HTML Tags: What Are They & Why Are They Important For SEO?
HTML tags are the base of any website and the most vital parts of technical SEO. Usually, they are small pieces of code embedded into a website’s backend. Some specific HTML code types are important for showing up in SERPs.
With the help of HTML elements, search engine optimizations can relay information on web pages to people and search engine bots too. Optimization experts and digital marketers should have equivalent knowledge of these tags and their role in making an online brand successful.
Moreover, you can boost your brand’s traffic and rank your website with our important technical SEO tips.
In this blog, we will cover some of the key HTML tags that are important in terms of search engine optimization.
Essential HTML Tags For Ranking In SERPs
Let’s look at some of the important tags to help you direct your brand’s SEO efforts and the elements you need for your website.
1. Title Tags or Page Titles
Any optimization experts will quickly say that your title tags are arguably the essential HTML code to include on your web page or site. After all, how will search engines or users know what your page is about if you don’t have a title?
The HTML code for page title is: <title>your title</title>
Technically, Google can select any snippet of text as the title for a page in the SERPs. To ensure Google indexes proper title, there are some of the best practices you can follow, such as:
- Optimize your target keywords properly.
- Keep the title short.
- Ensure your expectations are realistic.
2. Meta Description Tags
Right after the title tag, the meta tag is an absolute necessity for your optimization efforts. This tag allows you to suggest how you want your content to be described in a search listing. Meta descriptions also provide viewers with an overview of your content.
The HTML snippet for the meta description tag is: <meta name=”description” content= “your description”/>.
The best practice is to use your target keyword in the title as well as the meta description tag to improve how search engines display your content.
You can also improve the efficiency of your meta description tags by adding powerful Call To Action (CTAs).
3. Header Tags (H1-H6)
Heading tags in SEO are used to structure your web pages for both the readers and search engines. If the articles and blogs didn’t split into sections, people would skip or bounce right away because it would be too much to take in. Regarding the user’s perspective, headings are handy reading aids.
The HTML code for header tag is: <h1>your heading</h1>
Here are some tips to optimize your headings for SEO purposes:
- Avoid using more than one H1.
- Stay consistent and maintain a shallow structure.
- Form heading in the form queries.
4. Image Alt Tags
One of the essential parts of keeping your audiences engaged is by using images. Because search engines cannot figure out the meaning of images, the ALT tag comes into play. You can get more views if you use graphics in your articles.
An ALT tag is basically an image tag or an explanation of what images are about. The key motive of alt text is to help your users understand the image when it cannot be viewed.
5. Anchor Text and Link Tags
Creating links in HTML files is impossible without the anchor text tag. The importance of anchor text is to help the search engines understand what the link is about. Some of the few things a good anchor text will do for you are:
- If you are linking to a website other than yours, providing a good anchor tag will help their ranking more than the link alone.
- If you are linking to a page on your own website, it will help increase your domain authority because of organized content.
6. Canonical Tags
Google is refrained and strict regarding the originality of content and will penalize you if you do not have unique content or duplicate one. The canonical tag is one of those HTML tags for SEO that spares you from the risk of duplicate content.
When you have some pages with similar content, you can use the canonical tag to let Google know which particular similar page should be prioritized.
With HTML, you can tell search engines exactly what your website is about and how they should rank it. Uses of HTML tags in SEO are immense and essential, as they will help rank well on SERPs with high organic traffic, grab visitors’ attention, and drive traffic.