Search engine optimisation

Adding metadata to the search engine optimisation (SEO) properties of a page will make it easier for people to find when using search engines. 

Page title 

The page title is a major search ranking factor, but it is never displayed on the page. Not to be confused with the page’s main heading, the page title forms the text of the link that a user will click to visit your page when they come across it in search result or on social media. 

It is extremely important that the title contains words people will use to search for the information found on the page. The better these keywords match someone’s search terms, the more likely the chance of the page appearing high in the search rankings. 

Points to remember when writing a page title: 

  • ensure the title is less than 50-60 characters, otherwise not all of it will be displayed and it may look odd 

  • often Google adds “- Arun District Council” to the end of our page titles automatically, so take this into account 

  • always include the most important search terms in the title as it is a primary ranking factor 

Meta description (page summary) 

The meta description is found underneath the page title in search results or in social media posts that link to the page. People will use the meta description to judge if it’s the page they need, so meta descriptions will cover the scope of the content and summarise it for the intended audience. 

  1. We keep all meta descriptions between 50 and 155 characters (including spaces) – this is because there’s a limit to the number of characters search engines will show before cutting off your summary. 

  1. Keep meta descriptions active and include a verb where appropriate 

  1. Use plain English (no require, obtain etc). 

  1. Only use abbreviations if they are very common, for example EU, VAT. 

  1. Google may choose not to use the meta description if it deems it less helpful than taking text from the page, therefore it’s important to write it well and to check that it actually does appear in search results. 

Headings 

The page’s main heading is a very important ranking factor and so should include primary search terms. 

Subheadings should be informative and include other search terms. 

Anchor text 

Include search terms for the page you’re linking to in the anchor text of your hyperlinks. 

Images 

Consider using relevant search terms in your link’s anchor text.