How to Use Meta in Your SEO
Did you know 93% of online experiences start with a search engine? Every aspect of marketing matters—including Meta tags. When you use your website to attract potential leads and convert them into paying clients, there’s a lot of competition for very little SEO space.
Any tool that can improve your content’s visibility and click-through rate is welcome.
A compelling meta description can raise the click-through rates of your organic search, helping you prove the authenticity and relevance of your content. The more people go through your content, the more search engines like Google can notice your business and rank it better.
How can you incorporate meta in your SEO? Here are all the details, including what meta is, its benefits, types, and best practices.
What is Meta?
Meta tags allow search engines and internet users to tell what your content or website is about. They are short but concise HTML tags that, if correctly used, can improve how your page ranks in Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs).
Usually, people confuse meta descriptions and tags with “search snippets.” The two vary in that, meta being an HTML tag, you have control over it. You can optimize it to suit what you think the search engines and your audience want to see.
On the other hand, search snippets are descriptions used by Google to show your web pages. The search engine can use the description you provided, or it can be completely different — you don’t have much power over this.
Types of Meta Tags
Telling search engines what your website is about involves many things — different types of meta tags are available. They include:
Title
The title of your blog or web content is not usually a meta element but is often regarded as one. Like a movie or book title, your content’s title tells the search engine and your audience what you want to address. Most titles have between 50-60 characters and may include your site’s name at the end.
Meta Description
This is one of the most prominent meta tags. Meta description gives brief but concise details about what the reader or viewer should expect if they visit your content page.
Every description is unique for every page and is not longer than 160 characters (for efficiency). Usually, most content creators opt to include a call-to-action at the end of their meta descriptions.
Viewport Tags
Viewport meta tags tell search engines the size of your content. With the vast technological development, people can now access the internet conveniently from their mobile phones. Viewport meta tags are significant because they let the browser know how to display your text for optimal user experience.
Canonical Tags
Canonical tags tell the original source of content on your website. Every content that repeatedly appears on the internet must have an identified source. These tags can help solve SEO problems like duplicate content.
Open Graph Tags
Open graph tags display your website on different social media platforms. They include images, titles, and descriptions that match your content.
Robot Tags
These tags tell search engines which of your pages you want to appear in results. For instance, you may choose to index your homepage but not a “thank you for visiting” page.
Hreflang Tags
Hreflang tags are essential for identifying your website’s language and country. This is critical, especially for businesses with international audiences speaking different languages.
Alt Text Tag
Pictures are vital for stressing the points highlighted by your written content. They also improve the aesthetics of your website. But did you know that accurate image optimization can affect your SEO? Alt text tags describe the images on your page and make them easily identifiable by search engines and visually impaired people.
Meta Keywords
These keywords are lists of the terms you want to optimize your page for. They are important because they dictate what you tell search engines and how you want your content to be identified.
Best Practices for Using Meta in Your SEO
Search engine optimization is a continuous process for most businesses. Among other things, one of the regular features that you should focus on is meta tags. Here are some tips for creating appealing and effective ones:
Maintain the Right Range of Characters
Search engines prefer tags with 150-160 characters. Beyond or under, they won’t be as effective. The goal is to keep your description as short as possible while covering all the crucial aspects. A quick Google search will show excellent examples of how other content creators have leveraged meta descriptions.
Always Use Active Voice
Simple. Exciting. Understandable. These are the major qualities of meta tags. Remember, the goal is to invite people to their page. Most people only spend a second or two skimming over search engine results — they don’t have the time to figure out your complicated jargon. When creating tags, always use active voice and make your words actionable.
Include Your Main Keywords
Including your main keywords in your meta tags allow search engines to use them in their search results highlights. Show Google your intention, and it will do the rest for you.
Don’t Forget a Call-to-Action
160 characters max aren’t enough to fully communicate what your content is really about. How can you get the clicks you need? Over the years, content creators have discovered the converting power of including a call to action at the end of their descriptions—you can do it too.
A call to action refers to the step you want your audience to take. For example, you could end your description by asking people to call or visit your physical location.
Make Your Meta Unique
Uniqueness is what sets you apart from the competition. Even though you might be competing for the exact keywords with your industry-mates, finding ways to make your meta unique can save you from hampering your website’s user experience.
Be Specific Where Possible
Being specific with your meta tags can help you attract buyers without convincing them. For instance, if you have an online store, focusing on the technical specs of your items allows customers looking for similar products to find what they are looking for. This improves their satisfaction levels and may lead to a better SEO ranking.
Make Your Meta Relevant to Your Content
There is nothing as disappointing as clicking on a link only to find irrelevant content. While many businesses have mastered the art of avoiding clickbait, you should focus on using meta tags relevant to the content you’re promoting. Search engines are growing more intelligent; they notice when you use meta descriptions to trick visitors, and they’ll penalize you for it.
Why Should You Use Meta in Your SEO?
Even though meta does not necessarily help boost your page’s SEO ranking, it remains as important in the process as ever. Here is how:
It Affects the Google Indexing of Your Site
Meta descriptions and tags allow search engines to quickly understand what your page is about for better ranking. Once Google understands the key details of your content, it can display it for relevant searches. This improves your site’s general Google indexing.
Using Meta Correctly Can Enhance Your User Experience
Well-optimized descriptions can help improve your pages’ user experience. If an internet user searches for keywords relevant to yours, and google displays your content as one of the results, a compelling meta can push the searcher into clicking through your platform.
If the content matches what you provided in your description, your audience will leave satisfied. Improving your website’s user experience is one proven way of demonstrating your relevance and authenticity, which translates to better SEO rankings.
Good Meta Improves Your Keyword Ranking
Including quality keywords in your meta description can boost how they rank. As long as it attracts the right audience with lower bounce rates, Google will most likely notice your page and rank its keywords higher in the search results.
How to Use Meta: The Key Takeaway
Even though it does not directly improve your pages’ overall SEO ranking, meta tags remain as crucial as any other best SEO practice. They help improve your website’s user experience, boost click-through rates, and facilitate better keyword ranking. Different tags are available, each serving specific functions — take advantage of the ones relevant to your website. Some of the best ways to use meta in your SEO include having a call to action, an active voice, and relevant keywords.