These tags will be a good jumping-off point for any website, so long as they are relevant. Staying relevant is a significant aspect of ranking on search engines, and maintaining your meta attributes can help. Of course, there\u2019s no sure-fire way to rank these days, so doing everything possible can help in the long run. With the right set up for metadata, content, and research, the rest should follow.<\/p>\n
![\"Meta](\"https:\/\/www.rankmovers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/best-seo-meta-tags.png\" "\\"Best")
<\/p>\n
What is Metadata on a Website?<\/h2>\n
For the most part, metadata is confined to Meta Tags in SEO. The \u201cMeta\u201d in Meta Tags is self-explanatory. The tags refer to standardized data names used across the web. All web pages use the same data to keep everyone on an even footing. That\u2019s why we use HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), XML (Extensible Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), and JavaScript universally.<\/p>\n
In terms of metadata, these programming languages make things easier for browsers to display websites and relevant information. Search engines use metadata to find search results that are useful and rank them accordingly.<\/p>\n
What is a Meta Tag?<\/h2>\n
In essence, sites use metadata properties (or tags) to give search engines relevant information for display and other vital features. Such as the type of search results (Website, target location, site URL, and site name). These are never displayed but will mark your rankings for different search engine locations to make it more relevant. According to GoDaddy, this is what meta tags do:<\/p>\n
\u201cA\u00a0meta\u00a0tag is an HTML tag containing information for search engines about a specific\u00a0website.\u00a0Meta\u00a0tags contain keywords or phrases, alerting search engines of a\u00a0website’s\u00a0content to be included in search results for users requesting related information.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n – https:\/\/za.godaddy.com\/help\/adding-meta-tags-to-your-website-6548<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Every webpage starts with three sections in HTML, the <head> property, <header> property, <body> property, and <footer> property. Every website needs the <head> and <body> properties to function.<\/p>\n All meta tags are added to the <head> property to define the page and what it will do. The <head> is the top of the page and will be relatively the same for every webpage because that\u2019s where your website information goes. This including the styling sheets and other encoding needed to make your website functional and aesthetically pleasing. We\u2019ll get into how they\u2019re set up later.<\/p>\n On most browsers, there is an option to right-click and open the source of a webpage. If you have a good setup, the tags will appear near the top of the page in the <head> section. These will define your page title, description, and website name. These are standard tags that can either be added with Content Management System (CMS) plugins or in the hard-coding. Here\u2019s an example from our website:<\/p>\n We all have to start somewhere, and the best place for SEO is with the basics. In our list below, we\u2019ll walk you through the important meta tags you\u2019ll need. These can be changed to suit the purpose of your site, so don\u2019t feel bad if they\u2019re not there. These can be added at any time should the need arise and be updated accordingly.<\/p>\n Titles are unique descriptors SEO specialists set for search results. The importance of claims is that search engines don\u2019t replace them when finding answers to queries from users.<\/p>\n Making a title similar to your first heading also improves user experience, because users will know that they\u2019ve reached the right page.<\/p>\n Best practice is to use keywords relevant to the most popular search. This is the highest search volume keyword you can find and an appropriate synonym. Using words like \u201cbest\u201d, \u201cultimate,\u201d and other such keywords also lends more relevance to your page. Keep it under 60 characters to ensure visibility.<\/p>\n Descriptions are also used for search results. However, they can be replaced if you don\u2019t use enough relevant keywords for the search you\u2019re aiming for. Descriptions are meant to describe your page.\u00a0\u00a0 But you should never give information away, or you won\u2019t get clicks.<\/p>\n These tags are meant to encourage users to visit your site. Best Practice is to give your search keyword and words like \u201cfind\u201d, \u201cfull list of\u2026\u201d, etc. while meeting the character count. Always include a \u201cclick\u201d phrase like \u201cclick to find out more\u201d. More is more if you reach 155 characters.<\/p>\n Meta Keywords used to be the only way Google knew what your page was about. For example, you could set this page for \u201chow to use meta tags\u201d, \u201cmeta tags\u201d, \u201cmeta properties\u201d, etc. You\u2019re probably wondering: \u201dDoes Google use meta keywords?\u201d<\/p>\n In short, no. However, it does use Meta Tags like the title and description to make search snippets. Google stopped using meta keywords a while ago when they updated the algorithm and bots. Google used to like meta keywords because it placed emphasis on what the page was about when the algorithm was first introduced to help people find what they need. In 2020 and beyond, the bots read the page anyway and see if your page is helpful to your market with natural language understanding.<\/p>\n Character encoding is important for SEO developers and bots to give a full picture of your content. Usually, this is defined as \u201c<meta charset=”UTF-8″>\u201d.\u00a0 All this means is that you are using text primarily for your content. When setting up a website, this is done by either your CCMSor a developer for an encoded site.<\/p>\n This tag is important for sites to allow it to load properly in a browser. Leaving it out will impact the overall look of your site. For our purposes, we\u2019ve tagged the website with \u201c<meta property=”og:type” content=”website” \/>\u201d.<\/p>\n There are other tags you can insert instead like:<\/p>\n These combine the encoding with your website type.<\/p>\n For many sites, using the author tag might seem a bit pointless. However, if you run a blog site, it can be helpful to users. Many websites use author tags to differentiate content, especially on reviews. This is part of schema definitions, which Google loves at the moment.\u00a0 Your site\u2019s name can also be in the author tag if you want to keep things simple.<\/p>\n Language tags are important for SEO, especially in markets like Mexico (es-MX), France (fr-FR), and different English-speaking countries (en-US). These Meta Tags can also add more relevance to your location mentions. I\u2019ll cover that next. Language tags are also helpful if you target more than one market to keep your domains separated. This sometimes doesn\u2019t work on search tools, but it\u2019s still vital for site management.