Tags are small pieces of HTML code that tell search engines how to read your content. Using HTML SEO tags can significantly improve your search engine ranking. When a search engine crawler comes across your content, it looks at your HTML tags. This data helps Google and other search engines understand your content and categorize it.
Some HTML tags help search engine visitors see your content better. Not to mention how social media displays your content based on tags. However, HTML tags for SEO will impact your website’s internet performance. Using HTML tags will help you connect with your audience.
Here are the top 5 HTML tags for SEO that you should know so you can use them to drive traffic to your website.
- Title Tag
- Meta Description Tag
- Heading Tags
- Image Alt Text
- Meta Robots Tag
1. Title Tag
The title tag is vital for search engine optimization. Title tags are used to create clickable headlines in SERPs. Google will create a SERP headline for your page using any of the section headers or creating a new headline entirely.
If Google finds a headline idea in the title tag, it will almost certainly make it the primary headline in the appropriate listing.
Tips for Optimizing The Title Tag
- Your title should include keywords and be clear and easy to read for users.
- Using your brand name in your title tag is a good idea. Reading the results page encourages users to pick something known.
- Use a lot of keywords and make your title a sentence.
- Create meaningful titles that highlight the content’s value and set appropriate standards so visitors aren’t disappointed.
- Google will display the first 50-60 characters of your title and remove the rest. A title longer than 60 characters is acceptable as long as the relevant information is included before the cutoff.
2. Meta Description Tag
Your page’s meta description appears in search results to explain it. Meta description tags describe snippets of search results. In some cases, Google may not use meta description tags to produce these snippets, but if the meta tag is present, the meta description is likely to appear.
If your meta description is informative and appealing, Google may try to give you a higher ranking.
Meta Description Tag Best Practices
- Meta description rules aren’t too strict. If you can’t write good meta tags, or don’t write any at all, Google will.
- A user is more likely to click on your page if your meta description is relevant to the query.
- Like the title tag, Google will accept the first 150-160 characters and cut the rest. To attract searchers, include key features at the start of the meta description.
- Writing content for long-tail keywords or sites with many keywords can be difficult. In those cases, leave the meta description blank. Google will crawl your site and update your snippet accordingly.
3. Heading Tags
Reading content is made easier by using heading tags. The heading tag is vital in helping readers and search engines understand your page’s structure. If your website is properly structured, users will have an easier time browsing, skipping unnecessary chapters, and finding important information.
From a search engine’s perspective, heading tags help the crawler bots understand the page’s content.
Guidelines for Using the Heading Tag
- Only use H1 tags once. The H1 heading stands out because search engines consider it the page’s title.
- The title, section headers, and subsections should all be H1.
- Use keywords to make each heading sound like a question.
- All headings should be consistent.
- Headings should be written so that if all content is removed, the headings appear as a list.
4. Image Alt Text
The primary goal of image alt text is to help visitors who cannot see the image, such as the blind, understand it. When a picture isn’t loading properly, the alt text can be used to describe what’s in it instead of seeing it.
In terms of SEO, alt text affects how photos are indexed in Google. If your images have a visual component, use image alt texts.
5. Meta Robots Tag
A robots tag tells search engines which pages on your website should be indexed. It allows website owners to control how their pages are crawled and indexed. This list includes mandatory and recommended standards.
Meta Robots Tag Optimization Tips
- The meta robots tag should identify which crawlers it addresses.
- Name the robots. Use robots if your rules apply to all crawlers. Googlebot, for example, is Google’s regular web crawler.
- Individual robots are usually addressed to keep malicious crawlers out while allowing good crawlers in.