How to Use HTML Meta Tags for Search Engine Optimization
Copyright ©2002 Herman Drost
Statistics show that only one of every four Web Sites use Meta tags.
However using these tags can give your site an advantage over other
sites that do not. Meta tags enable most visitors to initially find
your site from the search engines.
What are Meta Tags?
These are HTML tags that provide information that describes the
content of the web pages that the visitor will be viewing. Web Site
owners use this resource to control their positioning and descriptions
in the search engines. Most search engines incorporate reading meta
tags as part of their indexing formula.
Where to Place Meta Tags
They should go in between the <head>
and </head> tags in your html
page.
Types of Meta Tags
The Doctype tag The DTD (Document Type Definition) tag precedes
the opening <HTML> tag. It is generally the first element
to be used on any page. It distinguishes the version of HTML in
use from other versions of HTML and tells the browser what tags
to expect when laying out the page.
<!doctype html public "-//wc3//dtd
html 4.0 transitional//en">
If a browser doesn't understand a tag, it just ignores it. This,
in effect, renders useless. For the proponents of strict
standardization, a statement like would ensure standardization.
If a browser didn't recognize the statement, it could ignore the
page.
META Tags and Document Identification
The syntax for the
tag is:
<meta name="namevalue" content="contentvalue">
or
<meta http-equiv="namevalue"
content="contentvalue">
The
tag requires the CONTENT attribute and adds either the NAME or HTTP-EQUIV
attribute. These define the general information you are creating
or changing in the document, and the CONTENT attribute defines the
value of the general information.
HTTP-EQUIV Attribute
<META HTTP-EQUIV> tags are equivalent
to HTTP headers. To understand headers, you must understand the
process that occurs when you use a Web browser to request a document
from a Web server. You request information using your browser and
the Web Server receives your request via HTTP, the standard Web
protocol. When the server finds the page you requested, it generates
an HTTP response. The initial data in that response is called the
HTTP header block. This header gives the Web browser information
useful for displaying the page.
Common Examples of the HTTP-EQUIV Attribute Value
Language META Tag This is an optional tag. It declares to users
the natural language of the document being indexed. Search engines
which index websites based on language often read this tag to determine
which language(s) is supported. This tag is particularly useful
for non-english and multiple language websites.
<meta http-equiv="content-language"
content="en">
Content-type Tag
The Content-Type entity-header field indicates the media type of
the entity-body sent to the recipient. This is an optional tag.
<meta http-equiv="content-type"
content="text/html;charset=windows-1252">
Expires META Tag
An optional tag that defines the date when the file will be considered
expired in cache and a new page will be generated. Only use when
your website is running a limited time event or there is a preset
date when your document will no longer be valid.
<meta http-equiv="expires" content="Tue, 04 Dec
1993 21:29:02 GMT">
Refresh META Tag An optional tag used as a way to redirect or refresh
users to another web page after X number of seconds. This META tag
is often used as a "bridge" page which is accessed first by users
and are then redirected to another web page.
<meta http-equiv="refresh"
content="seconds;url=http://www.website.com/index.html">
<META> NAME Attribute tags with a NAME attribute are used
for information types that do not correspond to HTTP headers.
Common Examples of the HTTP-NAME Attribute
Keyword Tag Search
Engines that support META tags will often use the keywords found
on your pages as a means to categorize your website based on the
search engines indexing algorithms (proprietary algorithms which
index your website in search engine databases).
Ensure you choose keywords that are relevant to your site. Avoid
excessive repetition as many search engines will penalize your rankings
for attempting to abuse their system. Search engines give priority
to the first few words in your description, so focus on your main
keywords and then elaborate further by using synonyms or other related
words.
<meta name="keywords" content
= "keyword1,keyword2,keyword3">
Keyword values are usually separated by commas. The maximum keyword
allowance is 1000 characters, however, it is believed that anything
over 255 characters is ignored.
Description Tag
Search engines that support META tags will often display the Description
META tag along with your title in their results. When creating your
META tags, make the first sentence of your description field capture
the attention of a user and use the rest of the description tag
to elaborate further.
<meta name="description" content="This
camping site is about
outdoor camps">
Keep this description to no more than 25 words (maximum allowance
is 150 characters). Not all search engines recognize this tag.
Conclusion
Don't let your site be one of the four web sites on the Web that
do not have Meta Tags. Optimize it now, so you have a greater chance
to be listed in the search engines. Getting listed, will bring more
traffic which may mean more sales.
=============================================================
Herman Drost is a Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) owner and author
of iSiteBuild.com Site Design and Low Cost Hosting (http://www.isitebuild.com)
Subscribe to the "Marketing Tips" newsletter for more original articles.
mailto: subscribe@isitebuild.com
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