Meta tags play a big role in promoting sites for key keywords. They are informative text blocks that fill the pages of the site. The number of visits and the results of issuance depend on how correctly they were filled out.
The average visitor cannot see the meta tags. Only the Title tag is available, which can be seen when hovering over the corresponding browser tab with the mouse cursor. The rest of the tags are hidden in the HTML code. If you create a site without taking into account basic search engine optimization, then the pages will be empty.
The main meta tags and headings for site pages are as follows:
- Title;
- Description;
- h1;
- Alt (for images).
Let’s consider each of them in more detail. So, Title is a clickable link to this meta tag, because it is displayed in the search results at the request of the visitor. The most acceptable length on Google is considered to be between 30 and 70 characters. In fact, the SEO specialist himself determines the length of the title for each page. Some plugins are limited to the upper limit – up to 60 characters. This is, for example, Yoast SEO. In case of exceeding the allowable rate, a warning with a label will appear. Still, it is best to prepare headlines within 60-70 characters. It can be either one or two sentences. It is desirable to insert the main key at the beginning of the Title.
Description is the basis for Google when generating a snippet. In some cases, information from the first paragraph or headings h1, h2 is used. Yandex can display up to 150 sim. Description, and Google – 130. If the size is exceeded, it is automatically replaced in the form of ellipsis, or the search engine simply cuts off the excess. It is interesting which part of the text is cut off, the system itself decides and it is impossible to correct it in the future. The recommended optimal Description length is between 150 and 200 characters. This is a small announcement in the form of a few sentences.
The Keywords tag is hidden in the HTML of every page. Back in 2007, it contained 10 words that got into the TOP of the issue, and today some SEO specialists consider it outdated. I also do not recommend using it on the site.
Requirements for meta tags that modern search engines expose:
- Empty meta tags have a negative impact on the ranking of sites, so it is advisable to fill them out on each page of a web resource. You can check empty meta tags in Yandex Webmaster.
- All meta tags must be unique, so when using them from competitor sites, it is advisable to replace the content or add your own.
- The main purpose of meta tags is to describe the content of the page. To refine your search, you should add words such as “price”, “cost”, “buy” and others.
- Sentences should be clear and catchy, so it’s not recommended to abuse the Description and Title keys.
- To prevent the possibility of pessimization of the search engine, it is worth abandoning the symbols and the use of capital letters.
All SEO specialists try to avoid mistakes in using meta tags. To reduce these errors, do not allow matches between Title and H1. They may overlap with each other, but identity is not allowed. First of all, it is worth choosing a semantic core. For example, when searching for the Title, it shows that on this page you can buy jewelry by placing an order and arrange delivery. H1 includes only one word “decorations”, the rest “buy”, “deliver to the city” and the like contains the Title. To share a link to a site, it is the Title header that is used.
Ignoring meta tags will lead to the fact that you will lose a significant share of visitors in the search, do not achieve a good position in the SERP, as a result, this will prevent you from successfully promoting the web page.