What They Are & Find out how to Use Them for search engine optimisation

  • October 27, 2023
  • AI, SEO
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Meta tags are HTML tags that present details about a webpage’s content material to search engines like google and yahoo and customers.

They play an important position in influencing how a web site seems in search outcomes and may impression click-through price (CTR).

Meta tags are often added within the <head> part of your HTML. Right here’s one instance:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta title="description" content material="Flip the algorithm into a pal. Make your enterprise seen on-line with 55+ instruments for search engine optimisation, PPC, content material, social media, aggressive analysis, and extra.">
</html>
</head>

Within the instance above, a meta tag referred to as “meta description” is used. In search outcomes, that may appear to be this:

An example of meta description in search results

Google and different search engines like google and yahoo typically show the meta description in search outcomes. 

Google helps a number of meta tags:

Meta tag title

Description

Instance

description

Gives a brief description of the web page.This description is usually used within the snippet proven in search outcomes.

<meta title=”description” content material=”Make your corporation seen on-line with 55+ instruments for search engine optimisation, PPC, content material, social media, aggressive analysis, and extra.”>

robots

Controls how search engines like google and yahoo crawl and index your pages. You need to use “index” and “observe” to permit each actions. Or “noindex” and “nofollow” to forestall them. For those who don’t specify something, “index” and “observe” are the default values.

<meta title=”robots” content material=”index,observe”>

googlebot

Just like robots, however particular to Google.

<meta title=”googlebot” content material=”index,observe”>

google

Disables some elective Google options in your website, such because the sitelinks search field that enables customers to look inside your website from Google, and the Google text-to-speech companies that allow customers to listen to your webpages. The supported values are “nositelinkssearchbox” and “nopagereadaloud.”

<metaname=”google” content material=”nositelinkssearchbox”>

google-site-verification

Verifies the possession of the web site for Google Search Console.

<meta title=”google-site-verification” content material=”+nxGUDJ4QpAZ5l9Bsjdi102tLVC21AIh5d1Nl23908vVuFHs34=”>

Content material-Sort and charset

Specifies the content material sort and character set for the webpage. That is essential for rendering non-ASCII characters appropriately.

<meta http-equiv=”Content material-Sort” content material=”textual content/html; charset=UTF-8″>

refresh

Tells the browser to routinely reload the web page after a specified variety of seconds. It can be used to redirect the person to a different URL after a sure time.

<meta http-equiv=”refresh” content material=”5; url=

score

Signifies {that a} webpage comprises specific content material.

<meta title=”score” content material=”grownup”>

viewport

Controls how the webpage is displayed on cell units

<meta title=”viewport” content material=”width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0″>

As you’ll be able to see, there are completely different sorts of meta tags, however probably the most related ones for search engine optimisation are:

  • Meta description
  • Meta robots
  • Meta viewport

Let’s take a look at these tags in additional element and see methods to optimize them.

Be aware: The title tag (typically referred to as a “meta title”) just isn’t technically a meta tag, from an HTML perspective. Though it can be crucial for search engine optimisation and is often mentioned alongside different meta tags just like the meta description. Be taught extra about this tag in our title tags information or within the temporary part masking “meta titles” beneath.

Meta Description

A meta description summarizes the content material of the webpage for search engines like google and yahoo and customers.

It seems beneath the title on the search engine outcomes web page. 

Like this:

An example of meta description in search results

The code for a meta description tag seems like this:

<meta title="description" content material="This is your meta description"/>

Meta descriptions don’t straight have an effect on your rankings in Google. However a well-written meta description can encourage customers to click on in your hyperlink as an alternative of scrolling previous it.

Listed below are some suggestions that will help you craft efficient meta descriptions:

  • Hold them underneath 120 characters
  • Use sentence case
  • Solely embrace your goal key phrase the place it is smart; keep away from key phrase stuffing
  • Be correct, descriptive, and concise
  • Match search intent
  • Keep away from duplicate meta descriptions in your web site

Semrush’s On Web page search engine optimisation Checker can test whether or not your meta descriptions are keyword-optimized. 

Open the device and arrange a venture in your web site.

As soon as full, navigate to the “Optimization Concepts” tab. You’ll see all of your web site pages. Click on on the “# concepts” button.

