Synonyms: HTML tags SEO tags
Meta tags are snippets of code embedded in the HTML of a webpage that provide information about the page to search engines and website visitors. These tags do not appear on the actual webpage but are used behind the scenes to help search engines understand the content, structure, and purpose of the page. Meta tags play a crucial role in SEO, as they can impact how well a page ranks in search results and how it’s displayed.
Here are the most common types of meta tags:
- Meta Title (Title Tag): This is the title of your webpage that appears in search engine results and at the top of the browser. It should be concise, include relevant keywords, and accurately describe the page content.
- Meta Description: This is a brief summary of the page content that appears below the title in search results. While it doesn’t directly affect rankings, a well-written meta description can improve click-through rates by encouraging users to click on your link.
- Meta Keywords: Once used heavily in SEO, meta keywords were a list of targeted keywords for a page. However, they are no longer used by major search engines like Google, as they were often abused by keyword stuffing.
- Meta Robots Tag: This tag tells search engines whether to index a page and follow the links on it. For example, “index, follow” means search engines should index the page and follow any links, while “noindex, nofollow” tells search engines to ignore both.
Meta tags are a foundational aspect of on-page SEO and serve as a bridge between the technical side of web development and the marketing strategy for increasing visibility online.