If you want your website to be visited then it is important to appear high in search results using search engine optimization, also known as SEO (search engine optimization). HTML meta tags have long been called one of the most important aspects of SEO.

You can write very good content, attract backlinks and do your best with a nice page layout, but without good HTML tags you are limping along behind. Such a tag is not always directly visible to the visitor, but it is important for search engines. Meta tags provide information about the Web page, and HTML elements structure and define the content.

A good first impression in Google search results is important. Through this so-called SERP snippet(the title and short text you already see in Google), you have to entice the visitor to click through to your website. You can largely determine this snippet yourself by using good and correct meta tags, and is thus a crucial component for SEO success.

We have listed for you the 5 most important HTML meta tags that you can use for your own website. If this article is too technical for you and you want to be found better in Google, know that we can be your partner for SEO optimization of your website.

1. Title tag

The title tag is your most important tag. In search engine results pages, this tag is usually used as a clickable link to your page. It is also displayed in socials and at the top of your browser's tab window.

For example, if you look at the HTML for the current article, you will see that the title is:
<title>5 Belangrijkste Meta Tags en HTML-elementen Voor Optimale SEO</title>

Title-tags worden in de <head> van je webpagina geplaatst en zijn bedoeld om een duidelijk en uitgebreid idee te geven waar de pagina over gaat. 

The page title is still the first thing a visitor sees in the SERPs and it helps them decide if the page is likely to answer the search intent. As a result, a well-written title can increase clicks and traffic, which has at least some impact on rankings.

Best practices title tag

  • Give each page a unique title that succinctly and accurately describes the content of the page.
  • Keep titles a maximum of 50-60 characters long (so they don't get truncated in the SERPs).
  • Remember that long titles are truncated to about 600-700px on the SERP.
  • Put important keywords up front, but in a natural way, as if you were writing titles primarily for your visitors.

2. Meta description

The meta description is a short description that indicates what the page is about. Since it is also often (but not always) displayed in the SERP snippets, it is very important to get potential visitors to click through to your website.

For example, this is the meta description for this article:

<meta name="description" content="Verhoog de zichtbaarheid van uw website met Metatags en andere HTML-elementen. Leer hoe je metatags optimaliseert om je zoekresultaten aantrekkelijker te maken en verkeer naar je site te leiden." />

Although the meta description is not a direct ranking factor, you need to optimize it to grab the attention of users (and Google).

  • The meta description is what people see in the search snippet along with the title, so it is one of the aspects that makes them decide if your page is worth clicking on.
  • The description affects the number of clicks you get and can also improve CTR and lower bounce rates if the page content fulfills its promises. Therefore, the description should be as realistic as it is inviting and clearly portray the content.
  • If your description contains the keywords a searcher used in their search, they will be displayed in bold on the SERP. This helps you stand out and lets the searcher know exactly what they can find on your page.
  • If Google finds that your description does not match the content of your page, it can generate one itself in an appropriate way. So make sure your meta description contains the most important keyword and is relevant.

There is no way to put every keyword you want to rank for in the meta description, nor is it really necessary - instead, write a few cohesive sentences that describe the core of your page, with a few keywords included.

A good way to figure out what to write in your meta description, what works best for your specific topic right now, is to do some competitive research.
Look up how your top-ranking competitors complete their own descriptions to get an idea of the best use cases in each specific case.

Best practices meta description

  • Give each page a unique meta description that clearly conveys what the page is about.
  • Google snippets contain a maximum of 150-160 characters (including spaces).
  • Mention your most important keywords so that they are highlighted in the SERP, but be careful to use readable sentences and thus not stuff them with keywords (keyword stuffing).
  • Possibly use an eye-catching call-to-action, a unique proposition you offer, or additional hints about what to expect - "Learn," "Buy," etc.
  • Do not use quotation marks, as Google will cut off your snippet in this spot.

3. Heading tags (H1-H6).

Heading tags are HTML tags used to indicate different parts of a page's content and act as mini titles for the different parts. This also makes it more readable for search engines. For example, Google can index and rank a part of your page if the search query matches, for example, the H3 title and the paragraph to which it is related.

The use of these intertitles also makes the text more pleasant and smooth reading for the reader.

De H1-tag wordt gebruikt als paginatitel, en dient dus overeen te komen met de <title>-tag. Deze hoeft niet 100% identiek te zijn, maar moeten wel de boodschap geven aan de bezoeker. Kan je geen gepaste H1 vinden, dan is het aan te raden gewoon je title-tag te hergebruiken.

Best practices heading tags

  • Keep your heading tags relevant to the piece of text they are describing.
  • Don't use too many keywords in the heading tags, but keep it readable for the user.
  • Have heading tags follow hierarchically in your HTML structure. So don't jump from, say, an H1 to an H3 without using an H2 in between. 

4. Image alt-attributes.

The image alt attribute is a tag you add to an image to provide a description and looks like this:

<img alt="Dit is de beschrijving van de afbeelding" src="https://www.v-b.be/.../afbeelding.jpg">

The alt attribute stands for "Alternative text" and is important for on-page optimization for the following reasons:

  • Alt text is displayed to visitors if a particular image cannot be loaded (or if images are disabled).
  • Alt attributes provide context because search engines cannot "see" images.

Adding correct alt-attributes thus helps search engines understand what the images are about and how they relate to the rest of the content. So a thoughtful alt description of the image is also vital if you want to rank in Google Image Search.

Best practices Image alt-attributes

  • Do your best to optimize the most prominent images (product images, infographics or training images) that are likely to be searched in Google Images.
  • Add alt text on pages with not too much content next to the images.
  • Keep the alt text clear and descriptive enough, use your keywords reasonably and make sure they fit naturally into the overall content of the page.

5. Social media tags

Open Graph meta tags are pieces of code that determine how URLs are displayed when shared on social media.

Ze maken deel uit van het Open Graph-protocol van Facebook en worden ook gebruikt door andere sociale mediasites, waaronder LinkedIn en X (als Twitter Cards ontbreken). 
Je vindt ze in de <head>-sectie van een webpagina. Alle tags met og: voor de naam van een eigenschap zijn Open Graph-tags.

Here are the standard Open Graph tags:

  • og:title - Here you place the title you want it to be displayed when your page is shared on Social media
  • og:url - The URL of your page
  • og:description - The description of your page. Remember then Facebook only displays 300 characters of the description.
  • og:image - The URL of an image you want to show when your page is shared on Social media. 

So by using the correct Open Graph meta tags, you can determine what the social media post looks like, which can increase the number of clicks to your website (CTR).

So meta tags and HTML elements should be a crucial part of your SEO strategy. By using these elements correctly, you increase the chances of your website ranking higher in search engines, attracting more traffic and providing a better user experience. So getting to the top of Google is indeed possible provided you apply the right SEO strategy.

For further optimizations, engaging an SEO expert can be very helpful. The digital matchmakers at vector bross are always ready for a no-obligation consultation!

Engaging an SEO expert?

In this post, we've limited ourselves to the basics of SEO optimization. There are a lot of other optimizations possible, which we would be happy to review with you.

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Stijn Stroobants
Stijn Stroobants
Drupal Backend Developer