Meta tags have long been a foundational element of search engine optimization (SEO), serving as a bridge between your website's content and search engine algorithms. This guide covers everything a developer and website owner needs to know about meta tags.
This section introduces meta tags, explaining what they are and their basic function on a website.
Meta tags are snippets of text in the HTML code of a webpage that provide metadata about the page. These tags don't appear in the visible content of the page but are read by web browsers and search engine crawlers. They play a crucial role in how your website is interpreted and displayed by various platforms.
Purpose and function of meta tags
The primary purposes of meta tags are:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Meta tags help search engines understand the content and context of your webpages, influencing how your site appears in search results.
User Experience: Certain meta tags control how content is displayed on different devices, improving accessibility and responsiveness.
Content Summary: They provide brief summaries or keywords that encapsulate the main themes of the page.
According to a study by Ahrefs in 2023, websites with (the below) meta tags saw an average increase in click-through rates (CTR) of 5.8% compared to those without.
Where meta tags are located in HTML structure
Meta tags are placed in the <head> section of an HTML document. This location ensures that the information is read by browsers and search engines before the main content of the page is loaded.
Here's an example of where meta tags typically appear in HTML:
<!DOCTYPE html><htmllang="en"><head><metacharset="UTF-8"><metaname="viewport"content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"><metaname="description"content="This is an example meta description."><title>Your Page Title</title><!-- Other meta tags and head elements --></head><body><!-- Your page content --></body></html>
A survey by SEMrush in 2023 found that 94% of websites use the title tag, 71% use the meta description tag, and 99% use the viewport meta tag.
It's worth noting that while meta keywords were once popular, they are no longer considered a ranking factor by major search engines like Google. A study by Moz in 2023 found that only 14% of websites still use the meta keywords tag.
What are the most popular website meta tags?
Specific Implementation: Meta tags are specific HTML tags used within the <head> section of a webpage's HTML code.
Types of Meta Tags:
Meta Description: Provides a summary of the page content.
Viewport Meta Tag: Controls how a page is displayed on mobile devices.
Robots Meta Tag: Gives instructions to search engine crawlers about indexing and following links.
Purpose: Communicates specific information about a webpage to browsers and search engines.
This shows common website meta tags labelled on the Google search engine result page (SERP).
Are meta tags still used for Google SEO?
This addresses the current relevance of meta tags in SEO, focusing on Google's practices and how meta tags fit into modern SEO strategies.
Meta tags have long been a foundational element of search engine optimization (SEO), serving as a bridge between your website's content and search engine algorithms. However, with the evolution of Google's search algorithms and ranking factors, the role and impact of meta tags have shifted. This section explores the current relevance of meta tags in Google SEO and provides insights backed by industry studies and surveys.
The Evolution of Meta Tags in SEO
Historically significant meta tags
Title Tags: Always been crucial for SEO, influencing rankings and click-through rates (CTR).
Meta Descriptions: Served as a summary of page content, impacting user engagement.
Meta Keywords: Once used by search engines to understand page relevance but became obsolete due to keyword stuffing.
Changes over time
Google's Advanced Algorithms: Emphasize user intent and content quality over meta tags.
Decrease in Meta Keywords Importance: Google officially stopped using meta keywords as a ranking factor in 2009.
Shift Towards User Experience: Factors like page load speed, mobile-friendliness, and content relevance have gained prominence.
How can I check my website meta tags?
Meta tags are essential for SEO and user experience, so it's important to ensure they are correctly implemented on your website. Regularly checking your meta tags can help you optimize your site's visibility on search engines and improve click-through rates. Here are several methods to check your website's meta tags.
Using one-click websites:
Meta Tag Checker: This tool allows you to input your website URL and receive a detailed report of your meta tags, including title tags, meta descriptions, viewport settings, and more.
Steps to check meta tags using browser tools:
Most modern web browsers come equipped with developer tools that let you inspect the HTML code of any webpage, including its meta tags.
Google Chrome:
Open your webpage in Chrome.
Right-click anywhere on the page and select "View Page Source" or press Ctrl+U (Windows) or Command+Option+U (Mac).
A new tab will open displaying the HTML code. Look for the <head> section near the top.
Within the <head> section, you'll find your meta tags, such as <meta name="description">, <meta name="keywords">, etc.
Checking the CMS or Website Backend
If your website is built using a Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal, you can check and edit your meta tags directly within the platform.
WordPress:
Use SEO plugins like Yoast SEO or All in One SEO Pack.
