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The Wonderful World of SEO Metatags Posted: 28 Nov 2010 01:07 PM PST Posted by Kate Morris Meta tags are the beginning of most SEO training, for better and worse. I contemplated on how to introduce this topic because we always hear the bad part of meta tags, namely the keywords meta tag. One of the first things dissected in any site review is the misuse of meta tags, mainly because they are at the top of every page in the header, therefore the first thing seen. But we don't want to get too negative, meta tags are some of the best tools in a search marketer's repertoire. There are more meta tags than just description and keywords, though those two are picked on the most. I've broken down the most used (in my experience) by the good, the bad and the indifferent. You'll notice that the list gets longer as we get to the bad ones. I didn't get to cover all of the meta tags possible to add, but there is a great Meta Tag resource you should check out if you're interested in what is out there. My main piece of advice is to stick to the core minimum, don't add meta tags you don't need as they just take up code space. The less code you have the better. Think about it like this, your page code is like a set of step by step directions to get somewhere, but for a browser. Extraneous meta tags are the annoying 200 feet line items in directions that tell you to stay on the same road you were on! The Good Meta TagsThese are the meta tags that should be on every page, no matter what. Notice that this is a small list, these are the only two that are required, so if you can work with just these two, please do.
Edited In: I left out the title tag as it doesn't "start" with meta, but it is still technically a meta tag. You should always have a unique title tag on every page that describes the page. Check out this post for more information on title tags. The IndifferentDifferent sites will need to use these in specific circumstances, but if you can go without, please do.
The Bad Meta TagsThere is nothing that will happen to your site if you use these, let me just make that clear. They are a waste of space though, even Google says so (and that was 5-6 years ago!). If you're ready and willing, it might be time for some spring cleaning of your <head> area.
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