Tags: What They Are and How They Improve Website Rankings
Tags are special labels that identify and categorize online content. These labels serve as annotations, briefly describing the material's content and making it easier for users to understand.
Below, we’ll take a closer look at what tags are, why they are important, and how they improve your website's position in search rankings.
What is a tag
Tags, similar to keywords, succinctly reflect the essence of content, whether it's text, images, videos, or audio. This helps users easily find what they need.
A specific type of tag used in social networks is the hashtag. These are added by followers or community admins to posts, and we'll discuss them further below.
Websites and email newsletters use two types of tags: user-facing and technical. A user-facing tag is meant for people, allowing them to click and navigate to the content they are interested in.
Technical tags are hidden from regular visitors and are used by coders and developers. These tags help manage the appearance of web pages and emails while remaining invisible to users.
What types of tags exist
In the online space, the word "tag" is applied to various but related concepts. Below are the main meanings in which the term is used:
1. HTML tags
HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is a markup language used to create web pages. It defines the structure and content of the page, including headings, tables, images, and other elements.
Frontend developers and web designers use HTML to create intuitive pages that display correctly across various browsers.
When a page loads, the browser interprets the HTML code to properly display the content. HTML markup acts as an instruction, indicating how to interpret each page element and how to visualize it.
HTML tags are one of the core elements of the language. The markup of an HTML page consists of tags that enclose the content.
For example:
<tag> your text </tag>
The first tag opens the text, and the second tag closes it. The second tag has a slash before the name.
HTML contains many tags. Some are designed for logical structuring of content, such as paragraphs, while others influence the visual formatting, such as bold or underlined text.
HTML tags form the foundation of most web pages, and while they are not commonly seen by users, the result of their work is visible daily. To see this, simply right-click and select "View page source."
Altcraft page layout
Here are a few examples of simple tags used in website layout (of course, this is not a complete list):
<b></b>— makes the text bold.
<i></i>
— makes the text oblique.
<u></u>
— adds an underline below the text.
<div></div>
— aligns content blocks and places them on the page.
<h1></h1>
— used for the main page heading, which should be unique.
<h2></h2>
— used for subheadings that define content sections.
<section></section>
— used to create logically structured blocks of content, such as sections on a news website (news lists, categories, etc.).
2. Meta tags
Meta tags are special code blocks that contain valuable information about a webpage. These informational beacons serve as guides for browsers and search engines, and regular users can see them too.
The metadata stored in meta tags briefly describe the page’s content, theme, and other important characteristics. With this information, browsers display the page correctly, and search engines index and rank it appropriately in search results.
Here are some SEO tags:
Title tag — this is a short, concise title of a web page. Site visitors see it as the tab’s name. When searching for the page on Google or Yandex, its title in the search results will match the title tag. The recommended length is around 50-60 characters.
The title of the tab is the Title tag
Description tag — this is a more detailed description of the page compared to the title tag. The description can be longer and consist of several sentences. In some cases, search engines use it to describe the page in search results (though sometimes they display random text from the site). The maximum length is 160 characters (anything longer will be cut off by Google).
A page description
Keywords tag — this is a set of words reflecting the content of the page. In the past, search engines actively used them to understand the page’s theme, but now their impact on ranking is minimal.
3. Hashtags
On social networks, you can add special labels (#hashtags) to posts. These are short phrases starting with a hashtag symbol, which users can search for posts on similar topics. Hashtags are usually written together in the language of your choice. Sometimes, underscores are used to separate words for better readability.
Here are a few examples of hashtags: #cdp_platform, #marketing, #ilovecats.
Example of a post with the hashtag
4. Tag cloud
This is a visually designed block that was commonly found on websites in the past. While its use has become less frequent, the term and concept have persisted.
A tag cloud is a list of tags used on a website. The tags are displayed in a "cloud" of text, which is how it got its name. When you hover over the cloud, the tags may move, and clicking on a tag opens a page with a list of entries related to the selected topic.
5. Topic tags
Many websites and forums use tags — topic-specific keywords. They act like signposts, helping users quickly find the information they need. Unlike hashtags, which are written directly in the text, tags are placed separately. On some sites, users create their own tags, while other platforms provide a predefined list.
What tags are used for
In the early days of the internet, forum sections and topics served as prototypes for tags—they conveniently divided content into groups. Users easily found what interested them and continued discussions in threads.
