What is a Meta Tag
Meta tags provide search engines with information about the content and purpose of a Website, as well as the summaries Web visitors see when they use a search engine. The usefulness of meta tags for search engine placement has declined dramatically in recent years as companies such as Google and Yahoo! have changed the way they index web pages. However, the effective use of meta tags is the first step in categorizing your site for these and many other search engines.
Make a Meta Tag
Typically, meta tags for website title and description are inserted into the head section of your website. If you look at the HTML for you site, it might look something like:
There are three components for meta tags. To get the best results, follow these guidelines:
- Title: This is your first chance to sell your Website when it appears in search results. It is a short summary that will appear under your link and should describe your business in seven words or less.
- Description: The description will appear after the title and provides additional information about your Website. It should be a brief description about your business and your products and services. Make it a concise, engaging summary that will entice the reader to visit your site.
- Keywords: This is the list of words that search engines will try to match when they are responding to a search request. Make sure you use as many words that describe your business as possible, and put the most important keywords and phrases first. Remember that you only have 250 characters.