<\/p>\n Location, location, location. Just like placing keywords, referring to your geo-location in meta tags will help you show up in the right Search Results for your target market. When your location matches your site domain, it also keeps things organised for bots. You can either insert a location tag, or rely on your language tag to be the referring information.<\/p>\n Robots are what search engines use to crawl your site and assign it value. When you\u2019re setting up a website, these will tell the bots what to do with the content on your site. If this tag isn\u2019t present, the default for bots is to index and follow.<\/p>\n These tags are linked to a document in your site folders called \u201crobots.txt\u201d. Defining which links to follow is also helpful on your website. Still, if you\u2019re happy with bots crawling every link, this is not essential.<\/p>\n Schema is not a meta tag, but it is a form of metadata properties that define products, reviews, and other things we search for. While Schema can be added manually, it\u2019s better to use a plugin if you can. As one small mistake can make the entire thing useless. Thankfully, there are also generators for hard-coded websites that can make things easier.\u00a0 So, test out some site naming or review schema and see if it helps.<\/p>\n Depending on the intention of your content or what you already have, there are some meta tags available to boost your impact. Our favorite is social media tags and settings for sharing any links. These can dramatically improve site visibility as well.<\/p>\n Twitter and Facebook tags can be helpful if you share your articles a lot. They\u2019re not exactly required, but it can help your search results and clicks. Similar to search engine page results, these are displayed like snippets on social media. These tags will display your title, description, a featured image, and your URL prominently when shared.\u00a0 Tags to include would be:<\/p>\n Once upon a time, this tag was useful for specific search engines like Google and Yahoo on what to do with your site. These days, this is done automatically, so it\u2019s not exactly necessary or helpful. So, this doesn\u2019t need to be included.<\/p>\n This tag can be used to redirect users to a new URL or update the page within a predetermined time of someone clicking on the page. These days, we just use status code 301 redirects in HTML because it\u2019s simpler to set up and navigate for your user. Moreover, using this redirect is just wasting time because Google is not a fan of doing this. They want simple pages that are helpful to people.<\/p>\n Verification can be tempting, but it\u2019s not helpful to website owners. It may sometimes be necessary if your other site verifications aren\u2019t loading or accepted, but it\u2019s another time waster. Search engines like Google prefer DNS verifications, external files, or using an analytics account.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Bing still only allows XML files or a meta tag. It\u2019s recommended to go with the XML file where possible.<\/p>\n As always, on the internet, some things go out of use. These meta tags were once fairly common, but have since fallen out of favor with search engines. So, skip them if at all possible.<\/p>\n Conclusively, it\u2019s better to keep things to the point with meta attributes. Use only what\u2019s relevant and will be considered helpful to search engines. If you follow best practices, you\u2019ll be able to see results pretty soon. After all, you\u2019re making the user experience better and (hopefully) providing helpful information about topics.<\/p>\n Meta tags are pretty helpful to search engine visibility, so taking the time to set them up will only help your content. Updating tags for search snippets regularly also improves site visibility. Keeping things relevant to your page and making it clickable is also going to improve your website metrics. So, you can then focus on developing content and getting on with other website maintenance.<\/p>\n Depending on your website, you should be able to take some time and update your tags. If you use a CMS like WordPress, editing your titles and descriptions will be straightforward. Other attributes will have to be updated on the back-end file share. Should your site be hard-coded (no content management), you\u2019ll have to go straight to the website set up or get your friendly web developer to do it for you.<\/p>\n Depending on how often you update content, you\u2019ll need to update titles and descriptions regularly when your content changes. Other meta tags, like location and language, will also need monitoring. In case you move servers or Internet Providers, this is a vital step in getting your site back up and running. Experts recommend keeping tabs on meta properties regularly for proper site maintenance. After all, you never know what might happen.<\/p>\n Meta tags are a form of metadata used by search engines like Google to index your page or website. Most content writers are probably familiar with metadata properties like a page title and description. However, most will be remiss in naming other attributes needed. For example, language, location, or even what your site is meant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,55,59,53],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhere do Meta Tags Go on a Webpage?<\/h2>\n
How do I Find the Meta Tags on a Website?<\/h2>\n
![\"Meta](\"https:\/\/www.rankmovers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/meta-tags-example.png\" "\\"Meta")
<\/p>\nEssential Meta Tags for SEO Purposes<\/h2>\n
Page Title Tag<\/h3>\n
Page Description Property<\/h3>\n
Keyword Meta Tags<\/h3>\n
Standard Character Encoding<\/h3>\n
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Author & Copyright<\/h3>\n
Language Tag Specified<\/h3>\n
Geo-location Tag for Site Tracking<\/h3>\n
Search Robot Tags<\/h3>\n
Schema Metadata Additions<\/h3>\n
![\"Useful](\"https:\/\/www.rankmovers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/useful-meta-tags.png\" "\\"Useful")
<\/p>\nMeta Tags You Might Want<\/h2>\n
Social Media Specification<\/h3>\n
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Specified Search Robots<\/h3>\n
Forced Page Refresh Tags<\/h3>\n
Site Verification Meta Tags<\/h3>\n
![\"Unhelpful](\"https:\/\/www.rankmovers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/unhelpful-meta-tags.png\" "\\"Unhelpful")
<\/p>\nSEO Meta Tags You Don\u2019t Need<\/h2>\n
Bot Control<\/h3>\n
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Old-Fashioned Meta Tags<\/h3>\n
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So, What Should I Do About Meta Attributes?<\/h2>\n
How do I edit my Meta Tags?<\/h3>\n
How Often Should Meta Properties be Updated?<\/h3>\n
More Handy Blogs by SEO Rank Movers<\/h2>\n
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