jpg doesn’t explain much. A more useful file name would be spiderfly-acrylic-painting-alaa-alhalemi.jpg. Its alt text could read, “Spiderfly, a 10 × 8 inch acrylic painting by Alaa Alhalemi.”
I’m learning that describing the actual artwork is more useful than filling the description with repeated keywords. I also want to make sure the images on Alémi are presented in a way that’s accessible to more people.
What is anchor text?
Anchor text is the clickable wording in a link. For example, “click here” doesn’t tell someone much about where the link will take them. “Browse the Alémi gallery” is more descriptive because it explains what they’ll find after clicking.
This is useful when connecting different pages on a website. Someone reading a post about SEO might also want to read Michigan SEO tactics with AI workflows. Someone interested in the artwork itself could visit the Alémi gallery.
I’m learning that links aren’t just there to move people around a website. The wording can help readers understand what each page offers, too. I’d rather use a link that makes sense in the sentence than add one just for the sake of having it.
How should headings work?
Headings help organize a webpage so people can follow the content without having to read every word. The H1 is the main heading, while H2s separate the larger sections. H3s can be used for smaller sections within those topics.
This post is an example. The title, “Onsite SEO: 5 Things I Learned for My Art Website,” is the main heading. Each question underneath it is an H2 that introduces a different topic.
If every heading had the same structure and importance, it would be harder to tell where one section ends and another begins. I’m also learning that headings should describe what’s actually in each section rather than repeat keywords just to include them.
What should you avoid?
One thing that stood out to me is that SEO isn’t about doing absolutely anything to get a page to rank. Some tactics can work against you, especially when they try to manipulate search results instead of helping people.
The main things to avoid are duplicate content, hidden text, cloaking, keyword stuffing, and questionable links. Keyword stuffing is probably the easiest example to understand. If I keep repeating “art gallery” or “original paintings” in every sentence, the writing becomes awkward and less useful to the person reading it.
I’d rather have a page that clearly explains what Alémi offers than one that sounds like it was written entirely for a search engine. I’m learning that SEO and good writing don’t have to compete with each other.
I’m still figuring out how to apply these ideas consistently, but my next step is to review Alémi’s page titles, image descriptions, and links. I’d rather start with a few changes I understand and build from there.
References
- Brian Dean, 9 actionable on-page SEO techniques (Backlinko video)
- Google, SEO Starter Guide. Good for your intro and headings sections.
- Google, Influencing Your Title Links in Search Results. For your title tag section.
- Google, Control Your Snippets in Search Results. For your meta description section.
- Google, Google Image SEO Best Practices. For your alt text section.
- Google, Link Best Practices for Google. For your anchor text section. It says “click here” is a bad example.
- Google, Spam Policies for Google Web Search. For your “what to avoid” section. It covers keyword stuffing, hidden text and cloaking.