How to write META Tags
Back Posted on 23 Dec 2013
META tags are part of the code that makes up a web page and two in particular carry considerable significance for both your users and search engines. Completing these correctly should be considered critical.
META Title
The title tag should be a concise and accurate description of the page and its content and is shown to users on the top bar of their browsing software and in search results. If a user bookmarks a page their browser normally suggests the Title Tag as the name for the bookmark.
In a survey by MOZ, 95% of leading SEO experts responded that the title tag is the most important place to use target keywords to achieve high search engine rank[1].
Tips for writing title tags
- The maximum number of characters that will be shown in search results before the tag is truncated is 60. More can be used but will be truncated in search results so try to stay under 60.
- Important keywords should be near the front of the title tag, users are more likely to follow a link where the word they want appears first.
- Carefully craft your Title, it is important to appeal to users on an emotional level to encourage clickthroughs.
- Consider including your brand name near the front if you are well known.
- Stuffing a bunch of keywords into the Title is of no benefit and could have a negative impact if a search engine considers you are trying to force your way into the results or the resulting text is difficult for users to read or understand.
META Description
The META description tag is a short description of the content of a page. Search engines do not use the keywords or phrases in the description tag to rank your page but they are the primary source for the snippet of text displayed beneath a listing in the search results.
The description tag provides advertising copy to attract users when it is displayed in search results and as such is an extremely important part of the search marketing process. Taking the time to write an interesting description based on target keywords will encourage users to vsit your page over others in the results.
It is worth noting Google marks in bold any terms from a user's search phrase that are found in your description which can make your listing more compelling than those of competitors. Also search engines do not have to use the description you provide and can create their own based on the content of your page.
Tips for writing description tags
- Try to use your target keyword at least once, sometimes twice if it makes sense. The description tag is not used by search engines when ranking your page, but rather helps to attract clickthroughs from users if your description is displayed in search results rather than a description the search engine creates for you.
- Description tags can be any length but search engines generally truncate them at 160 characters.
META Keywords
When introduced the META keywords tag was useful, but is no longer part of search engine optimization. I believe there is still value to the thought process behind the tag in that it encourages website content editors to be mindful of keywords and phrases they wish to be found for. However, these should not be included in the code of your site as search engines will ignore them and they can be seen by competitors.
Related articles
[1] MOZ Beginners Guide to SEO (2nd edition).