On-page and Technical SEO: The Silent Assassin Killing Your Google Ranking

Tony Nissen
May 15
8 min read

Over the past few months, I’ve been chatting with business owners around Brisbane - from all walks of life and industries - and a common theme kept popping up.

Some were running Google Ads. Others were doubling down on Facebook. And a few were stuck in the trenches, churning out cold calls and emails like it’s 2005 (shoutout to the 100 calls + emails per day crew!).

While the tactics varied, a clear pattern began to emerge...

A silent assassin, hiding in plain sight - quietly killing their Google rankings without warning or remorse.

The culprit? Their websites. More specifically, poor On-page and Technical Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

With Google processing over 99,000 searches every single second (and AI-powered search catching up fast), overlooking your website’s SEO health could be costing you more than you think.

In this blog, I’ll break down what On-page and Technical SEO is, how they work together, and why you shouldn't ignore this critical component of organic lead generation.

For those on the fence about SEO, I’ve also included some pretty eye-opening ROI stats (with citations) so you can see the proof for yourself.

What is On-page SEO?

On-page SEO covers all the changes you make directly to your website pages to help them show up higher when people search on Google.

It's about making your content work for both Google's robots and the actual humans you want as customers.

On-page SEO elements include:

Writing helpful page titles that include keywords people are searching for
Creating engaging meta descriptions that encourage clicks
Structuring your content with proper headings (H1, H2, H3)
Including relevant keywords naturally throughout your content
Adding internal links to connect related pages on your site
Optimising images with descriptive file names and alt text

These elements help search engines understand what your pages are about and if they match someone's search.

When done well, On-page SEO makes your content more visible and more likely to attract clicks. It's the foundation of good SEO because it focuses on making your content valuable to your target audience.

What is Technical SEO?

While On-page SEO deals with content, Technical SEO handles the nuts and bolts of your website - the behind-the-scenes stuff most business owners never see but Google absolutely cares about.

Technical SEO fixes include:

Making sure your site loads quickly
Ensuring your website works well on mobile devices
Setting up proper site navigation and structure
Implementing secure connections (HTTPS)
Creating and submitting sitemaps
Fixing broken links and redirect issues
Improving overall website performance

Think of Technical SEO as the plumbing and wiring of your house. You don't see it, but when it's broken, nothing works right.

Technical problems can block Google from even finding your content, no matter how brilliant your writing might be.

How On-page and Technical SEO Work Together

On-page and Technical SEO need each other - neither works properly alone.

I saw this firsthand with a client earlier this year: They had spent thousands on beautifully written website content with perfect keywords (great On-page SEO).

But their site loaded so slowly that 83% of visitors gave up and left within 3 seconds. All that brilliant content was basically invisible.

Studies show 72% of websites have this exact problem - they're too slow, driving away potential customers before they even see what you offer.

The flip side happens too - I've seen technically perfect websites with terrible content that nobody wants to read.

Unfortunately, Google notices both problems.

Websites that succeed nail both aspects:

Technical SEO ensures search engines can access and understand your site
On-page SEO ensures what they find is relevant and valuable

When these work together, they create a better experience that both search engines and users appreciate.

This leads to better rankings, more traffic, and more customers for your business.

The Impact of Ignoring On-page and Technical SEO

I had a client ask me recently, "What's the worst that could happen if we just ignore all this SEO stuff?"

It's a fair question.

Let me show you the actual consequences I've seen happen to real businesses:

Lower Search Rankings and Visibility

Skip SEO, and your website simply doesn't show up when people search for what you sell. A brutal 75% of people never click past Google's first page.

If you're on page two or three, you basically don't exist online.

Missing Potential Customers

Each day your website sits unoptimised, your competitors who've invested in SEO are taking your customers.

I spoke with a Brisbane accounting firm that doubled their inbound enquiries in six months after fixing basic SEO issues.

There was much regret about not acting sooner.

Wasting Money on Paid Advertising

Here's what nobody tells you: Bad Technical SEO kills your Google Ads results too.

I reviewed a tradie's account last month who was spending $3,000 monthly on ads but sending people to a site that loaded so slowly on mobile phones that 91% left without contacting him.

He paid full price for those clicks either way.

Damaged Brand Reputation

Picture this: A potential customer searches for exactly what you offer. They click your link, then wait... and wait... while your site struggles to load. About 63% of all web traffic now comes from phones.

If your site looks terrible on mobile, that's most people's first impression of your business - and probably their last.

Google May Flag Your Site as Untrustworthy

Google doesn't just rank websites - it actively warns users away from sites it considers problematic.

A shocking 88% of websites have HTTPS security issues that can trigger these warnings. Nothing kills customer trust faster than a big "This site may not be secure" message when someone tries to visit you.

Why SEO Delivers Exceptional Returns (With Proof)

"But does SEO actually pay off?"

