What Are Meta Tags and Why Are They Important?
Source: Kaila Strong
Web pages work by displaying information that is found in HTML (hypertext markup language) code which is a standard system for using text to achieve font, graphics, color and hyperlinks on any website. However, most websites also have what is known as meta tags. These tags are embedded within the HTML code of any given page but unlike regular code, meta tags do not impact how the page is displayed. Rather, they provide additional information about the page such as who created the site, what the page is about, how frequently it is updated and which keywords are represented in the page’s content.
So why should you care about meta tags? Well, if you’re only concern is the look of your webpage, you may not need to care at all. However, if you are interested in ranking well among search engines, meta tags are going to be extremely important for you. Search engines are the key to how people find information on the Internet. Without highly sophisticated search engines, it would be very difficult for people to find the information they were looking for online. However, as search engines become more sophisticated, so too must your strategy for ranking well against your competitors. So how does it all work?
When someone searches a keyword or phrase in any search engine, they are actually asking that search engine to use a robot (or crawler) to explore millions of HTML documents. To find those search terms, the crawler robot will examine all of the HTML code―including meta tags. So, those who use meta tags appropriately will be able to get a leg up on their competition or those who simply ignore this key tool.
The robot will visit a website and look at both the content displayed as well as the site’s meta tags and links that connect it to other web pages. The data is indexed and the crawler will come back occasionally to see if information has been changed. So, when you search, you aren’t actually searching in real time millions of web pages, but rather an indexed database by any number of search engines, such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. You’ll notice that not all of your search results will be the same depending on the search engine you use. This is because each search engine uses their own algorithms, or mathematical devices, to determine how web pages will be crawled and how often.
The frequency and appropriateness of keywords used in your meta tags are important for any search engine. Search engines are sophisticated enough to know when someone is cramming their meta tags full of certain keywords or generating spam online to improve their rankings. So, while meta tag use is important on your website, make sure you are doing it appropriately and organically. Overusing keywords can hurt just as much as ignoring meta data altogether.
In addition to meta tags, you may want to also consider other options for improving your rankings among popular search engines. For example, one of the ways the search engines’ algorithms analyze the strength of a page is by the number of links to that page from other websites on the Internet. By building links from other sites, you can help improve your rankings. Again, the more organic these can be the better because search engines are more sophisticated than ever.
Your online presence is just as, if not more important, than your offline presence or marketing strategy. Make sure to consider social media marketing as part of your strategy as well. Remember, when people logon with high speed wireless internet, your site needs to be a dynamic place that can be leveraged to help boost your brand and increase positive sentiment for your organization or business.
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