Tags in the digital world can mean a number of things - meta tags, hashtags, analytics tags or even HTML tags to name a few. They all mean different things as well and sometimes, professionals tend to complicate matters even more by using different words to mean the same thing.
Given that tags can mean several things, we will discuss website tags in this article and how they contribute to building your site’s web presence. We will also cover the most important SEO tags that you should optimize to boost your visibility on relevant searches. As a leading internet company, Strikingly makes it easier for you to optimize your website tags to help you get a good start on your SEO strategy. It has a built-in SEO tool so you can edit key areas in your content including your title tags, image alt tags and meta description.
What are website tags?
Web tags are commonly used to collect website information. On websites they are typically used to provide structure and give order to content. Certain HTML tags such as H1 tags serve as specific instructions as to how a browser should display the content they contain.
Meta tags are another type of tags that are used to contain data about the site’s content. Search engines and even website visitors use the information that they provide to further understand what a page is about.
Meta tags make it easy for a search engine to determine what your site is about and whether or not it is relevant to a given search query. In an HTML document, you will most likely see these tags enclosed in the
section. This same information also comes up on search engine results pages for queries relevant to your site content so users will also see this snippet about your site.Why are they important?
Meta tags in particular are important because they are designed to offer a good overview of what your website is about to users who find your page through search engine results. Meta tags are the first things that users will typically see about your site when they come from search engines so you want to make a good first impression by optimizing them well.
Users want to make sure that they are clicking through a link that can provide them with the information they are looking for. By optimizing your meta tags to contain a proper description of your page, you are setting the right expectations and bringing targeted traffic to your website. As search engines prioritize user experience in rankings, those that have misleading title tags and meta descriptions tend to rank lower partly because of their high bounce rates (which happens when people end up leaving their sites prematurely because they did not see what they expected to find in the content).
Some types of tags such as image tags and H1 tags ensure that your site is also easy to navigate - another indicator of a good user experience. Using them appropriately on your site makes users happy because it allows them to digest content easily, and it keeps your pages in the good graces of search engines in effect.
Important tags for site optimization
1. Title tags
The title tag should give a preview of what your page is about. It should be clear and descriptive but it shouldn’t be too long. Ideally, you want to stick to about 55 characters including spaces for your website title. You can include a target keyword to add value but make sure that you don’t sacrifice coherence. Having a keyword in your title doesn’t necessarily translate to improved results.
2. Meta description
Aside from the title tag, the meta description also appears on search engine results pages so it is just as important to optimize this area. Again, it should provide an accurate overview of your page, highlighting the key points of your content. In the past, the optimum length for meta descriptions is 150-165 characters although with recent developments, Google has been known to display longer snippets of this tag. We do recommend that you craft your meta description in a way that the first part emphasizes the most important points of your webpage.
On Strikingly, you can edit your website title tag and meta description by going to Settings > Basic Info.
3. Image alt tags
Optimizing images and media files on your website is another key component of effective SEO. It gives your site another opportunity to rank well in relevant search results. Image tags ensure that there is an alternative text that comes up in the event that the web image doesn’t load - as may be the case for slower internet connections - and for cases where the user has accessibility issues and uses a screenreader to browse through your website. Having said that, while it’s okay to add a targeted keyword into your alt tags for images, we also advise against keyword stuffing because this could affect the user experience for visually impaired web users.
4. Header tags
Headers break your content into easily digestible bits, improving readability and, in effect, the user experience. They can also give search engines a good understanding of what your site is about, and the main topic of your page. Use them to introduce each section of your page but be careful not to overuse these tags - particularly the H1 and H2 tags which can overwhelm your users. Ideally, you want to use only one H1 tag in a page while other subheadings can be in H2 or H3 tags depending on the level of importance of the content.
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