What are Meta Tags and Why Do I Need Them?
by: Enzo F. Cesario | Print View
Related YouTube Video:
There is no other way to put it; the World Wide Web is big business. As an example, you only have to look at the phenomenal success of the online bookstore, Amazon. In 2008, Amazon brought in over nineteen billion dollars in income, yet only required an operating budget of approximately eight hundred and fifty million dollars. It really is no surprise to anyone then that more businesses are investing in expanded web presence and capability. Yet, not every organization has the same successes. Barnes and Noble was selling books online before Amazon was even an idea, and yet it isn't Barnes and Noble that people think of when considering online bookstores, it's Amazon. The key? Amazon took greater advantage of the opportunity to effectively market their product.
Search Engines, Spiders and Websites, Oh My
The most important and often least understood tool for online marketers is the search engine. The primary type of search engine is the web crawler - these are largely automated programs that crawl through available web pages, indexing data according to a variety of parameters. In short, the crawler, or spider, examines each page of a website. Once it has examined the page, it submits it to an index. Then, when a person uses the search engine software, the index provides links to these pages, ranked according to relevance. It is worth mentioning two other points. First, not all engines index the same way. Some use keyword density; others focus on the content of the first paragraph. Second, any changes to a webpage are likely to affect search rankings, so webmasters must carefully consider each change and its possible effects.
I Never Meta Tag I Didn't Like
One important part of preparing a page for good search engine rankings is effective use of HTML meta-tags. These tags do not directly relate to the position a site will have in a search result, but they do offer webmasters some control over the way their sites are presented when they come up in a search. In brief, meta-tags are additional bits of code added to the head of your HTML document, right after "TITLE." Because of the tendency for unscrupulous coders to find and abuse loopholes in search technologies, search engines do not rely heavily on these tags for rankings. Their benefits to web users are important, however.
First, there is the Meta Description tag. This is a brief report about the content of the webpage in question. When a search engine presents users with a hyperlink, there is frequently a small description accompanying that result. In many cases, that is the Meta Description tag the Webmaster put in the HTML document so that when a spider visits the site, it indexes this information. This is not always the case, however; Google in particular will generate its own description for a site.
The Meta Description is often the first piece of information someone using a search engine will see. The URL may not mean anything to them, but this description will. If it is poorly written, the user will likely skim right past the site for one that presents itself more effectively. Thus, the key is effective, concise writing that conveys exactly what the site is about.
The second tag is the Meta Keywords tag. This tag is a list of keywords the Webmaster considers most pertinent to each page. Proper use of the keywords tag is also vital. While search engines use a variety of keyword systems, and have in recent years de-emphasized the Meta Keywords tag, it still contributes to website rankings and should not be neglected. The best method is to examine each page carefully, and pick approximately ten keywords that best represent the data therein. Too many nonspecific keywords will lead to inconsistent search results, and too few means missing an opportunity to get a message in front of users. In addition, many sites are actively on the lookout for keyword abuse. Google in particular is known to ban certain pages from its index entirely if they consider the article to be an abusive, loophole-seeking piece.
There are other, less relevant tags that can provide some benefits, though they aren't as important as the previous two. An example is the Robots tag, which is only useful in making sure certain sites do not index a particular page. This can help a Webmaster keep their content from being associated with undesirable elements, but it does not contribute directly to higher search placement.
No Meta Tag is an Island
Once again, it must be stressed that meta-tags are not a magical solution to the very complex problem of online marketing. They must be regarded as one tool in an inventory of other tools, and should be used responsibly. Properly implemented, they will help complete an effective marketing strategy.