I get this question constantly.

Skipping the marketing fluff - let's look at the cold, hard numbers.

As mentioned, I have included citations at the end of the blog - so you can dig into the numbers yourself.

Outstanding ROI Compared to Other Marketing

Recent research shows SEO delivers a 748% average return - put in $1, get $7.48 back.

Compare that to Google Ads, where $1 typically returns between $2 - $4.

No wonder 49% of marketers rank organic search as their absolute best channel for results.

Real-World Performance Across Industries

Real estate agencies see the highest returns at 1,389% ROI over three years
Professional services average 578% ROI with proper SEO implementation
Enterprise businesses using advanced SEO tools report 571% returns over three years

The Compounding Effect Over Time

This is what separates SEO from ads: Google Ads stop the second you stop paying. SEO keeps working and actually improves:

72% of websites maintaining SEO for 3+ years dominate their niches
Businesses combining technical fixes with content see 113% traffic growth within 12 months
Every 1-second improvement in page speed increases conversions by 7% on average

Why This Matters for Your Business

These numbers translate directly to your revenue:

$22 generated for every $1 spent on SEO vs $2 from paid ads
14.6% conversion rate for organic leads vs 1.7% for outbound sales
20% reduction in PPC costs when combined with strong SEO

Staying Ahead of Competitors

With 58.5% of searches now ending without clicks, proper SEO ensures you're capturing attention where competitors aren't.

Businesses addressing both technical and content SEO:

Achieve first-page rankings 3x faster
See 300%+ annual traffic growth
Convert 8x more leads than outdated sites

The evidence is clear - neglecting SEO means leaving money on the table. But here's the good news: you don't need a massive upfront investment. Even basic improvements can start delivering returns within months.

Tools and Tips to Improve Your SEO

You don't need a computer science degree to fix your SEO. Here are the actual tools I use with clients, with no technical jargon:

Easy-to-Use Tools for Business Owners

Google Search Console: A free tool that basically tells you exactly what Google thinks of your website. It'll alert you when something's wrong and show you what searches are bringing visitors. Perfect for beginners.
Google PageSpeed Insights: Plug in your website and get a report card on how fast it loads. It'll also tell you exactly what to fix to make it faster.
SEMrush or Ahrefs: These paid tools show you what keywords your competitors rank for that you don't. Most offer free trials to get started.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider: Weird name, incredibly useful free tool. It crawls your website like Google does and finds technical problems you'd never spot otherwise.
Yoast SEO: If your site uses WordPress, this plugin adds a simple traffic light system (red, yellow, green) to show you how SEO-friendly each page is as you write.

Quick Wins for On-page SEO

Fix your page titles: Each page needs its own unique title that includes words people actually search for.
Make your content more helpful: Answer the questions your customers ask you in person - they're Googling these exact things.
Link your pages together: When you mention a service you offer on one page, link it to the detailed page about that service.
Sort out your images: Massive image files make your site crawl. Compress them and add descriptions so Google knows what they show.
Update old content: Got blog posts from 2019? Refresh them with current info. Google loves fresh content.

Technical SEO Fixes Anyone Can Handle

Test your site on your phone: Actually browse your own website on your mobile. Frustrating to use? Google notices that too. Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test to get specific fixes.
Get that padlock icon: Websites need the little padlock icon (HTTPS) in the browser address bar. No padlock = Google warning visitors away. Your web host can add this security certificate, often for free.
Hunt down broken links: Nothing frustrates visitors like clicking a link that goes nowhere. Free tools like Broken Link Checker find these problems.
Speed up your site: Delete unused plugins, compress your images, and if your site still loads slowly, consider better hosting. A few extra dollars monthly for faster hosting can dramatically increase your visitor numbers.
Make sure Google can find all your pages: Use a sitemap to tell Google about every page on your site. Many website builders create these automatically, or you can use a free generator online.

Taking Action on Your SEO

The numbers don't lie - properly optimised websites get three times more traffic. And fixing those Core Web Vitals (Google's name for speed and usability measures) puts you ahead of 67% of your competitors who haven't bothered.

Just start somewhere. Run a basic SEO check using one of the free tools I mentioned. You'll probably find issues you can fix in an afternoon that could dramatically improve your visibility.

You definitely don't need to become an SEO wizard overnight. Even small improvements add up.

Remember, SEO isn't a once-and-done job. Google constantly changes how it ranks websites. Staying current helps make sure people can find your business when they need what you sell.

Fixing both On-page and Technical SEO doesn't just boost your Google ranking - it creates a better experience for your customers and builds a stronger foundation for your business online.

Need a hand getting started?

I'm always up for a chat about improving your website's performance.

Drop me a line anytime to see how Tattica can help your business climb those search rankings and connect with more of the right customers.