Which HTML Meta Tags Are Important To Search Engines
Using The Right Meta Tag Optimization
Boosts Your Website Ranking
The Most Important Meta Tags For Google
Google does use a few meta tags to index your web site: the met Title tag, the meta Description tag, and the Google Site Verification tag. Google does not use the meta Keywords tag, eliminating the need for long lists of keywords in this tag.
How Other Search Engines Use Meta Tags
There are search engines on the Internet that still read meta tags, however, the only other meta tag of importance is the meta Keywords tag. Both Yahoo! and MSN use the meta Keywords tag in analyzing your web site for search engine ranking.
Find out more about Why HTML meta tags are important to Google and other search engines.
meta tag optimization | html meta tag usage
The Important Meta Tags
Meta Title:
This is the most important meta tag, particularly for Google. Search engines use the title tag as a "theme" for the individual page. Use the most important keyword search term(s) within the title tag. Additionally, Google indexes your site with higher consideration when each page on your site has a unique title. So, avoid using identical page titles throughout your site. Google will display up to 60 characters in the title tag.Example: <meta name="title" content="Use Keywords In Page Title">
meta tag optimization | html meta tag usage
Meta Description:
A short text description of the information or theme for an individual web page. Search engines display the Description tag text below the meta Title tag of your site. The meta Description tag should contain terms from your meta Title tag to further establish the page theme. However, avoid using the meta Description tag as an advertisement; it will simply dilute the significance of your keyword theming. Google will display up to 150 characters, including punctuation and spaces in the meta Description tag.Example: <meta name="description" content="Three prong two slot blivet manufacturer.">
meta tag optimization | html meta tag usage
Google Verification Tag:
This tag is used by Google to gather data about your site and is used along with the Google Webmaster tools to provide you with information about your site. This tag is not strictly necessary for a quality Google ranking, however this tag is definitely useful for search engine optimization by using the information with Google Webmaster tools.Example: <meta name="verify-v1" content="IDooHO+jnfrtYy658iT/3Xaot9wIJK989Sp2E7DNGMis=">
meta tag optimization | html meta tag usage
Meta Keywords:
This tag is not used by Google. Keywords are used by some search engines, like Yahoo! and MSN. They index your individual web pages and compare the words in the meta Title tag, the meta Description tag, and the body text of your web page. Keywords can be synonyms or alternative spelling of meta Title tag words. Use only keywords that are relevant to your site. Search engines will downgrade your site's ranking or possibly blacklist your site for flagrant abuse.Example: <meta name="keywords" content="search engine optimization, website, internet">
meta tag optimization | html meta tag usage
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