Being in the field of SEO for the last many years, I have analyzed that meta tags are one of the major factors in improving website SEO, or I would say they are the base of SEO.

Say if the meta tags of your site are appropriately added, then you can easily see yourself in the top searches of the Search engines like Google. 

Irrespective of how many times Google and other search engines announce the change in the algorithms, meta tags are one factor that will always play a vital role in increasing the click-through rate. 

If you are new to the term meta tags, then this article is for you. Now, without any further discussion, let's have a look at what meta tags are all along with their types and importance. 

What are Meta Tags and their Importance? 

Meta tags are basically the Html tags in a website that help search engines to understand what your website is all about. Yes! You can find the meta tags in the source code of your website.

Meta tags are important because they allow search engines to understand what your web page content is about. You will be amazed to know that search engines consider meta tags as the first impressions of them. And, with the effect of meta tags, people can see your site on search results and decide whether to click or not. 

Have a look at the below added screenshot to see the meta tag in the website source code:

Now that you are familiar with the term meta tags let's jump onto the different types of meta tags along with their importance in SEO.

6 Different Types of Meta Tags that improve SEO

Let's begin..

Meta Title Tag

A meta title tag is basically an Html element that describes the content on your website to search engines and users. Title tags are important for website SEO because it makes the first impression of the website on users in SERP. 

The meta title is one of the factors that affect your website's CTR (click-through rate). If you have an attractive title, then it will make the users click on your website in SERP.

While using meta titles, tag, make sure it is added to the header of the website. On an average, the length of a title tag should be under 55 to 60 characters and 680 pixels.

Example: <title>Best in Class Website, Videos, Marketing and HubSpot Services</title>

Meta Description Tag

Meta description tag is an HTML element that gives a brief description about the website content. It help users in knwing what content the website includes. So, users can relate how the content can help them to get their queries resolved. It also has an effect on the click-through rate of the website.

Like Meta title, Meta description tag should also be added in the header of the website. The length of a meta description should be under 155 to 165 characters and 920 in pixels. 

While writing meta descriptions, make sure you add your targeted keywords as it will increase the chances to rank in SERP.

Example of meta description:

<meta name= “description” content=” At webdew we offer you a one-stop solution for website services, video production, marketing, and HubSpot services.”>

Canonical Tag

Due to various versions of your webpage, it is difficult for Google to identify the original version of your webpage. That creates an issue of duplicate content issues because your website is open with every version. 

Different versions of the website means:

Now to tell google which is the original version of your website, a canonical Html tag is used with the attribute of “rel=canonical.” Canonical tags indicate google about your original version of your website, which further results in ignoring the duplicate content issue.

Following is the syntax of the canonical tag:

<link rel=”canonical” href=”https://www.webdew.com“>

Alternative Text (Alt) Tag

It's quite clear that search engines can't read any visual content, even if it is in an image or video. For understanding the visual content, alternative text or alt tag is used to have a clear 

Alternative text is an Html attribute that is used in the image element of the website. Alt tags allow search engines to know about the image content. An optimal content should be added in the alt tag to rank on SERP. 

Following see the alt tag syntax:

<img src=”https://www.webdew.com/hubfs/webdew-logo-new_v2-1.svg” alt=”webdew-logo-new_v2-1″/>

Meta Robot Tag

Meta robot tag is also essential to improve your website SEO. It instructs search engines not about which link but also allows us to know which page it should follow and index.

It is important to optimize meta robot tags in the right way. You should know which page on your webpage indexing and which not because it might directly affect the rankings of your website.

Incorrectly implementing meta robot tag instructions can result in your web pages being deindexed, potentially causing a decline in your web ranking.

This tag has 4 main instructions for crawlers:

  • Follow: it tells search engine to follow all the links on your webpage
  • No-follow: It instructs the search crawler to not follow any link on your web page
  • Index: It allows a search crawler to index your webpage.
  • No- Index: It shows that you don't want a search engine crawler to index this webpage.

Heading Tag

Heading tags are used to separate the main heading from other content in the webpage. It also indicates the content type used in the heading. 

Basically, heading tags are used from H1 to H6. H1 is the vital tag, and it is keyword-centric. Moreover, the H1 tag also impacts your ranking on SERP, which further indicates that the h1 tag can only be used once on a webpage.

Header tags have importance in a hierarchy. H1 is the most essential, and h6 is the least important tag. 

Example: <h1>Design, Build & Grow<br>your Business with<br><span style=”color: #00a9fa;”><span id=”replaceStrings”></span></span></h1>

Wrapping Up

No matter which website you are planning to build, having proper SEO is what we aim for. That's where meta tags come into the picture. If you are using an accurate tag on your website, then you can easily be in the top searches of Google. 

You need to know that meta tags are equally important to optimize as other Off-page issues, especially if you aim to improve the performance of the website in SERP. So, never ignore these tags when you optimize your website. 

Still, if you need any help in optimizing your website SEO, feel free to contact us

Frequently Asked Questions

Meta tags play a crucial role as they directly influence your website's visibility in search engine results (SERPs) and user click-through rates. Their impact extends to your site's traffic and engagement metrics, ultimately affecting your SEO performance and rankings. Consequently, integrating well-optimized meta tags into your website becomes a pivotal component of an effective SEO strategy.

The robots meta-tag plays a pivotal role in SEO. It instructs search engines on whether to index or follow a page. Typically, default settings are index and follow, making explicit declarations unnecessary in most instances.

To utilize meta tags on your website, access the HTML file and pinpoint the section, usually at the file's outset. If you've already crafted the page, there might be a title and existing meta content. The title resides within
tags, while descriptions and keywords are added within tags.

While search engines no longer directly incorporate meta descriptions into their ranking algorithms, crafting an effective meta description remains crucial. This is because a well-crafted meta description can significantly boost click-through rates, a vital element in determining a webpage's ranking. In today's digital landscape, where user engagement and satisfaction are paramount, an enticing meta description can enthrall potential visitors, leading to increased website traffic and, ultimately, improved search engine rankings. Thus, despite the evolving search engine algorithms, optimizing meta descriptions remains a valuable strategy for enhancing online visibility and attracting organic traffic.

                                                                                                                          Editor- Divya

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