IMPORTANT HTML TO KNOW FOR A WEBSITE
HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language and its the programming language code responsible for the creation of websites. When the Internet started, web developers had to build websites only using HTML.
As time passed, web development programs were created which simplified the website-building process. Content Management Systems, such as WordPress, eliminated the need to learn code, and the requirement to know HTML faded over time.
WHY IS HMTL STILL IMPORTANT
ON-PAGE SEO
Allows SEO providers to update important HTML Elements to improve website search position.
CUSTOM MADE DESIGNS
Allows Web Developers to provide custom-made websites without being limited to CMS capabilities.
ERROR FIXING
Allows SEO and Web developers to find and fix crucial errors on a website.
TIP
Pure HTML sites are more complicated to build but have much faster-website download speeds, and appear in higher search engine positions.
HTML AND SEO
SEO Specialists are required to know HTML codes on an intermediate level. Websites are built around different Content Management Systems, and understanding how to update the HTML code allows them to find and optimize essential SEO Elements. This article will discuss the most important HTML elements to know for SEO.
TITLE
The Title is the Website Title displayed on the search engines. Titles should contain your company name and important keywords. The Title should not exceed 60 characters in length. Any words after 60 characters will not be displayed.
TITLE CODE
<title> Text goes here </title>
DESCRIPTION
The description is the Website Description displayed on search engines. Descriptions should be written naturally and contain important keywords and information. Descriptions should not exceed 160 characters in length. Any words after 160 characters will not appear.
DESCRIPTION CODE
<meta name = “description”>
HEADING TAGS
The heading tags are different types of headers displayed on your webpage. Headings help structure content and provide valuable insights to users and search engines. Targeted keywords should be mentioned in the headers to improve a website’s SEO optimization score further.
HEADING TAG CODE
<h1> Text goes here </h1>
<h2> Text goes here </h2>
<h3> Text goes here </h3>
<h4> Text goes here </h4>
<h5> Text goes here </h5>
<h6> Text goes here </h6>
ALT TEXT
The Alt Text is text displayed in the position of an absent image. The alt text describes the appearance of the missing image for users with browsers that do not support the image extension. Updating your Alt Text will improve your overall SEO score and your image can reach Page 1 of Google which will increase traffic to your site.
ALT TEXT CODE
<img alt=”text”>
ANCHOR TEXT
The Anchor text converts plain text into hyperlink text. Hyperlink links to another web page or website, when it has been clicked. Hyperlinks should contain important and accurate keywords for search engine optimization.
ANCHOR TEXT CODE
<a href=”URL”>Anchor Text</a>
CANONICAL TAG
The Canonical tag informs Google which is the preferred webpage of a site. Websites sometimes contain similar pages with similar content, and Google does not know which web page to display. The canonical tag instructs Google which webpage is the preferred and primary webpage.
CANONICAL CODE
<link rel=”canonical” href=”https://yourwebsite.com/preferred-url-here/” />
ROBOTS META TAG
The robot’s meta tag grants or denies permission to search engine spiders that crawl to index websites. Robot Meta Tags decide which webpage Google can crawl, as checkout or login pages are not required to be indexed. Robot meta Tags also avoid duplicate content issues by limiting access to duplicate pages.
ROBOTS META TAG CODE
<meta name=”robots” content=”index, follow”>
NO FOLLOW TAG
There are two types of backlinks: Do-Follow and No-Follow backlinks. No-follow backlinks were created to prevent users from spamming their website links for SEO benefits. Therefore, websites with no-follow do not provide any SEO benefits. However, a website’s backlink profile should contain a mix of Do-Follow and No-Follow backlinks. (75% Do-Follow and 25% No-follow)
NO FOLLOW TAG CODE
<a href=”https://www.yourwebsite.co.za” rel=”nofollow“>Visit Your Site</a>
SCHEMA MARKUP
Schema markups allow SEO and Web developers to add additional information to a website for search engines. Updating your schema markup in your header section (<head>) will provide more accurate and useful information to be displayed on your search listing, such as star ratings, client reviews, event dates, and product launches. This will improve the website’s clickthrough rate and its search engine visibility.
