Optimizing Your Meta Tag For High Search Engine Ranking
Hi People
I saw a question the other day from a member who asked what Meta Tags were and should they use them for ranking purposes.
Meta Tags and other tags you use on your websites are really important and not to be dismissed as irrelevant and something to ignore completely just because you don’t understand what they are used for by the search engines.
This blog is a short description of that importance because they are neither dead or obsolete. Meta tags are still used by all major search engines and are very much in use and extremely important to search engine ranking. If you need proof of how important meta tags are, try removing your meta tags and watch what happens to your search engine positioning. Your site will sink into oblivion, guaranteed.
Meta tags are frequently an overlooked factor which can improve the ranking of almost any website.
Here is an example of how important meta tags are to your site pages/posts and to your search engine ranking. Say your website ranks 6 and 7 consistently on Google for the keyword you’ve used. To test the dead meta tag theory, go ahead and change one word in the meta description tag and I’m 100% sure your ranking will drop by at least 8 or 9 places in the search results. Your rankings on several other search engines would suffer even more. This is because all the major search engines definitely utilize meta tags for a description of the webpage and for indexing within the search results.
The Title Tag is also one of the most important onpage factors to consider. This is because search engine spiders read this tag first and place a high level of importance on the keywords found there. The title tag is also used for the title of your listing in the search results. The contents of your title tag will also appear in the top left corner of the browser bar. Correct title tag optimization is essential and will result in a dramatic increase in your search engine ranking. The title tag should contain at least one or more keywords to be of any relevance to the webpage.
Search engine spiders read the description meta tag next. This tag is often used as a website description in the search results. The description tag should also contain a few keywords. The keyword meta tag is also important to search engine ranking giving search engine spiders a sample of relevant text and content within a webpage. Other meta tags include robots, resource, author, copyright etc. These tags are not as important as the title, description and keyword tag, however they should be included if possible. To achieve high search engine ranking optimize your meta data. Proper onpage optimization will greatly improve your search engine placement.
I have said it in other blogs and I will say it again. SEO Best Practice is the path to follow when you are creating your website content and the Meta Tag is an all important aspect of that best practice. Fail to use it at your peril people.
Here's a link to a page on my site that will show you what the various Tags are. There's also various other links to further information that I'm sure will help you out.
http://yourownecommercebusinesswebsite.com/seo-tac...
If the urge comes upon you to leave a comment below it will be much appreciated and you can Like as well.
Have an excellent day everyone.
Robert Allan
Recent Comments
59
I was glad to have discovered this not so long ago and was surprised to see the difference it made to my rankings after I went back to each page and post and added tags and key words and description. I'm not ranked high but I'm higher than I was. I believe it's due to making use of mega tags. Thanks for sharing this : )
No Probs Claire and I replied to your other comment on my 'Further Information Blog'. 5 Parts Of A Website Search Engines Display as well and well done you for taking heed when you found out previously.
Just keep tweaking here and there and your ranking will improve.
have a nice day.
Robert
Robert, this is most likely one of those silly questions but where is the 'Author' tag. Google told me off for this!
Hi Helen.
Not a silly question at all and I bet there’s not many will actually know what you’re asking about.
Anyway, it would take a wee bit of an explanation to tell you in full so I have given you three good links to pages that will explain it much better than I could.
I personally like the bottom one as it’s the same process I used.
Hope this helps you out and I’m sure it will coz you’re a clever lass.
Have a nice day.
Robert
http://searchengineland.com/google-adds-authorship-rich-snippet-markup-80455
http://www.vervesearch.com/blog/how-to-implement-the-relauthor-tag-a-step-by-step-guide/
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/google-author-tags/
Thank you for this information, as always- it is amazing how much you guys know! And how much I do not!
Hello and don't put yourself down coz all of us guys started in exactly the same place as you are right now.
Like everything else in life it takes times.
It takes making mistakes and rectifying them.