These plugins provide fields to input and review your meta tags for each page and post.
Yoast SEO Plugin
All in One SEO Pack
Joomla:
Navigate to the article or menu item and find the "Metadata" tab to edit meta tags.
Use extensions like sh404SEF for advanced SEO features.
Drupal:
Use modules like Metatag to manage meta tags across your site.
Metatag Module
Tips for effective meta tag management
Ensure Uniqueness: Each page should have unique meta tags to prevent duplication issues that can confuse search engines. Spling can easily review meta tags in one place.
Follow Length Guidelines:
Title Tag: Aim for 50-60 characters to prevent truncation in search results.
Meta Description: Keep it between 150-160 characters for optimal display.
Complete list of important website meta tags
This section comprehensively catalogs all types of meta tags, providing a valuable reference for both common and less frequently used tags.
Website Name <meta property="og:site_name" content="Your Website Name">
Purpose: Defines the name of your website.
Usage: Helps social media platforms display the correct website name in shared posts.
SEO Impact: The og:site_name tag tells social media platforms what the name of your website is, ensuring consistent branding across all shared content. If your website is not showing the correct name on Google search results, try adding the og:site_name meta tag and re-indexing with Google Search Console.
Purpose: A unique favicon helps users easily identify your website among multiple open tabs or bookmarks.
Usage: rel="icon": Indicates that the linked file is an icon for the website. href="/path/to/favicon.ico": Specifies the path to your favicon file. type="image/x-icon": Defines the MIME type of the favicon.
Favicons can be in various formats, such as .ico, .png, .gif, or .svg.
SEO Impact: Users will look for your brand's logo on the results page.
Title Tag <title>...</title>
Purpose: Defines the title of the webpage.
Importance: Displayed on browser tabs and as the clickable headline in search engine results.
SEO Impact: Crucial for SEO; helps search engines understand the page's content.
Meta Description <meta name="description" content="...">
Purpose: Provides a brief summary of the page's content.
Importance: Appears under the title in search engine results, influencing click-through rates.
SEO Impact: While not a direct ranking factor, a compelling description can improve user engagement.
Viewport Meta Tag <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
Purpose: Controls how your webpage is displayed on mobile devices.
Importance: Essential for responsive design and mobile optimization.
SEO Impact: Indirectly affects SEO since mobile-friendliness is a ranking factor.
Robots Meta Tag <meta name="robots" content="index, follow">
Purpose: Instructs search engine crawlers on how to index and crawl your webpage.
Common Directives:index, noindex, follow, nofollow, noarchive.
SEO Impact: Helps manage which pages are indexed and how they pass link equity.
Charset Meta Tag <meta charset="UTF-8">
Purpose: Specifies the character encoding for the HTML document.
Importance: Ensures correct display of text content, especially special characters.
SEO Impact: Improves user experience by preventing character display issues.
Canonical Tag <link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/page.html">
Purpose: Indicates the preferred version of a webpage when multiple URLs have similar content.
Purpose: Provides standardized metadata for academic and library resources.
Importance: Useful for specific types of content requiring detailed metadata.
SEO Impact: Limited impact on general SEO.
These meta tags play various roles in how your website is displayed, indexed, and shared across different platforms. Implementing them correctly can improve your site's SEO performance, user experience, and social media presence.
Note: While some meta tags like the keywords meta tag are outdated in terms of SEO impact, they are included here for completeness. Focus on optimizing the meta tags that contribute positively to SEO and user engagement, such as title tags, meta descriptions, viewport tags, and canonical tags.
What is difference between metadata and meta tags on a website?
Here, we delve deeper into the concept of metadata, providing context for understanding meta tags within the broader scope of website information.
While the terms metadata and meta tags are often used interchangeably, they are not the same thing. Understanding the distinction between them is essential for effective website optimization and management.
Metadata
Broad Concept: Metadata refers to any data that provides information about other data. It's a general term applicable across various domains like websites, libraries, and databases.
Forms of Metadata on a Website:
Structured Data: Implemented using formats like JSON-LD or Microdata, structured data provides explicit clues about the meaning of a page to search engines.
HTTP Headers: Metadata included in HTTP responses, such as content type, language, and caching policies.
XML Sitemaps: Files that list your website's URLs along with metadata like the last modification date, helping search engines crawl your site more efficiently.
Open Graph and Twitter Cards: Metadata that optimizes how your content is shared on social media platforms.
Purpose: Enhances the understanding, organization, and accessibility of data across various platforms and services.
