As virtually all website owners know, although meta tags are not essential, most websites have a minimum of three; a title meta tag, a keyword meta tag, and a description meta tag.
The title tag, as you would guess from its name, contains the title of the website. The title can be, and often is, different than the headline at the top of the website that visitors actually see. The headline on a site might read, "Online Education", for instance, while the title meta tag contains the words, "Distance Education & Online Graduate Degrees". Actually, nearly all of the best optimized websites do have different on-page and meta tag titles.
The reason for the difference is that the website headline (also called the on-page title) is designed to summarize the content of the page for visitors. The in tag title, on the other hand, may be used to influence the way in which search engines index the site. Although many website owners choose a title for use in their meta tag without much thought, it can be critically important.
If you believe otherwise, do a search for any term you wish. Then look at the title tags of the sites ranking in the top ten. Guess what you'll find there? Right, the term for which you searched.
Google, Yahoo, and MSN seem to ignore the keyword meta tag, perhaps because of the way it has been misused in the past. However, webmasters should not ignore the keyword tag because many of the smaller search engines and numerous directories factor it into their indexing and/or ranking algorithms.
The description meta tag does not factor into search engine rankings. But, some search engines and directories use the copy in the tag to describe the site to potential visitors. As a result, the difference between gaining and losing a visitor may be what your description tag says about your site.
Too many website owners spend little or no time on meta tags. Even experienced online marketers, who should know better, minimize their importance. Don't make the same mistake.
The title tag, as you would guess from its name, contains the title of the website. The title can be, and often is, different than the headline at the top of the website that visitors actually see. The headline on a site might read, "Online Education", for instance, while the title meta tag contains the words, "Distance Education & Online Graduate Degrees". Actually, nearly all of the best optimized websites do have different on-page and meta tag titles.
The reason for the difference is that the website headline (also called the on-page title) is designed to summarize the content of the page for visitors. The in tag title, on the other hand, may be used to influence the way in which search engines index the site. Although many website owners choose a title for use in their meta tag without much thought, it can be critically important.
If you believe otherwise, do a search for any term you wish. Then look at the title tags of the sites ranking in the top ten. Guess what you'll find there? Right, the term for which you searched.
Google, Yahoo, and MSN seem to ignore the keyword meta tag, perhaps because of the way it has been misused in the past. However, webmasters should not ignore the keyword tag because many of the smaller search engines and numerous directories factor it into their indexing and/or ranking algorithms.
The description meta tag does not factor into search engine rankings. But, some search engines and directories use the copy in the tag to describe the site to potential visitors. As a result, the difference between gaining and losing a visitor may be what your description tag says about your site.
Too many website owners spend little or no time on meta tags. Even experienced online marketers, who should know better, minimize their importance. Don't make the same mistake.
About the Author:
Andrea Morgan is a small business owner and graduate student whose interests include online degree programs, career education for adults, and scholarships for online college students.
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