Adding a title and description to my website - what does it do and how is it done?

April 14, 2024

Title and description tags are crucial HTML elements that help define the content of web pages. They play a significant role in search engine optimization (SEO) and user engagement by providing a concise preview of what your site offers. The title tag is displayed on browser tabs and in search results as your page’s headline, while the meta description offers a brief summary of the page content. This post explores the benefits of these tags and provides step-by-step instructions on how to implement them across various web development platforms.

Technical Deep Dive

Title and description tags are among the first elements that search engines and users encounter. These tags not only inform but also attract users to your website from search engine results.

Purpose of Title and Description Tags:

SEO Impact: Title tags are a major factor in helping search engines understand what your page is about, and they're considered in rankings. Meta descriptions, while not directly affecting rankings, influence click-through rates.
User Engagement: A well-crafted title and description can significantly increase the likelihood of a user clicking through to your website from search results.
Brand Visibility: Effective use of these tags can enhance your brand’s visibility and convey a professional image.

Benefits of Properly Configured Tags:

Improved Click-Through Rates: Compelling titles and descriptions can entice more clicks from search engine results, driving more traffic to your site.
Better Qualification of Traffic: Clearly stated tags help ensure that the traffic coming to your site is more likely to find the content relevant, reducing bounce rates.
Enhanced Web Presence: Consistent use of title and description tags can strengthen your brand presence across the internet.

How to Implement Title and Description Tags:

NextJS

When using NextJS with the app directory your can use the metadata API to set the title, description and many more meta fields on your site.

In NextJS sites that use the pages directory you can set these tags using the Head component from next/head:

import Head from 'next/head';

function HomePage() {
    return (
        <div> <Head> <title>Your Page Title</title> <meta name="description" content="Your page description here." /> </Head> <p>Your page content goes here.</p> </div>
    );
}