On-Page SEO and Structured Data: How Both Tools Help Improve UX and Rankings

In today’s search landscape, it’s no longer enough to just have the right keywords. On-page SEO—from your header structure to your schema markup—plays a critical role in how search engines interpret your site and how users experience it.

This is especially true for websites producing content at scale, such as tech blogs, where optimization opportunities can quickly compound. In this article, we’ll look at how one tech blog used SEMrush to audit their on-page elements and structured data, and then used Ahrefs to track the outcome—leading to improved search rankings and a better user experience.

The Problem: Good Content, Weak Technical SEO

The tech blog was well-established, with consistent publishing and a strong reader base. However, organic growth had stalled. Even new posts were struggling to appear on the first page for target keywords.

Initial checks showed no obvious issues with site speed or indexing. But digging deeper revealed potential on-page problems:

• Header tag misuse (e.g., multiple H1s, missing H2s)
  
  

• Thin or missing meta descriptions
  
  

• Incomplete schema markup, especially for articles and FAQs
  
  

These subtle but important issues were holding back performance.

Using SEMrush for On-Page SEO and Structured Data Audits

The team turned to SEMrush’s Site Audit tool, which provided an actionable overview of the site’s technical health. Here’s what SEMrush helped identify:

• Improper header hierarchy: Some pages had multiple H1 tags or skipped heading levels, which confused both users and bots.
  
  

• Missing structured data: Blog posts lacked article schema, while FAQ pages didn’t include proper markup to qualify for featured snippets.
  
  

• Meta tag inconsistencies: Title tags were too long on some pages, while meta descriptions were missing on others.
  
  

• Orphaned pages: Several older posts weren’t internally linked from newer content, making them hard to discover.
  
  

The audit results were prioritized by severity, making it easy for the content and development teams to tackle quick fixes first, like header restructuring and metadata optimization.

Enhancing Structured Data for Rich Results

Using SEMrush’s recommendations and additional testing via Google’s Rich Results Test, the blog added or improved schema markup across various templates:

• Article schema for all blog posts

• FAQ schema for support content and tutorials

• Breadcrumb schema to improve navigation in search snippets
  
  

The structured data was added using JSON-LD, and carefully validated to ensure all required fields were present. This not only helped improve SERP appearance but also improved click-through rates by providing more useful previews.

Using Ahrefs to Measure the Impact

Once changes were deployed, the team used Ahrefs to monitor performance and visibility. The Rank Tracker and Site Explorer features helped answer key questions:

• Did the pages with structured data start ranking for more rich results?

• Did internal linking changes improve keyword rankings for older content?

• Were backlink profiles affected by the on-page optimizations?
  
  

Ahrefs provided insights on:

• SERP appearances for keywords tied to FAQ pages and schema-enhanced articles

• Keyword movement over time, including newly ranking terms

• Backlink growth to updated content, indicating stronger shareability and engagement
  
  

Within weeks, several blog posts began showing in rich snippets, especially for “how-to” and comparison-style queries. Traffic to FAQ pages nearly doubled, and pages with improved header structure saw lower bounce rates and longer average sessions.

The Results: UX + SEO Wins

This dual-tool approach led to tangible results:

• Improved keyword rankings, especially for long-tail and question-based queries

• More featured snippets and enhanced listings, increasing click-through rate

• Better user experience, thanks to cleaner content hierarchy and internal navigation

• Greater content discoverability, with orphaned posts now interlinked
  
  

By focusing not just on content creation but on how that content is structured and presented, the tech blog achieved both technical SEO improvements and user-facing gains.

Final Thoughts

On-page SEO isn’t just about stuffing keywords—it’s about making your content easier to understand, navigate, and index. Structured data enhances how your site appears in search, while proper HTML structure improves accessibility and readability.

SEMrush provided the roadmap for what needed fixing. Ahrefs measured how well those fixes worked.

For content-heavy sites, especially blogs or knowledge bases, this kind of workflow ensures your content not only exists—but excels. When your UX supports your SEO, and your SEO enhances your UX, you create a compounding effect that benefits both users and search engines.

If you’re not auditing your on-page structure and tracking the results, you’re leaving value on the table. The tools are there. The data is there. Use both, and let your content do what it was meant to do—perform.