Search Engine Optimization: Tags

Besides page content, there are several areas on a web page in which important keywords should be included.

Title Tag

The title tag on a web page is the single most important source for keywords used by search engines. It is recommended to use not only the title for your site and page, but short description of your site including any critical keywords. 6 to 12 words is optimal.

Meta Tags

Meta tags are embedded descriptions and keywords that are transparent to the end-user, but will be picked up by search engine spiders. When optimizing your site, there are two meta tags to keep in mind:

Of the two, the meta description is far more important. It is recommended to include a brief, but informative description of your site, repeating keywords as many times as possible.

Meta keywords are not relied on by search engines much anymore. It is recommended to still use them as some search engines still index them, but they are not critical.

Alt Tags

Alt tags are alternate text for images that displays before an image loads and also when the mouse hovers over the image. In general, it is a good idea to use alt tags regardless and they have the advantage that they can accommodate critical key words for your site.

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