SCHEMA MARKUP CODE FOR LOCAL BUSINESS
<script type=”application/ld+json”>
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “LocalBusiness”,
“name”: “Your Business Name”,
“image”: “https://www.yourwebsite.co.za/logo.png”,
“@id”: “https://www.yourwebsite.co.za”,
“url”: “https://www.yourwebsite.co.za”,
“telephone”: “South African Number”,
“address”: {
“@type”: “PostalAddress”,
“streetAddress”: “1 Free Drive, South Africa”,
“addressLocality”: “South African City”,
“addressRegion”: “EX”,
“postalCode”: “Postal Number”,
“addressCountry”: “ZA”
},
“openingHoursSpecification”: {
“@type”: “OpeningHoursSpecification”,
“dayOfWeek”: [
“Monday”,
“Tuesday”,
“Wednesday”,
“Thursday”,
“Friday”
],
“opens”: “08:00”,
“closes”: “18:00”
}
}
</script>
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT HTML CODE COULD BE CAUSING INDEXING ISSUES WITH GOOGLE?
- Brand-new websites can take several weeks before they are fully indexed by Google.
- The web developer has used the robots.txt file to instruct search engines not to crawl and index your site in HTML.
WHAT IS CONSIDERED THE MOST IMPORTANT HTML ELEMENTS FOR A WEBSITE?
The Meta Title is the most important HTML code for a website. The meta title is one of the major SEO elements that Google uses to determine which keywords are relevant for your website to appear on its search engine.
DOES THE META DESCRIPTION HELP WITH SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION?
No, not anymore. It used to count for SEO points in the older days. Today, Meta Descriptions and keywords have no significant role in search engine optimization. Meta descriptions are important for Clickthrough Rates (Clickthrough rates are the number of people who viewed your advert, by the number of people who clicked on it).
ARE NO-FOLLOW LINKS RELEVANT FOR SEO?
Yes and No. Having a ton of No-Follow links won’t improve your search engine rankings, however, it will contribute positively to the trust of your Backlink Profile. Healthy Backlink Profiles have a good mix of No-Follow and Do-Follow backlinks. If websites ONLY have do-follow backlinks, this will appear unnatural in the eyes of Google, and website owners may face penalties or bans.
WHAT ARE BREADCRUMBS AND DO THEY HELP WITH SEO?
Yes! Breadcrumbs help users navigate a website which improves the overall user experience. Breadcrumbs show the URL path that the user took to reach the current webpage. Positive user experiences result in higher Google rankings. Breadcrumbs also assist search engines with understanding the structure of a website, which also benefits a website’s SEO Score
WHAT BENEFITS DO HTML WEBSITES HAVE OVER CMS WEBSITES LIKE WORDPRESS?
HTML 5 websites offer faster download speeds and provide custom-made websites. Fast-loading websites have higher conversion rates than slow-loading websites. Speed is an essential SEO factor when constructing a website.
DO URL's PLAY AN IMPORTANT PART IN SEO?
Indeed. URL is one of the major On-Page SEO Elements. URLs should contain the primary keyword in it. The keyword should be between 1-3 words long. URL should complement the structure of the website too.
DO SEO SPECIALISTS NEED TO BE EXPERTS IN SEO?
No, SEO specialists need to know standard HTML elements to improve the website’s On-Page SEO. SEO Specialists must know web design, but they do not have to be experts.
IS THE 'ALT' TAG AN IMPORTANT PART OF SEO?
Alt Tags play a minor role in SEO. Updating your images with alt tags will improve your SEO score but won’t drastically improve your search position. Images with optimized Alt Tags do have the potential to appear on Page 1 of Google Images, which can drive more traffic to your website.
WHAT IS INTERNAL LINKING?
Internal linking is linking to pages within your website, where pages link to other pages of the same site. Internal linking requires the use of hyperlinks, which are clickable text links. Internal Linking can significantly improve your SEO if done correctly.
WHAT IS EXTERNAL LINKING?
External Linking is where your website links to other websites. External linking requires hyperlinks, which direct users to different websites. Linking to high-quality websites is an effective SEO strategy to create trust with Google.