What Are Meta Tags & How to use them ?

Meta tags are snippets of HTML code that provide information about a web page’s content to search engines and website visitors. They are located in the head section of a webpage’s HTML and are not visible on the actual page. Meta tags serve various purposes, including helping search engines understand the content and context of a page and influencing how the page is displayed in search results and social media.

Here are some common types of meta tags and how to use them:

1. Title Tag:
   • <title> tags specify the title of a webpage. They are crucial for search engine optimization (SEO) and appear as the clickable link in search engine results. Keep title tags concise, relevant to the page’s content, and unique for each page on your website.
2. <title>Beginner's Guide to Meta Tags | YourWebsite.com</title>
3. Meta Description Tag:
   • The <meta name="description"> tag provides a brief summary of the page’s content. It doesn’t directly affect search rankings but can influence click-through rates. Craft informative, enticing descriptions that encourage users to click on your search result.
   <meta name="description" content="Learn the basics of meta tags and how to use them for better SEO and website visibility." />
4. Meta Keywords Tag (Less Common):
   • The <meta name="keywords"> tag used to be significant for SEO but is now less relevant as search engines have become more sophisticated. If used, it lists keywords related to the page’s content.
   <meta name="keywords" content="meta tags, SEO, website optimization, HTML, search engine ranking" />
5. Meta Robots Tag:
   • The <meta name="robots"> tag instructs search engine bots on how to interact with the page. Common values include “index” (to allow indexing) and “noindex” (to prevent indexing), “follow” (to follow links on the page) and “nofollow” (to not follow links).
   <meta name="robots" content="index, follow" />
6. Canonical Tag:
   • The <link rel="canonical"> tag helps prevent duplicate content issues by specifying the preferred version of a page when multiple versions exist. It aids search engines in understanding which page to rank.
   <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.yourwebsite.com/preferred-page" />
7. Viewport Meta Tag (for mobile optimization):
   • The <meta name="viewport"> tag ensures that a webpage is properly displayed on mobile devices by controlling the viewport’s dimensions and scaling.
   <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />

To use meta tags effectively, ensure they are accurately and appropriately crafted for each page on your website. This will help improve your site’s search engine ranking, click-through rates, and overall user experience. Regularly review and update your meta tags to reflect changes in your content and SEO strategy.