The content of HTML tags are unique and full of many search engine optimisation possibilities. The <head> and <body> sections of your website’s HTML document influence how a website performs in the eyes of search engines. This blog highlights essential HTML tags for SEO which can influence the rankings of a website.
HTML tags provide data about a website to the search engines and help them understand what the content is about. These tags highlight the important parts of a web page and so HTML tags are a crucial part of on-page optimization.
Even though over the past few years the influence of these tags has been declining, there are certain HTML tags that are part of important on-page search engine optimization techniques. These HTML tags can enhance the user experience, help search engines to identify the most important parts of a website, and help to create rich snippets. Mentioned below are all the essential HTML tags for SEO:
The most essential HTML tag for SEO: Title tag
The title tag is one of the most important tags for search engine optimization. It describes the topic of each web page on your website. It is what the visitors see in SERPs. Title tags are seen by users on SERPs, web browser tabs and social networks when you share a web page. Thus, the title tag must be catchy and interesting.
However, sometimes Google chooses not to use a title tag and displays a different one. It might be because the title tag is stuffed with keywords, it does not match the query, or if there are alternative titles available. How to optimize the title tag? Read the points below.
- Keywords: It is important to optimize titles by using focus keywords. Remember, do not stuff titles with a lot of keywords and try to make it descriptive and unique. Create titles to attract more visitors and also avoid duplicate titles as it might lead to confusion and the search engine crawlers will get the signal that you have duplicate content.
- Length: Try to keep the title approximately 55 to 60 characters long. A long title might get cut and some of the important words may be omitted. Though it is not necessary, it is still advised to stick to a short and concise title.
Read our next blog on SEARCH ENGINE FRIENDLY TITLE TAGS: IMPORTANCE AND TIPS TO CREATE THEM to get more insights on title tags.
Meta description is one of the essential HTML tags for SEO
The meta description tag is a short paragraph in the <head> section of a web page which is usually displayed after the website’s title and URL. It is one of the essential HTML tags for SEO as not only does it help search engines to determine the subject of the page, but also helps us to understand if the page matches the query or not.
The meta description tag determines whether a visitor will click on the link or not. Google usually displays the description specified in the meta description tag, but if more information or context is required, it may also take some parts of the content. You can use the strategies below for Optimisation of metadata for SEO:
- Schema markup: By using schema markup, you can add elements that will make your snippets more appealing. You can add readings, images, product information, etc to your meta descriptions.
- Keywords: Create a meta description that is keywords rich. On the search engine result pages, the keywords are bolded in the descriptions. Hence, optimization of metadata for SEO with keywords is important. Create a meta description that summarizes the content of the page in the best way possible.
- Length: There isn’t an optimum length for meta descriptions. Though it’s safe to stick to around 300 characters so that Google might not cut the description.
Robots tag: An essential HTML tag for SEO
The robots tag informs search engines about which web pages should be indexed. Though it is generally used to tell search engines which pages should not be indexed. Besides, even though it may not help to boost rankings but it can help you to block web pages that might have thin or duplicate content. Duplicate Content is also one of the 8 WORST SEO PRACTICES TO AVOID AT ALL COSTS, so using a robots tag can resolve this issue at least. If you do not use a robots tag, all your web pages will be crawled and indexed by the search engines. Parameters of the robots tag include:
- Noindex which prevents search engines from indexing a web page.
- Nofollow prevent search engines from following all the links on a webpage.
- Nosnippet prevents the description from appearing in the SERPs.
- Noarchive does not allow a cached copy to appear in the result pages.
Canonical tag
This tag is one of the most important on-page search engine optimization techniques, especially if you have pages with identical or similar content. It is important because it tells search engines which page is the most important and also shows that these pages are not duplicate. Read our blog on HOW TO USE GOOGLE TAG MANAGER that will tell you how easily you can manage canonical tags through it.
Alt tag
All the tags are a great SEO opportunity to get your images to rank in Google. Start provide descriptions for an image. This plays an important role in image optimisation. It makes images accessible to search engines and users in case the images are not loaded. Ensure to optimise alt tags by using keywords in such a way that it provides context to the content of the image. Keep these tags short, not more than approximately 125 characters.
Header tag
Header tags are used to structure the content of a web page. These tags help search engines to read content in a more efficient way. And, also make it more easy for visitors to comprehend the important parts of the content.
Use header tags strategically, use one H1 per page, divide content using H2, and if needed use H3, H4 tags. Ensure to not stuff your web page with the number of different headings. It is also important to note that the headings must be keyword optimised. Check out our blog on CHOOSING THE RIGHT KEYWORDS IN CONTENT WRITING- AN INTEGRAL PART OF SEO STRATEGY to get a better know-how of using appropriate keywords.
Anchor text tag
The anchor tag is important because search engines use these to understand what the link is about. When linking to a webpage on your own website, it will help to boost domain authority. It keeps content organised and gives a context to both the search engines and the users. Use keyword optimised anchor text while linking as it will boost SEO.
HTML tags tell search engines exactly what the website and its content is about. To get a deep dive, you may read our blog on IMPROVE SEO WITH LATENT SEMANTIC INDEXING that is an advance SEO technique to boost SEO rankings.
Thus, the above mentioned tags are the most essential HTML tags for SEO. These tags may not directly influence the SEO but they will be helpful in the long run.
