SEO Consult Blog

Meta Tags – The Basics Of SEO

Online businesses that are not familiar with search engine optimisation are in for a hard time trying to promote their websites. SEO is the best way for a website to gain exposure in the World Wide Web and while it is not ok for an online business not to know what SEO does it is however acceptable to be unfamiliar with Meta tags.

The best way to be noticed on the web is with a descriptive Meta tag. The Meta Tag is the short description that is displayed of your website on a search engines results page and is usually the piece that people read or look at before clicking onto the title tag to visit your site. The Meta tag comprises of the title, Meta keywords and Meta description.

These tags are useful for searchers who might be searching for a keyword that they are unsure of its meaning. When creating a Meta tag, it may be wise to incorporate concise keywords and key phrases as possible to make it very clear to users what your site is all about.

Meta Tag Tips

When creating Meta tags, you might find that you have limited space to get your message across and although your tag can be as long as you like, only a certain amount of words will be displayed on a search engine results page. A major tip will be to keep your Meta tag as descriptive and concise as possible so that readers can clearly see what the content of your website consists of.

Research has shown that the first few words of your Meta tag is more important than the last words and users are more likely to click onto your link based on the first phrases. It is therefore wise to make the best of the first couple of words in your Meta description but avoid over using keywords, not only in the beginning of your Meta tag, but throughout. About two to three times is sufficient use of relevant keywords.

Meta Tags In An SEO Campaign

Although a strong Meta tag can do a lot for a website, incorporated into an SEO campaign can do your online business a world of good. We all know how important search engine optimisation is as a marketing tool to gain exposure on the internet and together with keyword rich Meta tags the chance of traffic being pulled to your website are increased.

Although the general assumption is that search engines do not give Meta tags enough importance, search engines retrieve information about your website through Meta tags and will also notice your website through its Meta tag. Meta tags therefore almost flag down search engines. Their role in search engine optimisation is significant as the keywords inserted in Meta tags leads to better SEO. Visibility of a site becomes greater and not only does the volume of traffic increase but also the quality thereof by combining Meta Tags in an SEO campaign.