7 Meta Tags Every SEO Should Know

Introduction

In the field of SEO, one of the most important aspects to know about is meta tags, especially if you are trying to improve the visibility of a site or an SEO page. Meta tags assist search engines in grasping the information provided and have an effect on the way a site is showcased in the search results. If you are starting on SEO for the first time or if you want to improve your present approach, learning about the most important meta tags to work with is crucial. If you are a novice to this, joining a complete programme like Digital Trainee’s Digital Marketing Course in Thane will equip you with adequate knowledge on SEO, meta tags, and other relevant skills.  

What Are Meta Tags?

Meta tags are pieces of information concerning a web page’s description, and the information is in the HTML of the page. They describe the page. Metadata will be shown to a page’s visitors to tell unscrupulous pages in the internet and social media what the page is containing.

Common Uses of Meta Tags:

  • Enhance ranking on search engines
  • Manage how the user’s query will display your page. 
  • Control previews on other social media sites 
  • Prevent issues of duplicate content  

Why Meta Tags Are Important in SEO

The role of the meta tag in on-page SEO cannot be overlooked. It: 

  • Aids Google and other search engines to put content in the right places and index them. 
  • Affects the number of clicks on the result from the search engine. 
  • Improve the experience of users and the responsiveness on mobile devices. 
  • Enhance previews of the marketing tags on social media platforms with specially designed tags. 

7 Meta Tags Every SEO Should Know

1. Meta Title Tag

One of the most important SEO components is the meta title tag. It shows up as the clickable title in search engine results. 

Best Practices:

  • Use primary keyword. 
  • Unique for every page. 
  • Add the keyword in the title. 
  • Does not exceed 60 characters. 

2. Meta Description Tag

This tag summarizes your page content. It is not a ranking factor, but does affect CTR. 

Best practices: 

  • Surpass 160 characters. 
  • Work with both the primary and secondary keywords. 
  • Make the text imperative. 

3. Robots Meta Tag

This communicates to search engines which content is indexable and which is not.

Common values: 

  • index, follow (default – allows indexing) 
  • noindex, nofollow (blocks indexing and following links) 

Use this tag to manage sensitive or duplicate content.  

4. Canonical Tag

Canonical tags mitigate duplicate content concerns by designating the “preferred” version of a webpage. 

When to use: 

  • For duplicate product pages (e.g., associated product variants like different sizes or colors) 
  • Modified versions of the same blog posts 

5. Open Graph Tags

These tags control how your content appears when shared on social media platforms like Facebook.

Main tags:

  • og:title
  • og:description
  • og:image
  • og:url

These improve your content’s clickability and shareability on social platforms.

6. Twitter Card Tags

Similar to Open Graph, but designed for Twitter. These tags let you customize previews to boost engagement.

Tags include:

  • twitter:card
  • twitter:title
  • twitter:description
  • twitter:image

These tags improve social media management and drive traffic.

7. Viewport Meta Tag

Essential for mobile responsiveness, this tag helps the page scale properly on all device sizes.

Standard tag:

html

CopyEdit

<meta name=”viewport” content=”width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0″>

With Google’s mobile-first indexing, this tag is non-negotiable.

SEO and Meta Tags

1. Core Web Vitals & Meta Optimization

Google’s Core Web Vitals update emphasises page speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Combining fast-loading pages with optimised meta tags ensures higher rankings and a better user experience.

2. AI-Generated Meta Tags in 2025

AI tools are now being used to automatically generate and optimise meta tags, helping content creators save time and maintain consistency. While convenient, manual tweaks are still necessary for accuracy and brand tone.

Conclusion

Understanding and using the right meta tags can significantly improve your website’s search engine optimisation performance. From enhancing visibility to managing mobile responsiveness and social previews, each meta tag plays a vital role. To master these elements and more, consider enrolling in Digital Trainee’s online digital marketing course, where you’ll learn hands-on SEO strategies from industry experts.

FAQs

Q1. Do all meta tags affect SEO?

Not all meta tags directly impact SEO rankings, but most affect visibility, usability, and social engagement.

Q2. Can I use the same meta tags on every page?

No. Use unique meta titles and descriptions for each page to avoid duplication and maximize keyword relevance.

Q3. How often should I update my meta tags?

Review and update meta tags during content audits or whenever you update a page’s core content.

Q4. Are meta tags visible to website visitors?

No, they are located in the HTML head section and are mainly for search engines and social media crawlers.

Author: Prashant Kadukar, Founder & CEO, Digital Trainee 

Bio: The founder and director of Digital Trainee, Mr. Prashant Kadukar has been an inspiration owing to his laurels all along. An MIT alumni, he happens to be a Google Ads & Bing Certified Professional. His decade long mastery in strategizing, designing, and implementing Digital Marketing plans and campaigns is well known. Mr. Prashant’s portfolio consists of serving 100+ Domestic and International clients, and consulting numerous startups on aspects such as strategy and growth. The workshops conducted by him have been insightful to an extent where the majority of the attendees have chosen a career in this field. Such has been the impact!

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