However, with the rise of marketplaces and social networks, where the number of users and content grew significantly, this system became ineffective. That’s when tags took over. Here are the functions they serve:
Tags organize content. They become clickable links, allowing users to quickly find all posts on a particular topic. A single piece of content can be tagged with multiple tags for more accurate classification.
Tags also ensure proper information display. They allow programs to correctly render files, show page titles, and provide other important information. For example, music file tags contain details about the artist, album, and song title.
They improve search efficiency. Tags enrich a website with keywords. This helps search engine bots better match pages with user queries, ultimately improving search results.
Tags determine visual formatting. Thanks to tags, websites and pages display correctly. Tags set the layout of page elements, their size, spacing, and other visual parameters.
Who needs tags
Let's break down who works with tags.
If they are HTML tags:
Markup specialists create the structure and appearance of the site based on HTML markup.
Frontend developers program the functionality and interactivity of the site.
Content managers sometimes work with HTML code to make simple changes to the site's structure and design.
If they are meta-tags:
Marketers use meta-tags to promote the website and increase its visibility.
SEO specialists optimize meta-tags to improve the site's ranking in search engines.
Copywriters create meta-tags that are appealing to both users and search engines.
Content managers edit meta-tags for optimization.
Want to know how to promote sites with SEO? Read the article "SEO Optimization: What It Is and How It Works" to learn which methods are legitimate and which are not.
If they are other types of tags:
- They are accessible to a wide range of people. Any user can use tags for various purposes, such as categorizing content or adding hashtags to posts on social media.
How to properly use meta tags
We’ve already discussed the types of meta tags: title, description, and keywords. But how do you use them correctly? Let's go over a few basic rules for using such tags.
Title (headline)
Add keywords — 2-3 are enough.
Start with the main query so that search engines understand what the page is about.
Include the region if you're promoting a site locally.
Avoid unnecessary words — use prepositions minimally.
Aim for clarity and simplicity — the fewer punctuation marks and special symbols, the better. Many use vertical bars in headlines, but it's best to avoid them.
Use numbers to grab attention.
Each page needs its own unique title.
Description
A detailed page description (meta description) serves as a complement to the title and should contain useful information for the user. Keywords in the description can and should be used, but do not repeat your title. The optimal length for the description is 70-160 characters, including spaces.
The text should be easy to read, free of errors, and convey all necessary information.
Highlight the main points immediately. Place the most attractive benefits of your offer at the beginning of the description to capture the user's interest right away.
Play with keyword phrases. Don’t hesitate to change their order, modify words, or mix in synonyms. The key is to maintain a natural sound in the text.
Use variable values, such as the number of products or the size of a bonus. This makes the description more dynamic — search engines appreciate that.
Just like titles, the descriptions of each page on the site should be unique. Avoid template phrases.
H1 tag
Similar to the page title, the main heading (H1) reflects the topic but does so in a more vibrant and engaging way for the visitor.
It's better to include a keyword related to the content of the page.
The H1 is located directly in the body code, within the
<body>container. Try to keep its length to no more than 60 characters, including spaces — this makes it more readable.The main rule is: each page of the site must have a unique H1. Do not repeat it — every page of the site is unique, and its title should reflect that.
Errors in meta tags
Meta tags play an important role in promoting a website, particularly in how search engines understand and rank your site. When writing these tags, it is crucial to carefully check all aspects.
Errors to avoid include:
Do not duplicate the same title, description, and other meta tags across different pages of the site. Search engines do not favor uniformity.
Do not turn meta tags into a list of keywords. Use them wisely, focusing on what is truly valuable for the user on the page.
Ensure that the text within the tag adheres to the recommended length. Descriptions that are too short or too long are likely to be truncated by search engines, which can reduce the visibility of the site.
Pay close attention to the grammar and spelling of the meta tags to avoid errors. Typos not only spoil the impression but often negatively impact the site’s ranking.
Conclusion
Tags are a versatile tool, indispensable for both users and website creators. They help people quickly find the information they need, while search engines correctly index it.
Web developers and frontend developers use HTML tags to build the structure and appearance of web pages. SEO specialists, marketers, and copywriters work with meta tags to increase the site's relevance to search queries and improve its visibility in search results. Finally, regular users use tags for various purposes, from sorting personal notes to adding thematic hashtags on social media.
In this way, tags are a powerful tool that helps people navigate the information space while making websites more efficient, understandable, and accessible.