Meta tags such as meta titles (also known as page titles) and descriptions are critical elements of SEO, making up a core element of Google’s search algorithms1.
Like so many elements of writing content for the web, creating meta tags for SEO involves walking a delicate tightrope.
Before we jump into the specifics of meta tags for SEO, meta titles, and descriptions, be sure to check out our ultimate simple SEO guide below:
SEO Basics: The Simple SEO Guide for Website Owners [UPDATED]
What is metadata for SEO?
The first question many website owners ask, is ‘What is metadata?’ It’s not a term we use much in everyday life, so it can be confusing to understand.
The Wikipedia definition of metadata is:
“data that provides information about other data”
To simplify this and explain within the context of SEO, it’s essentially code that describes your webpage and is generally hidden from visitors when they view your page.
On a Google search, web pages will feature the title of the page followed by a description. The former will initially catch your attention and the latter will convince you to click the link. This is why it is so important to consider metadata for SEO.
Unless you operate in a particularly unique business niche, there will be competing websites all fighting for the same traffic and keywords as you.
Keyword research is essential for metadata and getting found on Google
Metadata is your opportunity to convince users that they should be visiting your website!
When talking about SEO, your metadata is defined by meta tags that you add in the <HEAD> section of your HTML or web page.
This is the quickest option to view metadata is to click “view source” in your browser. However, it’s advisable to be familiar with HTML code first.
Just right-click and select View Page Source (or equivalent) in your browser.
Click View Page Source to see metadata and HTML code
Then look for the below code:
This is an example from our own site showing metadata for a keyword research blog post.
The meta tags and metadata are usually found near the top of the source code, within the <HEAD> HTML tag.
Just look for the following meta tags within your <HEAD> section of code:
<TITLE> … </TITLE>
<META NAME=”DESCRIPTION” CONTENT=” … ” />
These are the two most important meta tags for SEO.
In the past, meta keyword tags were used to add words that describe the web page. This has become more or less redundant now, as the meta keywords tag isn’t used by Google any longer. The issue is that it still confuses many website owners as CMS platforms and website builders still contain a field called “keywords”, where they are often tempted to add long comma-separated lists of keywords. Don’t do this.
The meta title tag is still used by Google and all other search engines – this has become the no. 1 most important place to add your keywords.
How does metadata influence SEO?
Metadata and SEO go hand-in-hand, probably more than any other SEO activity.
Imagine that you are browsing the shelves of a bookshop. You will have an idea of what you like to read, so you’ll likely head to a particular section of the store. You will scan the shelves looking for something that catches your eye. When this happens, you’ll flip the paper back over and read the blurb on the back. Based on that, you will know if you are interested enough to crack the spine and flip through the pages.
Think of this as the ‘real-life’ equivalent of metadata and SEO. The browsing of the shelves was the equivalent of searching Google for a particular term or search query.
Particular keywords or images likely captured your imagination. The blurb, meanwhile, was the metadata of the book. It offered a short, sharp summary of what you can expect to find between the covers.
This, in a nutshell, is how metadata influences SEO. The metadata used on a search engine will make use of keywords that match a user’s search intent:
If the user finds this appealing, they will click on the link and visit your website (success)! Suddenly, your traffic has increased by one.
Keep this up and your page ranking will boost, ensuring that more users see the metadata and click on your site.
Meta title guidelines for SEO
Meta title tags should be snappy headlines (calls to action) to encourage visitors to click the link when browsing search engine results.
The trick when it comes to SEO, is to ensure the meta title also contains relevant keywords to help your page to rank and be found in search engines.
This makes it tempting to cram as many keywords into a title as possible, a popular black-hat SEO tactic undertaken in the past, especially when the meta keywords tag was still in use. It’s very likely this will be automatically penalised by a Google algorithm:
Instead of packing as much as possible into your title, try to word it to attract visitors while also inserting relevant keywords that have search volume.
More on keyword research can be found below:
Here are some general guidelines and best practices for creating your meta title:
- Carry out your keyword research first and consider search intent
- Make sure every page has a unique meta title – this will help to differentiate them in the eyes of Google
- Keep them short and catchy – try to avoid exceeding 60 characters
- Add keywords near the start of your title tag
- Use pipe eliminator to separate parts as this takes up minimal space
- Include your brand where possible
- Capitalise your title tag to help it stand out
- Embrace long-tail keywords 2
- Try to group related keywords and don’t over-use them, e.g.
<TITLE>Guide to Metadata | Learn About Meta Title & Description Tags</TITLE>
Is better than:
<TITLE>Guide to Metadata, Meta Tags, Meta Data, Meta Title, Meta Description</TITLE>
The bottom example is too long, looks spammy and contains the word “meta” five times when there is no need.
Meta description guidelines for SEO
SEO meta descriptions serve as the blurb for your webpage on search engine results.
While Google does not directly use them as a ranking factor, a well-crafted meta description can significantly influence click-through rates (CTR).
Just like a compelling book synopsis can entice a reader, a strong meta description can encourage users to visit your site instead of a competitor’s.
Follow these best practices when crafting your meta descriptions:
- Keep it concise – Aim for 150-160 characters to ensure the description is fully displayed in search results. Anything longer may be truncated.
- Use active, persuasive language – Your meta description should function as an enticing call to action, encouraging users to engage with your content.
- Include relevant keywords – Google may bold search terms found in your meta description, making them stand out to users. However, avoid keyword stuffing.
- Ensure uniqueness – Every page should have a distinct meta description to help differentiate content and avoid duplication issues.
