10 HTML Attributes For SEO & Why They Matter
Title Tag
The title tag is one of the most essential HTML meta tags for SEO. It is found at the top of the browser tab, which is also the main heading of the actual page.
The title tag appears as the headline in search results; thus, an accurate, concise title can positively influence click-through rates.
The title tag should:
– Describe the content of the page with as much precision as possible
– Be convincing but not misleading
– Include specific keywords where relevant
-Contain no more than 60 characters
Meta Description
The meta description states the general topic of the page. It also offers a brief description of the content on that page. Meta descriptions are not a ranking factor anymore, but they are displayed in search results as snippets.
A compelling meta description can:
– Increase click-through rates to make the searchers click
– Better define user expectations regarding the content
– Include keywords to emphasize the relevance of the page
Meta descriptions should be brief, and the optimal length should be 150 to 160 characters. Anything beyond this may be cut off by search engines when displaying the results of a particular search made by a user.
Header Tags
Header tags (H1 to H6) define web page’s content structure and layout. Thus, the H1 tag is considered more important for SEO.
Proper use of header tags can:
– Provide access for disabled users
– Enhance readability
– Make the search engine understand what text is most important and signal it
In an ideal world, any page should ideally have only one H1 heading containing keyword-optimized text. The H1 should then be supported by various subheadings within the lower levels.
Image Alt Text
The alt attribute describes the content of images and is used to convey images to individuals with disabilities. When an image is incorrectly displayed, the alt text helps the visitor (and the search engine) understand the content.
Compelling image alt text:
– Describes the picture in words
– Contains keywords, where appropriate
– Makes it more accessible for physically challenged clients to access the services offered by the organizations.
Alt text also provides search engines with more textual information to crawl and index on the webpages containing many images.
Link Anchor Text
Link description stands for the text used in the hyperlink and is clickable. This text describes the link and informs users and other search engines about the URL it leads to.
Strategic anchor text placement helps with:
– Click-through rates—they are influenced because the AdWords give users a sneak preview of the destination pages
– User experience, identified via descriptive cues
– Crawling and indexing of relevant information on the page
If it makes sense, keywords should be placed as text for the link. However, do not over-optimize anchor text links to be exact matches of the keywords you want to rank for.
URL Structure
Organic and well-structured URLs in a hierarchical manner enable easy navigation for users and are SEO-friendly.
Some best practices include:
– Brief and specific titles of the pages
– Using hyphens (-) instead of underscores (_)
– Lowercase letters
– Consistent site structure where possible
Well-constructed URLs are also more easily interpreted by search engines compared to poorly constructed URLs. People also get more information about the contents of the page from the URL that they glance at.
rel= “nofollow” Attribute
The rel= “nofollow” attribute can be added to links to tell search engines they shouldn’t transfer “link juice” or ranking abilities to the linked pages.
This is useful for:
– When some of them include comments
– Such things as paid links and advertising
– Affiliate links
By using “nofollow,” you avoid granting undeserving spam sites and low quality pages with a boost in your site’s credibility.
Schema Markup
Schema markup employs code snippets to describe complicated data entities such as events, products, reviews, recipes, etc. By adding schema, you provide search engines with additional information about the content of the page.
Benefits include:
– Additional and detailed search previews known as “structured data”
– A better chance of getting featured content
– Higher click-through rate from Google snippets
There are over 700 schema types. Including more related schema is a wise search engine optimization (SEO) tactic for pages that contain a lot of content.
Open Graph Meta Tags
The open graph meta tags can be used to decide what is displayed when a URL is shared on social media sites. It also holds additional information for crawlers, similar to schema.
These unique meta tags can define:
– Share images/headlines
– Page descriptions
– Site names
Open Graph Meta Tags that are well optimized lead to high CTR on social shares. They also save one from having to type the same site title or even representing the URL link in a boring manner when sharing it.
robots.txt File
Robots.txt is a file that provides directions to the crawlers and the search engines. It describes areas of a site for access, prohibition, and spidering with care.
Reasons to use robots.txt include:
– Blocking troublesome pages
– Preserving crawl budget
– Avoiding the problem of duplication
However, overall access to the site should remain open; robots.txt directives can complement individual URLs and enhance SEO productivity.
Bill Yeager, Co-Owner of High Point SEO & Marketing in CT
