Optimized HTML tags are essential to good search engine rankings, but this information is easy to forget because it’s not readily seen. It’s possible to view the source of any web page by right clicking on a page and selecting “View Source” or “Inspect Element.” Doing so will reveal many of the best secrets to good website optimization.

Checking Out Competitors

Viewing the source code of a competitor’s website will provide a great deal of information on the way that company is positioning its site. Examining top competitors helps a company learn which words and phrases are rocketing that particular site to the top of search engine results.

Rather than mimicking competitor tactics, this information can be used to alter one’s own site design to be distinct. If a competitor is achieving top page rankings with the same keyword, the easiest tactic is to choose different optimized keywords. Take hold of a niche area that others haven’t already optimized and become king of the castle.

Where Keywords Go

There are several important HTML tags that should be present on every web page.  Many HTML tags cannot be seen on the page unless the user opts to view the source. Other HTML tags designate important information and tell the web page how to display various items. It’s important to understand how and where each tag’s content will appear.

Important HTML tags include:

• Title – These words will appear in the title bar of the web browser
• H1, H2, H3 – These designate various headers which are used to highlight important sections of a page or to make headlines stand out
• Alt – This tag is used within image codes to provide a description of the image
• Meta tags – These are no longer used by Google to sort web pages since they can easily be manipulated to include information that’s not relevant to the site. However, the meta description may be used to describe the page briefly on the search results page, enticing visitors to click on the link

Additional HTML Considerations

While it’s important to optimize HTML code to the proper keywords, there are other more important considerations pertaining to a page’s HTML. Today, boosting search engine rankings is only half of the battle. Customers must enjoy what they find. If the page is well designed, good rankings will naturally follow because:

• Customers will bookmark the page and return on their own
• Visitors will link to the page voluntarily from blogs and social media sites further boosting search engine rankings
• Visitors will stay on the page longer, exploring internal links on the site

To achieve these goals, the HTML of any site should be used primarily to control the appearance and usability of the page. The site should look good from any browser. Mobile optimization is increasingly important for users who prefer to look for information on a smart phone. Graphics should load quickly, and the entire site should be clean and easy to navigate.