Meta Tags
What Are Meta Tags?
Meta tags are invisible lines of code placed inside the <head> section of your HTML pages. Visitors never see them directly, but search engine crawlers read them to understand what your page is about, how to categorize it, and how to display it in search results. Getting your meta tags right is one of the highest-leverage things you can do for your search engine rankings.
The Key Meta Tags to Implement
DESCRIPTION
A 150–200 character summary of your site's purpose and value. This is frequently the text that appears beneath your link in search results — so write it to sell the click, not just describe the page.
<meta name="description" content="Your compelling 150–200 character description here.">KEYWORDS
A comma-separated list of keywords and phrases that describe your business. Research what people actually type into search engines — not just what you call your services. Include variations, synonyms, and location-specific terms if you serve a local market.
<meta name="keywords" content="keyword one, keyword two, keyword phrase, location keyword">AUTHOR
Your name or company name. Helps establish ownership of the content.
<meta name="author" content="Your Name or Company">PUBLISHER
Your web site URL. Associates the page with your domain.
<meta name="publisher" content="https://www.yoursite.com">ROBOTS
Tells search engine crawlers whether to index the page and follow its links. For most pages you want both.
<meta name="robots" content="index,follow">Important Tips
- Use keywords in your page content too. Meta tags signal intent, but search engines also read your visible text. Keywords that appear naturally in your headings and body copy reinforce your meta tags.
- Avoid keyword stuffing. Packing your keywords tag with dozens of repetitive or irrelevant terms triggers search engine penalties. Keep it focused and honest.
- Write your description to sell clicks. Your description tag often becomes your ad copy in search results. Treat it like a headline — make someone want to visit.
- Use location-specific keywords if you serve a local market. "Web design Buffalo NY" reaches a different audience than "web design" alone.
- Re-evaluate every 6 months. Search trends shift. Review your keywords periodically and update them to match how people are currently searching.
Mirror Pages Strategy
A single page can only be optimized for so many keywords before it becomes diluted. A smart approach is to create additional pages — sometimes called mirror pages or doorway pages — each targeting a different keyword set. Each page is fully written and genuine, with its own meta tags tuned to a specific set of search terms. This allows you to capture traffic from a much wider range of searches without compromising the focus of any individual page.
For example, a landscaping company might have one page targeting "lawn care services Buffalo NY," another targeting "garden design Western New York," and another targeting "snow removal Orchard Park." Each page serves its own audience and its own search terms.