Search Engine Optimisation can be something of a minefield to those who are taking their first steps into the online world. It is however a necessity in today’s technological world if an individual or business wants to be seen online. Meta tags play an important part when it comes to being found via search engines and providing an attractive call-to-action. When search engines crawl a website, a meta tag will tell that search engine what that particular page is about. The information garnered from the meta tag will then allow search engines to display your website when the relevant keywords are entered by an online user.
The information found within meta tags is never displayed visually, but rather sit inside the code of the website. They are solely in place to provide relevant information about your website which is shown within the search engine results. This is why it is important to ensure that the information contained with a meta tag is relevant to the content. We spoke to some London SEO experts to get a better idea of how you should be using your meta tags more effectively.
What is a Meta Title?
The meta title is effectively your page title which is shown on search engine results when your content is deemed relevant to the keywords that have been entered. When completing a meta title, you should ensure that the title is limited to around 55-60 characters, as more could just see half of your title cut off, thus alienating your potential visitors. If you have a number of different pages, then ensure each have their own unique title. Many may be tempted to simply name all web pages the same, but this can be confusing to the algorithm that search engines use, meaning that your pages may not even rank at all, as well as leaving your potential audience confused.
An important aspect of bringing visitors to your website is to include relevant keywords, and while you should aim to use these keywords in the title where possible, do not force them in. What this means is that if you create titles that effectively lists all the keywords, but makes very little sense to the visitor, then the whole process overall is pointless. Keyword stuffing is also frowned upon by search engines, so you could see your website rankings fall rather than rise if you decide to use this method.
You should also ensure that the description that is used for your meta title reflects the content, as trying to fool search engines will again have a detrimental effect on your search engine listings. Algorithms used by search engines will always seek out relevant content, but recent updates to search engine algorithms means that websites that are attempting to lure in visitors under false pretences are often ignored.
How Does a Meta Description Help Promote Content?
The way that search engines rank your website can come down to a number of different factors. One important factor is the meta description of a web page. Many disregard this aspect of optimising a website, and it can have a detrimental effect on a website’s ranking.
A meta description allows the owner of a web page to give a brief overview of their website or website page. While this information isn’t shown on the website itself, it will be listed within search engine results. Having a clear and concise meta description matched with relevant content can see your click-through rate increase accordingly. This in turn help your search engine optimisation, as your website will have more activity. Websites that have traffic frequently are more likely to be placed above those that don’t.
A successful meta description should be descriptive and persuasive, but avoid link baiting. Ensure you have included keywords where they are relevant and try and inspire curiosity when writing your description. This can be a little tricky, but the secret is to give potential visitors enough information for them to be curious enough to click through to your content. Think of it like a movie, where the trailer will give you highlights, but you need to go and see the movie to find out more. Visitors will be more likely to click on content that is relevant to them, rather than a meta description that is stuffed with keywords which says very little about the content.
Getting the balance right can be difficult, especially if you’re new to optimisation and how to get ahead in a Google world, but there is help out there. Asking the right questions will enable you to find out more about any potential SEO partner you’re looking to work with, and using the information you’ve gleaned from our site, you should be able to at least get a good impression for whether they know what they’re talking about and will be able to help you.