It means dusting yourself down and starting again and from scratch it that's what it takes.
You have the most excellent of days and thank you for your comment.
Robert
Hi Helen. I published a follow up to this blog this morning coz so many members got back to me for a fuller explanation and here's me thinking I had said it all already lol
Have a nice day.
Robert
I am following the links you gave above but I do find that so many who write what to do things do so as if you already understand them! I will toodle off to your new blog later today.
Helen I always without exception do loads of research before I publish anything either here within WA or on my websites.
I have said before that all my blogs and articles are based on my own experience and there are sure to be other WA members who know a whole lot more than I do.
You take my info and you can use it or not because at the end of the day it is down to you and personal choice and I do believe 100% in personal choice.
You have a wee read of my blogs/articles and make up your own mind and if you get back to me and say this or that didn't work the way you say it would then I will take a look and see what you did different to me.
People will do things their own way even if they think they are following directions to the letter.
Have an excellent day Helen.
Robert
If you have the All-In-One SEO plugin installed then both authorship and publisher markup are built in. You just fill in your G+ details.
But understand this ...
OBSOLETE!
Google had it, but has since abandoned it ...
28Aug14 - John Mueller - Google Webmaster Tools: "Google will stop showing authorship results in Google Search, and will no longer be tracking data from content using rel=author markup."
http://searchengineland.com/goodbye-google-authorship-201975
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JohnMueller/posts/HZf3KDP1Dm8
Hi Chris. I know google discontinued the rel=author last year but they introduced another function that still allows people to have their pic next to their ranking position entry.
I gave the links because it gives WA members the chance to read up on the importance of having authorship for their sites.
The instructions are still valid and with a couple of amendments will enable authorship up to a point. Therefore the old way will still have some benefit.
Thank you for your input.
Robert
You do your how to bolgs very well. If I find things a bit confusing it's my brain doing its usual zipping from place to place.
Must be an age thing Helen and here's me thinking you were a sweet young thing lol.
Seriously though you have to be aware of doing too much or you risk information overload and that CAN get confusing.
Slow down, take a break, and chill out for a wee while is always best.
I make a point of switching off my PC and get out and about for a few hours every day.
Speaking of such, you have a nice one.
Robert
Mine shows a "critical" error, no h1 tag title on home page. But home page is the blogroll, so there is no title.
For the reason you just gave - the blog would have the h1 (as all my blogs do).
The Home Page (which the blogroll sits in) still wouldn't have it.
I'm putting it down to an error with their assessment system. Fortunately my Home Page doesn't need to be ranked, just the pages (not forgetting that even the posts are pages in their own right).
Everything you should have on your site should be relevant. If it isn't then get rid coz it will only end up excess baggage and hold you back in some little way you wont know about until WAM! you are knobbled.
Have a nice day.
Robert
Excellent blog. This is such important information because I have seen different comments written about this some saying that we shouldn't bother because Google automatically pulls the first part of your article as the description of the Meta Tag. I have been doing it as you suggest so I'm glad I'm doing it right. Thank you.
Emilie
Hello Emilie. A lot of the comments you get to any question you ask will be Crap. All these people want is for you to click the 'Like' or follow them in the mistaken belief it will help their ranking in WA.
Also when you want a real good answer to an SEO type problem its always best to PM a member who has a proven track record with their previous contribution to such problems.
They wont mind a serious question with a PM and be happy to point you in the right direction, and you thank them afterwards.
They are easy to find because they will have published blogs or given great replies to such questions already.
Have an excellent day.
Robert
I would like to confirm what I learned about meta tags. Use your keyword in the Title of your Blog and also near the start of your meta tag. Also limit your meta tag to the 156 characters (not words) it allows. Does this sound about right?
This might help with how to implement some of the tags Page or Post Creation - My Method With the result Page 1 in 6 hours dead
Thank you for your input Chris. All info is relevant if it helps the members understand how important it is to get your content spot on for the search engines.
have a nice day.