“Optimization Ideas” tab in On Page SEO Checker

The content material part of the report tells you whether or not your meta description consists of your goal key phrase with out key phrase stuffing.

"<meta> tag contains target keywords" and "No keyword stuffing in <meta> tag" results highlighted from the list

Meta Robots Tag

A meta robots tag controls the crawling and indexing conduct of search engines like google and yahoo.

In different phrases, the meta robots tag tells search engines like google and yahoo whether or not you need it to investigate and show your web page in search outcomes.

This tag is current within the <head> part of your HTML and appears like this:

<meta title="robots" content material="observe, index">

Add your directions for search engines like google and yahoo contained in the “content material” attribute.

Some widespread values embrace:

  • Comply with: This permits search engines like google and yahoo to crawl hyperlinks you’ve positioned inside your webpages. For those who don’t add something to your code, that is the default setting.
  • Nofollow: This instructs search engines like google and yahoo to not crawl hyperlinks on the web page and switch any hyperlink fairness (rating power).
  • Index: This tells search engines like google and yahoo to index the web page. If the web page is listed, it will probably seem in search outcomes.
  • Noindex: This instructs search engines like google and yahoo to not add the webpage to their index. Which implies the web page gained’t seem in search outcomes.

Be sure you use these values appropriately.

For instance, if in case you have pages with duplicate content material, you may use “noindex” parameters on these pages to keep away from any search engine optimisation issues.

Additionally, utilizing the “nofollow” worth on inner hyperlinks just isn’t typically really helpful. As these hyperlinks could not get crawled.

If you wish to test should you’ve “nofollowed” any inner hyperlinks by mistake, use Semrush’s Website Audit device.

Open the device and arrange a venture in your website.

After that, go to the “Points” tab and seek for “nofollow.”

You’ll see if in case you have any “nofollow” inner hyperlinks.

Results for "nofollow" search in Site Audit's "Issues" tab

If current, evaluation these hyperlinks and take away “nofollow” values in the event that they’ve been added by mistake.

Meta Viewport Tag

A meta viewport tag controls how your webpage seems on cell and different units.

Its major objective is to regulate the width and scaling of the viewport (i.e., the seen portion of a webpage) to offer an optimum viewing expertise throughout completely different units.

Right here’s what the tag sometimes seems like:

<meta title="viewport" content material="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">

It goes into the <head> part of your webpage.

Google has confirmed that it seems on the presence of this tag to substantiate whether or not the web page is mobile-friendly. Which is essential if you wish to rank.

So be sure to add this tag to your webpages.

Meta Title

A meta title (a.okay.a., the “title tag”) tells search engines like google and yahoo what the title of a webpage is.

This title is often displayed on search outcomes pages because the clickable headline of a consequence.

Like this:

An example of meta title in search results

Right here’s an instance of what it seems like in HTML:

<title>Finest Do-it-yourself Pizza Recipe (1 Hour or In a single day)</title>

Be aware: A meta title just isn’t technically a meta tag, but it surely capabilities in a fashion just like web site meta tags, because it gives metadata in regards to the contents of the web page.

Google seems on the title tag of a webpage to know what the web page is about. In order that it will probably rank the web page appropriately.

Comply with these finest practices when creating meta titles in your web site:

  • Keep away from clickbait titles
  • Use title case
  • Keep away from generic and imprecise titles, like “House” for the homepage
  • Keep away from duplicating titles in your webpages
  • Embrace your goal key phrase with out key phrase stuffing
  • Match search intent
  • Ensure that they’re descriptive
  • Hold them underneath 60 characters

Tip: Semrush’s On Web page search engine optimisation Checker can test whether or not your meta titles are keyword-optimized.

By highlighting whether or not you’ve included your goal key phrase in your titles with out key phrase stuffing.

"<title> tag contains target keywords" and "No keyword stuffing in <title> tag" results highlighted from the list

Meta tags are an essential component in your web site. 

So, be sure to’re utilizing them appropriately.

For those who need assistance, the Semrush On Web page search engine optimisation Checker and Website Audit instruments can test your implementation. And make sure whether or not you’ve adopted finest practices.

Signal as much as get began.

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