SEO Low-Hanging Fruit, Part 1: On-Page Fixes That Matter

Not all SEO improvements and fixes are complicated or expensive. Sure, there are technical audits, complex tools, and long-term link strategies, but sometimes, the biggest wins are hiding in plain sight, and these are often a good place to start. We’re talking about the small, overlooked tweaks you can make directly on your site that can lead to noticeable gains in traffic and performance. In other words, the low-hanging fruit.

Why On-Page SEO is the Place to Start

This first part of our four-part SEO series focuses on on-page SEO: the optimizations you make to your content, structure, and internal strategy. These are often the fastest to implement and most immediately rewarding.

We’ll split these into two categories: fixes you can likely handle in-house (DIY), and those where an experienced content strategist or SEO expert should step in.

DIY On-Page SEO Fixes

Understand Search Intent with Smart Keyword Research

If you’re writing blog posts, optimizing product pages, or planning new service pages without aligning content to what users are actually searching for – you’re shooting in the dark. Keyword research is your compass.

But here’s the thing: It’s not just about search volume. It’s about matching your content to what people expect to find.

There are four main types of search intent:

• Informational: “What is SEO?” or “How to speed up a website”
• Navigational: “Ahrefs login” or “Play Media blog”
• Transactional: “Buy running shoes online”
• Commercial Investigation: “Best email marketing platforms 2025”

Although it’s possible to do basic keyword research on your own using free tools, if you don’t have the time or aptitude, it’s highly recommended that you work with a content strategist or an on-page SEO specialist to develop a focused and sustainable keyword strategy. 

The keywords you choose to target, and how they align with your content,  are among the most important factors determining your website’s long-term organic success.

A seasoned specialist won’t just find keywords with decent search volume. They’ll assess keyword difficulty, search intent, your competitive landscape, and how each term fits into a broader content architecture. 

Misaligned keywords might drive traffic, but not conversions. It’s not about ranking for just any keyword: it’s about ranking for the right ones. That level of nuance and planning is where a strategic SEO partner really pays off.

How to Research Like a Pro (Even If You’re Not One):

• Plug your seed keywords into a tool like Ubersuggest or Google Keyword Planner
• Check what type of content is currently ranking for those keywords
• Ask: “What is the user expecting here? A guide, a product, a comparison?”
• Use that insight to inform your content strategy

Free Tools to Use:

• Google Keyword Planner
• AnswerThePublic
• AlsoAsked
• Google SERPs

Quick Copy Fixes: Title Tags & Meta Descriptions

If your site has dozens (or hundreds) of pages with generic or missing title tags and meta descriptions, you’re leaving clicks on the table. These elements are small but mighty. They’re your first impression in search results and can heavily influence click-through rates (CTR).

Why it matters:

Even if your page ranks well, a boring or irrelevant title tag can mean users skip over it. Google may even rewrite your snippets if it thinks yours aren’t good enough, but it’s better not to leave that to chance.

What to look for:

• Title tags that are too long (cut off in SERPs) or too short (missed opportunity)
• Meta descriptions that don’t describe the page’s value
• Duplicate tags across multiple pages

How to fix:

• Use action-oriented language and include a keyword near the start of the title
• Keep titles under ~60 characters and meta descriptions under ~160
• Make meta descriptions compelling. Think of them as mini ads

Free Tools to Help:

• SERPSim
• Google Search Console
• Yoast SEO (WordPress)

Refresh & Repurpose Old Content

One of the easiest  (and most overlooked) ways to improve SEO performance is simply updating what you already have. Google rewards freshness, especially in competitive niches. If a blog post or landing page hasn’t been touched in over a year, it’s likely underperforming or outdated.

What to do:

• Identify pages with declining traffic using Google Search Console or Google Analytics
• Update outdated stats, links, and references
• Rework headlines, intros, and calls-to-action to improve clarity and engagement
• Add internal links to newer content and refresh the formatting
• Consider combining thin or overlapping content into a single, stronger piece

Repurposing ideas:

• Turn blog posts into downloadable guides or email series
• Break down long-form articles into social posts or LinkedIn carousels
• Use core content as the basis for a new podcast or webinar

Create New Product/Service Categories Based on Search Demand

One of the most underrated SEO strategies, especially for e-commerce or service-heavy websites, is adjusting your site’s structure based on how people actually search. This often means creating entirely new product or service categories based on keyword data and user behavior.

Why it works:

Users don’t always browse by your internal logic. They search by need, use case, or benefit. If your site doesn’t reflect how people search, you’re missing out on visibility and usability.

How to apply it:

• Analyze internal search terms (from site search data if available)
• Use keyword research tools to identify commonly searched phrases with commercial intent
• Create landing pages or product/service categories optimized for those phrases
• Link these new categories in your navigation or relevant blog posts

Free Tools to Use:

• Google Search Console
• Ubersuggest
• Google Keyword Planner

Build a Solid Internal Linking Strategy

Think of internal linking as your site’s nervous system. It’s how authority flows through your domain, how users navigate your content, and how Google understands the relationships between your pages.

Why internal links matter:

• They help search engines discover and index more of your content
• They pass authority from your high-performing pages to others
• They guide users deeper into your site, increasing time on site and engagement

Best practices:

• Link from top-performing pages to related, underperforming content
• Use descriptive anchor text that includes keywords where appropriate
• Keep links contextual — avoid generic phrases like “click here”
• Regularly audit your site for orphaned pages (those with no internal links)

Pro-Level On-Page SEO Fixes

Fix Keyword Cannibalization

Keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on your site compete for the same search term — and instead of dominating the SERP, they end up diluting each other’s potential. It’s surprisingly common, especially on blogs or service pages created over time without a unified strategy.

How to spot it:

• Use Google Search Console or tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs
• Look for multiple pages with similar titles targeting the same keyword
• Run a “site:yourdomain.com [keyword]” search in Google

What to do:

• Merge and redirect: Combine overlapping pages into one authoritative post, then 301 redirect the old URLs
• Differentiate: Re-optimize each page for a slightly different focus or long-tail variation
• De-index: If a page has no traffic or links, consider no-indexing or removing it entirely

Why it matters:

Left unchecked, cannibalization weakens your relevance signals, splits your backlink equity, and confuses both users and Google.

Free & Paid Tools for On-Page SEO

Free Tools:

• Google Search Console
• Keyword Planner
• AnswerThePublic
• SERPSim
• Screaming Frog SEO Spider (free for up to 500 URLs)
• Yoast SEO

Paid Tools:

• Ahrefs or SEMrush (for keyword, content, and cannibalization analysis)
• Clearscope / Surfer SEO / Frase (content optimization)
• Screaming Frog (full version for large site audits)

Conclusion: Lay the Foundation First

On-page SEO is where control meets impact. It’s where you can make the most changes, with the fewest barriers, and still see meaningful results. While not everything here will require an expert, identifying what does is half the battle.

Start with the optimizations you can implement today. Track the results. Then, decide what’s worth investing in deeper. If your team needs help turning insights into execution, our specialists at Play Media are here to step in.

Next up in Part 2: we’ll explore Technical SEO — the behind-the-scenes factors like crawlability, site structure, indexing, and structured data. Stay tuned!

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PlayMedia is the digital marketing agency that will take you to the top, and help you grow your business through dedication, transparency, and a unique, highly individual approach.

Mladen Maksic CEO
Play Media