- Align with page content – The description should accurately reflect what users will find on the page to prevent high bounce rates.
- Consider user intent – Think about what your target audience is looking for and tailor the description accordingly.
An effective meta description could look something like this:
“Struggling with SEO? Learn how to write powerful meta titles and descriptions to improve your Google rankings and boost website traffic.”
Rather than like this:
“Welcome to our website. We offer many services to help your business succeed.”
A well-optimised meta description won’t just inform your visitors, it will entice users to click, explore, and engage with your content.
How to optimise your content for SEO?
Meta tags for SEO are very important and they play a significant role in optimising your page.
Equally though, you need to consider the visible content on the page – the words, images and media that visitors will see when viewing your page. Poorly written or inappropriate page content will greatly impact your page ranking no matter how good your meta tags are.
Here are some basic guidelines for optimising your content for SEO.
1. Use keywords in your content naturally
As with SEO metadata, keywords are king when you look to optimise a page, especially if you have completed appropriate keyword research in advance. Long-tail keywords (or phrases) can be tough to get right.
They can greatly enhance SEO and rankings though, especially where you have identified a niche topic that hasn’t been published before. If you work in a popular field, broad keywords will provide greater search volume but they are difficult to rank for as everybody will be competing for the same thing.
This means long-tail keywords are often a better way to go.
Imagine that you work in the fine art field as a dealer. The term, “fine art” brings up 8,100 average searches in the UK. The longer-tail version “fine art dealer” has 50 average monthly searches, meaning it will be far more achievable and it’s likely to convert better as it’s directly relevant.
When optimising a page for the “fine art dealer” keyword, consider the following:
- Page URL – ideally this should include the keywords e.g. mysite.co.uk/fine-art-dealer
- Heading 1 (H1) tag – next to the meta title and URL, this is one of the most important HTML tags to contain keywords
- Sub-headings (H2 to H5) – these generally have a higher weighting for keywords than body text
- Body text – this is where the main bulk of your content will go so make sure you include keywords, but do so naturally
- Images and media – take advantage of file names, image ALT tags, captions and so on to include keywords and describe your media
- Internal linking – link to related pages on your site using keywords as the anchor text
As always, remember to keep your page content natural and avoid spamming keywords.
2. Write creative, compelling and eye-catching content
It’s easy to get carried away with keywords. You need to remember one golden rule – keep your visitor engaged! This can be challenging. Shorter is sometimes better. If brevity is not your strength, enlist the services of a professional copywriter.
You must strike the balance between using enough words, gaining curiosity and keeping them engaged, without rambling or wandering off on a tangent.
This copy should be unique and creative.
You need to get your point across in a way that attracts attention, whilst separating your offering from your competitors.
Get to the point, though. Users are often only skim-reading your page, so if you fail to make a compelling case to read on, they will often bounce and visit another site. This in turn can have a negative impact on your SEO.
This is not the time to push a sales opportunity, either. Users want to be treated like human beings, not customers.
Use both your SEO meta tags and content to convince users to explore your offering further. Do not leap, two-footed, into a call to action.
3. Be honest and stay aligned
Finally, you need to ensure that your content is entirely honest and accurate.
Return to our bookshop example from earlier. If you were intrigued enough by the blurb of the book (metadata) to read it, you will know what to expect.
Your SEO metadata and content should be perfectly aligned.
If you picked up a book expecting a fantasy epic comparable to Game of Thrones, you will be disappointed and frustrated to find that the story itself concerns the marital strife of a couple in modern-day Yorkshire. If your metadata promises one thing and your content delivers something entirely different, users will feel the same disillusionment.
This will also result in a high bounce rate and plummeting SEO results.
If you promised a blue circle in your metadata, don’t deliver a green triangle. That will confuse and alienate visitors to your site
Double and triple-check your SEO meta title, description, and content.
Ensure it is devoid of typos and formatting errors. If the book you picked up could not even get the spelling right on the back cover, you will not hold out much hope for the content.
For a more detailed guide on SEO content creation, read below:
Why Good Content Matters: SEO Content Creation Guidelines [UPDATED]
Do’s and don’ts of meta title and content optimisation
| Do | Don’t |
| Optimise your pages with multiple short, punchy headlines | Use metadata or headlines to mislead users – they will lead to bouncing visitors |
| Write compelling, interesting content to keep your visitors engaged | Use basic, generic language that could apply to any service |
| Use keywords in metadata that appeals to visitor search intent and generate interest | Use metadata simply to convince users to make a purchase or take action |
| Treat readers like human beings, not robots or walking, talking potential conversions | Recycle or duplicate existing copy and content, either on your own site or externally |
You may be feeling like there are a lot of rules surrounding metadata for SEO and content optimisation. You are right.
This is a complicated topic that requires a careful blend of creative copy and SEO science. It’s an art that many business owners try to adopt but often get wrong.
After all, SEO is a specialism in its own right and often takes years to master. For assistance with your SEO, do not hesitate to reach out to Opace. From keyword analysis to content creation and fully managed SEO services, we’re here to help.
References and further reading
- searchenginewatch.com/2018/06/26/the-ultimate-guide-to-meta-tags-why-they-matter-and-how-to-optimize-them-for-impact
- https://yoast.com/focus-on-long-tail-keywords
Image Credits – https://pixabay.com/photos/confused-woman-doubt-female-girl-2385799
Hey David,
First of all, congratulations on this post.
These are great tools that we can dive into and get down to business.
I’m going to put this into use one of these days. Great work!