In our last installment of explaining Metadata for a website, we will cover the Keyword Tag. In the past, savvy webmasters and marketers would place many keywords, including words that had nothing to do with their site in this tag. When the databases were small, Search Engines would use the Keyword Tag as a way to index pages. Sometimes, people would abuse this and rise to the top undeservingly. As the databases grew and search engines become more sophisticated, they put a stop to spammers stuffing the Keyword Tag. As a result, there is less weight placed on the Keyword Tag today.

By now I may have convinced you to scrap the keyword Metatag altogether, but that is not my intention. To fully optimize a site, you must use all legitimate SEO practices such as content optimization, link building and Metatag optimization, including the KEYWORD TAG. Search engines use many factors in determining ranking, and as mentioned before, while they place reduced weight on the Keyword Tag, it is still a part of the SEO Big Picture. Below are some tips for writing effective Keyword Tags that are not considered spamming:

• The Keyword Tag should contain only phrases found on the page
• Phrases should be unique to the page
• Primary Keyword Phrase should be listed first
• Target 1 Primary key phrase and 2-3 supporting keyword phrases to put in the tag
• Every phrase in the tag should appear on the page
• Separate keywords with a comma and use no more than 12 phrases per page.

Things not to do when writing Keyword Tags include:
• Keyword Stuffing – repeating keywords over and over in the tag
• Place unrelated keywords in the tag – This is putting possibly high volume search terms in the tag that have nothing to do with the content of your site in hopes of tricking the search engines

By following these simple steps, you will be well on your way to writing Keyword Tags that will help with the SEO big picture of your site.

In our next installment of optimizing Meta Data for a website, we look at the Description Tag. This tag is often the first description of a page the Search Engines and searchers will see. The Search Engines will see it when they crawl the page, and the searchers will see it when they have results displayed in the search results. If this tag is not utilized or left blank, the Search Engines will go else where on the site to find information to give to users in the search results, which means you have no control of what the searcher sees. By writing effective Description Tags, you have the chance to tell the Search Engines, and searcher what your specific page is about.

Tips for writing Effective Description Tags
When writing Description Tags, it is important to keep the searcher in mind. Writing unique and descriptive tags will help convert lookers to clickers. Research what is being displayed for your targeted keyword and then write a description that is appealing and different from the others displayed. This can be difficult so here are some quick tips to help in the process:

• Include Keywords – 2 times if possible. If two times doesn’t make sense or is not readable, don’t force it, once will do.
• Be Unique – What makes you different from your competition? Highlight these aspects in your Description Tag. It is also important to make it unique from all of the other pages on your site. Each page needs a different Description Tag.
• Be Creative – This is your chance to capture your target audience. Think about whom that is and write your tag in a way that will engage them.
• Limit to 180 Characters including spaces.

Like other Meta Tags, Description Tags are just a piece of the SEO pie. You are now one step closer to having a more optimized website.

When it comes to optimizing your website, there are a lot of things you need to do to compete with the big boys. You must make sure that you have proper metatag structure, relevant page copy, a strategic linking plan, up-to-date search engine friendly web design, proper site architecture, a blog, videos, social media and much much, more. Discouraged yet? Don’t be. Let’s take it one step at a time. First, pick a keyword, and just one keyword for your page. For the sake of conciseness, I am saving how to pick a keyword for another post.

This is an important step, because in most cases this will be the first thing the search engine AND the searcher sees regarding your site information. The title tag should contain your keyword and some supporting words to describe what will be on the page. If your keyword happens to be “Ski Boots”, you will want to include that and make it clickable. Something like “Men’s Ski Boots for Sale” would be a good title. This is good for both the searcher and the search engine, as it tells both exactly what someone will find on the page.

Quick and Dirty Tips

• Include Keyword
• Make it Clickable – Think “why would someone want to click on it”
• Unique – Make it different from all of your other pages and competitor’s websites. Perform some searches for your keywords and see what comes up.
• Limit to 70 Characters with spaces.

Title tags, as well as metatags in general are only a small piece of the SEO pie. Stay tuned for more help with metatags, keyword targeting and content optimization tips.