Do It Yourself Meta Tags
Commonly the basis of search engine optimization, I would not consider meta tags a form of marketing, rather simple site setup. Complete optimization should entail much deeper aspects then keyword research and meta tag installation.
There are a number of free resource to get an idea of what phrases have a high number of searches, including Wordtracker a free reverse search tool. Otherwise it is most important to ensure that your setup properly targets the perdinent phrases related to your market including page URLs, content, categorization etc.
Here are some basic Meta Tag Guidelines. There are a number of opinions when formatting these basic aspects of a page. Our intention is to go over the basic concept and with any aspect of your business it is important that you research and understand what makes sense for your website.
Title
The Title should be a short heading. This is also the title displayed int he search engines for a given page, as well as a key aspect that help the search engines determine what the page is about. It is not necessary to keyword stuff the title tag. Lead with the most important / relevant phrase for the page and consider what other phrase or two you may want to incorporate.
Format
<title>Your Title Here</title>
Description
The description tag should be a constructive sentence. Unless the search engines determine there is more relevant text on that page for a given search, the description tag will be display in search engine listings for a given page. With that being said the important aspect is that it is a seen meta tag so considering the sales or promotional aspect is important. Also consider including a least your most important 3-4 keyword phrases to ensure that you are targeting, again, what that page offers.
Format
<meta name=”Description” content=”written meta description that includes a keyword phrase, as well as another important keyword phrase or two you are trying to target.”>
Keywords
The keywords tag is a comprehensive list of any pertinent phrases related to a given page. Consider that both singular and plural versions of a given phrase may warrant being included. This tag generally is thought to have around 250 characters and I would consider that phrases after 200 characters may or may not be included by certain search engines.
Format
<meta name=”Keywords” content=”keywrod phrase 1, keyword phrase 1 plural, keyword phrase 2, keyword phrase 3…”>
