SEO Glossary > Head Tag (in HTML)

Head Tag (in HTML)


The head tag is an HTML element used to define the head section of an HTML document. The head section contains metadata, which simply means data about data. This means information in the head tag is not displayed on the page but the information is used by browsers and by search engines.

Head tags generally include elements such as the document title, links to stylesheets or scripts, and meta tags that provide information about the document's content and structure.

The head tag is typically located between the opening tag and the opening tag and is defined with the following syntax:



Some of the common elements that are included within the head tag include:

  • <title>: This element is used to define the title of the document, which is displayed in the browser's title bar and is often used by search engines to describe the page.
  • <meta>: This element is used to define metadata about the document, such as the character encoding, description of the page, keywords, and author.
  • <link>: This element is used to link to external resources, such as stylesheets or scripts, that are used to format or enhance the page.
  • <script>: This element is used to define JavaScript code that is executed on the page.



How can I use the head tag in SEO? 



The head tag in HTML can be used to optimize a webpage for SEO. Here are some key elements that affect your SEO:

  • Use the <title> tag: The title tag is one of the most important elements for SEO. It should be placed within the head tag and should contain the main keywords that describe the page's content. The title should be concise, descriptive, and no longer than 70 characters.
  • Add meta descriptions: The meta description is a brief summary of the page's content and can be displayed in the search results below the title. Although meta descriptions don’t directly affect a page’s rankings, meta descriptions can be used to increase click-through rates. The meta description should be placed within the head tag and should be no longer than 160 characters.
  • Use canonical tags: The canonical tag is used to avoid duplicate content issues and should be placed within the head tag. It specifies the preferred version of a URL when there are multiple versions of the same content.
  • Use robots.txt: The robots.txt file is used to control which pages on a website are indexed by search engines. It should be placed in the root directory of the website and linked to in the head tag using the title tag.


Example of a head tag: 



Here's an example of code that might appear in the head section:



In this example, the code specifies the character set, sets the page title to "My Awesome Website," provides a brief description of the website, lists some keywords that describe the content, and includes a link to a CSS stylesheet that controls the page's styling.




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