SEO Meta Tags
Unless you have spent the last few years on an island in the South Pacific, you’ve probably heard the acronym SEO. For those of you just getting back to the mainland, it stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it is a general term for getting the most out of Google search results. Many people think it begins and ends with high rankings, but there is more to it than that. Another important factor that should be considered is leveraging search results to maximize your marketing goals. More about that later.
I find that even clients with a limited understanding of web technology know that they need to implement sound SEO practices on their site, even if they aren’t quite sure why. Let’s start exploring this question with the basics: Adding Meta Tags. Meta Tags are snippets of code added to each page that get scanned and processed by search crawlers. They help sort and prioritize each content block that populates Google’s results page.
The Title Tag
The Title Tag is incorporated into the search process and is shown as the bold text link on the search results page list. Think of it as the headline of the page… your unique selling point wrapped in a punchy, concise statement. Don’t underestimate the importance of this tag. It can be used as a brief mission statement, as well as a call to action.
One thing I have noticed over the last few years, however, is the use of tabs in browser windows now often truncates the Title Tag. This is why I recommend using a short, two or three word lead-in snippet, followed by more in-depth content.
Here is an example of a good Title:
High Seas | Web Development Agency in California and Michigan
The Keywords Tag
The Keyword Tag offers the ability to list off a number of single word or word combinations, which are relevant to your business. The problem here is that search engines no longer use keywords, as they tend to be front-loaded and lack context. It has become impossible for search engine spiders to sift through the keyword list and determine their relevance to the rest of the page content, so they are simply ignored. My suggestion: don’t bother with them.
The Description Tag
The Description tag is used to display a line or two of subtext copy under the Title Tag on the search results page. That’s it. Description Tags are NOT used for ranking purposes. But that doesn’t mean they are less important… quite the opposite. They can be very helpful in shaping your corporate messaging. If a Description is concise and compelling, it will speak clearly to the user performing the search, resulting in more click-thru traffic. This is far more important than trying to lure in potential customers by creating deceptive lists of unrelated buzzwords.
Keep in mind, Google, along with other search engines, reserves the right to disregard your Description Tags if they are nonsensical or verbose. Google will, on the other hand, use the Description tag in its entirety if it is clear and brief enough to prevent it from being truncated. This offers up a big opportunity, because Description Tags can be unique for each page, and can focus on specific customer needs.
Here is an example of a good Description:
High Seas provides a full suite of web development and app services, including Web Design, CMS, Ecommerce, Magento, ASP.NET MVC, PHP, Ruby, iOS, HTML5, and more.
If you would like to know more about how High Seas can help raise your profile on Google, and search results in general, contact us today.
Originally published at www.highseas.com.
