Jul 12, 2013
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#TaggingYourWebsite
Simply put, meta titles and descriptions (meta tags) are to a website as an engine is to an automobile. They give each page power and purpose and are used by search engines to determine what each page on your website is about and how it relates to what the search engine users are searching for.
Use the Right Words
Since these meta tags are used by search engines to help determine the relevancy of a Web page to a search term, it’s important to use the right words and phrases in your meta titles and descriptions.
For example, if your page is all about North Face sweaters, your meta tags should look something like this:
- Title: North Face Sweaters
- Description: We have a variety of North Face sweaters in every size in stock and at our location here in town. Check out our seasonal collection.
Google and other search engines now understand that this page is about North Face sweaters and use these meta tags in conjunction with the actual content on that page to properly rank you.
Length
Meta description tags should not be more than 150 characters, and meta title tags should remain somewhere between 10 and 60 characters, although there are no specific set rules. You want to keep them within those ranges as the meta titles and descriptions are featured in search results, and they will cut off at a certain point.
Conclusion
Although including meta tags into your Web pages is a small act, it can very well determine the success of your website in search engines. As a Utah SEO company, we’ve witnessed firsthand the gravity this carries with each site we develop and optimize.
Before adding your titles and descriptions, make sure you perform proper keyword research to determine which words and phrase to target on each page. You don’t want to go after keywords that are too competitive if your website is new or less authoritative than your competitors. This will ensure that the meta tags you optimize for will actually help drive search engine rankings in a shorter amount of time.