How to write the Title and Description meta tags correctly

What are meta tags and what are they used for

The promotion of the site allows you to attract the maximum possible number of customers, increase sales of goods and services, and occupy the first positions in search engines. Without optimization, even the brightest and most well-designed web resource can not break through among competitors.Optimization is built from various components. The main elements of internal optimization are meta tags. Without meta-tags, the site’s SEO will be incomplete: search engines simply do not understand for which query the site should be displayed and what information it can offer visitors.The expression “meta tags” is used to understand tags in HTML format, which show structured meta-data about a specific page and the resource in general to search engines. They are placed at the beginning of the code in the block.The advantages of correctly filled meta tags are the priority in publishing and attracting a new audience. Robots know what tags are and where they are located, and first of all, they refer to them, read the data, and try to determine what topic the site belongs to and whether it corresponds to the user’s request. The more relevant the information, the higher the position it is allowed to occupy.

Meta tags are divided into three categories: 

• Meta Title;
• Description;
• Keywords.

Each of them is either registered independently in the block, if the site is handwritten, or entered in specially designated fields in the admin panel. Any modern CMS (ModX, DataLife Engine, OpenCart, WordPress, Bitrix, etc.) has sections or plugins for introducing meta tags, so any domain owner can handle this type of optimization.

What is a Title and how to write it correctly

Each tab in the browser has its short text – it is the Title, by which the user easily understands the content of the page. Its other name is the Title tag.The Title is displayed not only in the browser, it can be seen on the pages of search engines. It is the top line that contains the answer to the user’s request. After that, the site address and a certain part of the text are indicated.The main task of the Title is to give a comprehensive Description of the content of the page with the mandatory inclusion of a key query.

How to write the Title meta tag correctly

1. Make sentences of moderate length – no more than 80 symbols, but no less than 40. Some plugins have their own rules for writing Titles. There is no formally established size. Search engines simply cut off too long text, which looks unaesthetic.
2. The Title meta tag must be unique. It is impossible to achieve 100% uniqueness, especially when it comes to products. It is about the fact that there should not be two identical headers within the same web resource.
3. Do not use the same word more than once. It can be seen as an attempt to manipulate search results.
4. Keywords fit into the Title meta tag. It is advisable to insert popular high-frequency queries at the beginning of the offer. You need to choose keys depending on the content: it is unacceptable to enter queries that do not correspond to the content because search engines make conclusions about the content based on the Title.
5. The name of the site should not be repeated in the meta tag, even if it contains important keys. Google already takes it into account when analyzing the page.
6. Heading meta tags must be entered in the code in the block. If the Title is entered through the plugin, it will be entered into the code automatically.

The best headlines are meaningful and informative. You should not form the Title from solid keys. Users are unlikely to want to go to a page whose name is unclear to them, even if it is in the TOP.

What is a Description and what are the recommendations for writing it

As a rule, novice optimizers do not know what a Description is because they cannot find it on the site page. After all, unlike the Title, it is invisible in the browser.A Description is simply a more detailed Description of the page, which can be found in Google output. It contains detailed information about the thematic components, a product or service, and an invitation to make a purchase; or contact the company.The Description meta tag gives search engines a complete understanding of what the user can find on the page. If it is an article, what is the topic? If a section of the store, what assortment is offered? If it is a product, what is its model, year of manufacture, and price?

How to create a Description meta tag:

1. Make a brief Description of the content. The length of the Title and Description is different: for the Description, the text can be expanded to 170-300 symbols, including signs and spaces. Some CMS automatically truncate texts longer than 300 symbols.
2. The Title and Description must be different from each other and keywords, h1, h2, and alt tags. The meta Description shouldn’t repeat fragments of the text published on the corresponding page.
3. You can and should insert relevant keyword queries into the Description meta tag. High frequencies should be placed in the first part of the Description and used only once.
4. Each Description is created uniquely for a specific site.
5. The Description can carry an advertising component and demonstrate advantages (in the case of services) and benefits (in the case of goods) for a potential visitor.

How to optimize meta tags

Meta-tags Title and Description are important elements of internal optimization, so the question of their registration should be approached responsibly.First, the necessary keywords are selected. You can use the semantic core or special services (Google Ads). For example, high-frequency inquiries about the repair of apartments in the Kyiv region can be as follows:

• Repair of apartments;
• Kyiv apartment renovation;
• price for apartment repair;
• Repair of turnkey apartments, etc.

In the meta tags for the site, you should specify the one key most relevant to the section. The Title may look like this: The renovation of apartments on a turnkey basis: order a service in Kyiv.If a specific district is being promoted, it is recommended to make several sections and write the name of the district in the Title of each of them.For the Description, you can take medium-frequency requests and those that did not fit into the Title. At the same time, the main keys are duplicated. The text is made more complete and understandable. You can specify the prices and the deadline for the work, write about promotions and discounts, and specify the phone number and address.There is nothing complicated in composing meta tags: you just need to follow the basic principles and create the semantic core correctly.