About the Author
Enzo F. Cesario is a Copywriter and co-founder of Brandsplat. Brandcasting uses informative content and state-of-the-art Internet distribution and optimization to build links and drive the right kind of traffic to your website. The approach is simple, highly effective and affordable. Visit our website to learn more about how we can deliver higher traffic and more profits to your website. Go to www.Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at: www.brandsplatblog.com
NOTICE: Even though we review and approve every article in our Library prior to publishing it on BuildThe.com - we do invite and accept articles from 3rd party contributors in the hopes of sharing the broadest range of views and information with our readers as is possible. Because of this, it must be noted that any external links contained within an article in our Library or in the Author's Information area have not been inspected--nor are endorsed--by anyone from BuildThe.com
Comments 
Sat, 3 Sep 2011 at 9:27 AM, by
Guest
xenical sin receta medica cgho54fghntra xenical dehdfdghehe xenical en espana fhdn xenical precio mexico gfhdiorghante xenical pastillas iyuia comprar xenical barato gfhdiorghante xenical generico precio tror precio xenical en argentina uyudet xenical con receta medica bajoiui xenical adelgazar cafhdbe dosis xenical tror xenical bajar de peso fhdn xenical 120 mg capsulas duras orlistat en venta xenical roche cafhdbe venta xenical mexico dehdfdghehe xenical capsulas dehdfdghehe xenical pastillas adelgazantes fhdn pastillas xenical roche tetsobiufrghre xenical precio mexico cgho54fghntra precio xenical 2011 tror precio xenical en farmacias en cuanto cuesta xenical en mexico bajoiui xenical precio en argentina uyudet pastillas xenical para bajar peso dehdfdghehe xenical componentes fhdn xenical comprimidos tror xenical 120 mg precio gfhdiorghante donde comprar xenical madrid tetsobiufrghre xenical necesita receta dehdfdghehe xenical comprar espana tetsobiufrghre contraindicaciones del xenical uyudet efectos secundarios xenical cafhdbe Precio xenical chile dehdfdghehe xenical farmacias del ahorro en pastillas xenical tetsobiufrghre xenical precio en venezuela cgho54fghntra xenical vademecum tror xenical dieta fhdn cuanto cuesta xenical fhdn precio xenical peru tetsobiufrghre xenical receta medica cgho54fghntra xenical generico precio en xenical generico mexico iyuia xenical generico comprar en xenical 120 mg capsulas fhdn xenical sin receta medica dehdfdghehe vendo xenical 2011 dehdfdghehe xenical generico comprar fhdn precio xenical en mexico gfhdiorghante xenical precio en espana iyuia que es xenical de roche cafhdbe xenical y embarazo tror xenical precio en espana cgho54fghntra comprar xenical en argentina fhdn vendo xenical chile uyudet xenical cuanto cuesta en xenical sin receta espana iyuia dietas para xenical fhdn vendo xenical chile fhdn xenical generico chile dehdfdghehe precio xenical farmacias ahumada cafhdbe xenical pastillas adelgazantes tror xenical comprar espana bajoiui xenical venta mexico iyuia xenical comprar barcelona dehdfdghehe xenical generico argentina gfhdiorghante xenical en farmacias uyudet xenical componentes fhdn dieta xenical roche bajoiui xenical generico en venezuelacal en espana tetsobiufrghre xenical pastillas para adelgazar bajoiui xenical roche espana uyudet xenical generico precio tetsobiufrghre xenical andorra precio fhdn comprar xenical en argentina iyuia xenical generico argentina cafhdbe comprar orlistat 120 mg tror xenical andorra fhdn cuanto cuesta xenical en argentina fhdn precio xenical andorra iyuia precio xenical en farmacias tetsobiufrghre xenical precio en peru dehdfdghehe comprar xenical orlistat gfhdiorghante venta xenical espana bajoiui xenical roche precio tror comprar xenical sin receta tetsobiufrghre xenical donde comprar dehdfdghehe precio xenical en farmacias bajoiui comprar orlistat generico bajoiui xenical generico comprar cafhdbe xenical generico precio uyudet comprar xenical andorra fhdn xenical pastillas para adelgazarpleo iyuia xenical medicamento bajoiui xenical 120 mg roche dehdfdghehe xenical 120 mg efectos en orlistat comprar barcelona gfhdiorghante precio xenical andorra dehdfdghehe xenical pastillas adelgazantes cgho54fghntra comprar xenical orlistat iyuia
Wed, 1 Jun 2011 at 5:36 AM, by
Guest
levitra
en
levitra precio farmacia
en
comprar levitra generico
sobre
dosis levitra
desde
Comprar levitra generico en espana
de
medicamento levitra
sobre
Cuanto cuesta levitra
de
comprar levitra generico en espana
hasta
levitra precio bayer
sobre
levitra 10 mg generico
desde
levitra 20 mg bayer
en
levitra venta
hasta
levitra precio en farmacia
а
que es levitra 10 mg
hasta
venta levitra
de
comprar levitra generico
hasta
levitra 20 mg precio
contra
levitra precio mexico
segun
levitra 20 mg bayer
bajo
precio levitra 10
con
Levitra bayer comprar
en
comprar levitra barata
en
levitra precio en argentina
desde
pastillas levitra
segun
levitra prospecto
de
levitra para mujeres
desde
comprar levitra en espana
por
precio levitra con receta
sobre
que es levitra 10 mg
desde
Levitra precio
Wed, 1 Jun 2011 at 3:28 AM, by
Guest
levitra precio
sobre
levitra efectos
en
levitra indicaciones
contra
levitra precio mexico
desde
levitra precio bayer
de
dosis levitra
desde
que es levitra 20 mg
desde
levitra venta en mexico
con
que es levitra y para que sirve
en
levitra 10 mg generico
cabe
comprar levitra generico
entre
levitra duracion
pero
levitra dosis recomendada
desde
levitra 20 mg bayer
bajo
que es levitra
de
levitra informacion
hasta
comprar levitra generico
а
levitra 20 mg precio
sin
Levitra 20 mg generico
de
cuanto cuesta levitra en mexico
entre
levitra sin receta
con
levitra sin receta
pro
comprar levitra barata
de
levitra precio farmacia
segun
comprar levitra en espana
desde
comprar levitra generico
entre
levitra sin receta
sobre
precio levitra 20 mg
con
donde comprar levitra generico
entre
donde comprar levitra