SEO Basics in HTML

Search engines read your HTML to understand what a page is about. Small, correct markup choices can meaningfully affect how well a page is found and understood.

The Elements That Matter Most

Search engines weigh certain HTML elements heavily when determining what a page is about and whether to show it for a given search. Getting these right costs nothing extra once you know where to focus.

• <title> — a unique, descriptive title per page, shown directly in search results.
• meta description — a concise summary shown under the title in search results (doesn't affect ranking directly, but affects click-through).
• Heading structure — a single, descriptive <h1> and logically nested subheadings.
• alt text — helps images surface in image search and clarifies content for search engines.
• Descriptive link text — "Read our pricing guide" is far more useful than "click here".

Common Mistakes

• Using the same title tag on every page of a site, giving search engines no way to distinguish them.
• Writing vague link text like "click here" instead of describing the destination.
• Stuffing keywords unnaturally into headings and text, which search engines penalise rather than reward.
• Leaving the meta description empty, letting search engines auto-generate an often unappealing snippet.