Robert
Thanks for the comment.
I have reservations on how much notice today's search engines take of manually loaded METAdata, bearing in mind how badly misused it has been over the years. The algorithms are constantly being revised so as to derive real data from real content, so it's just a case of how far they are along that road, and how long it will take them to get there.
I load it so that I can focus my content more sharply, and I leave it there for them to either accept or ignore.
You know what they say - Content Is King.
But you still have to get the Tags right for the search engines to index and rank your site.
Robert
Thank you for reminding me of the importance of the meta tag. I am still in the learning stage, still finding out how much I do not know. I think that the information you have shared will shine a new light on the text when I reread it.
Don't try to do everything all at once because then you go into information overload and that is not a good place to be because you will get confused and make mistakes.
A wee bit at a time until you fully understand about the various Tags and what they are used for.
Thank you for your comment.
Robert
hmmm.....well then, that decides it. I shall so never throw away any tags, which is just as well as I'm very sentimental and never throw away tags or even strings that has sentimental tugs on my heart.
Thank you for the timely warning Robert. Another lesson to bookmark and keep. Blessings........
Shirley
Shirley you are a sweetheart.
I'm the same I never throw anything away and that include anything to do with my internet endeavours.
You just never know when the information might be required to make all the difference between success and failure.
Thank you for your comment.
Robert
Hi Shirley and thank you for your 'Comment' but I don't actually know what - =0)) - means lol.
Have a great day.
Robert
Just grinning from ear to ear dear. Happy to know another sentimental type. People have no time for sentimentality nowadays. It's all "business as usual" and "Hurry-Burry". Much blessings and love for you.....
Shirley
No probs and you seem like a nice person as well. Hope you achieve all you wish for. Wishes do come true or so I'm told.
have a nice day.
Robert
Well they do, wishes I mean. I always take time to look around and smell some roses or two, though nowadays I'm more liable to smell some acrid smog. But you know what I mean......;0)
Thanks Robert for this info. I have been told that if you use an all in one seo yhen this is all done for you so I have never done anything but worked hard on my keywords in the title and the first bit of my posts.
Hi Vicki.
Your SEO-All-In-One will do some of the work for you because that is its function but it can't do it if there's nothing there for it to work with.
This is where human input comes in and its always best to follow 'Best Practice'.
Thank you for your comment.
Robert
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Thank you!:)
No probs and thank you for leaving your thank you.
Robert
Hello Again Aileen
Heres a link with a fuller explanation of tags and links to further information.
http://yourownecommercebusinesswebsite.com/seo-tactics/work-from-home-seo
have anice day.
Robert
Thank you, read it that was Wow! all the way. Left you a comment there, might have double posted there too my connection was playing up kindly delete one of them. Bookmarked them too :)
Thank you. I aim to please and glad you found it informative.
I will get to your comment but probably not until tomorrow now as its getting late and I'm still uptown.
have a nice day/evening.
Robert
Btw here's my website, puritywithin.com kindly tell me what you reckon. Thanks in advance :)
Hello Aileen.
Had a look at your site and it is looking ok but why haven't you protected it?
You must do this asap.
Have a read of my blog and follow the instructions. Protecting Your Website I would also put your Privacy Policy in your Footer.
You also do not have a Disclaimer.
You should have one and put it with the Privacy Policy in your Footer.
Have a nice day.
Robert
Omg really? Didn't even know that thank you!
Hi Robert, thanks for that omg!I had a panic attack! Btw do you have tutorials on how to put Privacy Policy in my Footer and a disclaimer? Gosh I've been missing a lot that needs to get done before hand.
No need to panic Aileen.
Nice and slow and easy and get it right first time then you don't have to go back and correct silly mistakes.
I will send you a PM when I have the time but not at home yet (internet cafe).
Robert
Ok TIA :)