Which meta tags matter?

[Kaviraj pharma]

Meta tags have changed since SEO became a common practice, but two remain critical: the page title and the meta description. Stick to these when answering your interview question. The page title (sometimes called SEO title) plays an important role in ranking but it is also important because it is the title that shows on the Search Results Page (SERP). It must use a keyword to rank well with Google but it must also be compelling so a user will want to click on it. The meta description does not affect ranking, but it also plays a role in the SERP because it also must make the user want to click on the search result. You should also mention that Google recently increased the character length limit of meta descriptions to around 280 to 320.

[digihandler]

Meta tags are small lines of codes on the HTML of a webpage that provide information about the page to both the search engine and users.
Here follow the most important meta tags relevant for SEO:
Main Meta Tags

Title Tag:
This is the most important meta tag. It shows as the clickable headline in search engine results and helps users understand what the page is about. The title tag must be unique and clear with the inclusion of the relevant keywords, preferably under 60 characters

Meta Description:
This tag gives a quick summary of what's on the page. It usually appears below the title in search results. This one does not affect rankings directly, but a good meta description can help get more clicks by showing users why they'd want to click your link. Try to keep it around 150-160 characters.

Robots Meta Tag:
This tag tells search engines how to list your page. You can use it to say if you want search engines to list the page or follow links on it. For example, noindex stops indexing, while nofollow tells them not to follow links.

Alt Text for Images:
Alt text is not a meta tag as per traditional definitions, but it does describe images on your page. It helps search engines understand what the image is referring to and improves accessibility for visually impaired users.

Canonical Tag:
This tag is helpful to curb issues of duplicate content as it presents the desired version in case there are multiple versions. It lets the search engine know which URL is the primary one.

Why These Tags Matter
These meta tags are important because they enable search engines to better understand your content, and better understanding of your content improves visibility in a search. They also contribute to achieving attraction clicks from users since it is the first impression of your webpage in search results.
In short, improving these important meta tags can make your site's SEO better and help users engage more.

This Information Provided By Digihandler Academy (https://digihandleracademy.com/)

[smithmary01]

Meta tags are important for SEO as they provide search engines with information about your page. The key ones include the title tag, which defines the page's title and appears in search results; the meta description, which summarizes the page content for users; and meta keywords, though less important today. Also, robots meta tag helps control search engine crawling behavior. Lastly, the viewport meta tag is essential for mobile optimization. While some meta tags are less impactful now, these still play a vital role in improving visibility and user experience.