Meta tags play a crucial role in improving the visibility of your website on search engines and social media platforms like Facebook. You don’t need to be a tech expert to add meta tags. Follow this simple guide to help you through the process!
1. What Are Meta Tags?
Meta tags are snippets of HTML code that provide information about your website to search engines and social media platforms. There are different types of meta tags:
- Title Tag: Defines the title of the page.
- Meta Description: A brief summary of the page.
- Meta Keywords: Lists keywords relevant to the page (though not used much anymore by search engines).
- Open Graph Tags: Used by social media platforms like Facebook to control how your page appears when shared.
2. Where to Add Meta Tags?
Meta tags are placed in the <head>
section of your HTML file. This section does not appear on the webpage but contains information for browsers and search engines.
Here’s a basic structure of an HTML document:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Your Page Title</title>
</head>
<body>
<!-- Your page content goes here -->
</body>
</html>
You’ll be adding meta tags within the <head>
section.
3. Adding Meta Tags for Search Engines
Title Tag
The title tag appears in search results and is one of the most important factors for SEO. Keep it between 50-60 characters.
<title>Your Page Title – Main Keywords</title>
Meta Description
The meta description is a short summary of your page. It’s displayed under the title in search results, encouraging users to click. Keep it between 150-160 characters.
<meta name="description" content="A brief description of your page that includes keywords.">
Meta Keywords (Optional)
While not used much by search engines today, you can still add meta keywords if desired.
<meta name="keywords" content="keyword1, keyword2, keyword3">
4. Adding Meta Tags for Social Media (Open Graph Tags)
Open Graph (OG) tags help social media platforms like Facebook understand how to display your content when it’s shared.
OG Title
This is the title that will appear when someone shares your page on social media.
<meta property="og:title" content="Your Page Title">
OG Description
This is the description that appears below the title on social media.
<meta property="og:description" content="A description of your page for social media platforms.">
OG URL
This is the URL of the page being shared.
<meta property="og:url" content="https://www.yourwebsite.com/page">
OG Image
This is the image that appears when your page is shared on social media. Ensure the image is at least 1200 x 630 pixels for best results.
<meta property="og:image" content="https://www.yourwebsite.com/image.jpg">
5. Testing Your Meta Tags
Once you’ve added your meta tags, it’s important to check how they appear:
- For Facebook: Use the Facebook Sharing Debugger to see how your meta tags will appear when shared.
- For Google: Use the Google Search Console to verify how your pages are indexed.
6. Tips for Best Results
- Keep your title and meta description concise and relevant.
- Use keywords naturally in your title and description, but avoid keyword stuffing.
- Ensure the OG image is clear and visually appealing.
7. Updating Meta Tags in Website Builders
If you’re using a website builder like WordPress or Shopify, you can easily add meta tags without touching code:
- WordPress: Use an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or All in One SEO Pack. These plugins offer easy fields to add titles, descriptions, and social media settings.
- Shopify: Go to your Shopify admin panel, navigate to “Online Store” > “Preferences,” and add the meta tags in the SEO section.
By following these steps, you can effectively add meta tags to your website to improve visibility on search engines and social media platforms without needing to know too much about coding.