Most websites have poor visibility to search engines and therefore reduced opportunities for organic traffic and engagement. Oftentimes, this is due to a poor attempt to implement, or a total avoidance of semantic HTML. The name may sound technical, but semantic HTML is quite far from the conventions of coding. It’s key to making websites understandable to search engines.
Imagine investing all that time into creating, building, and designing, only to find your website buried at the bottom of some irrelevant search page. This is a possible scenario that could have been quite easily avoided by structuring your HTML right.
It resides in semantic HTML: a way of structuring your website content into a form that search engines and users can make sense of. This post will dive deeper into what Semantic HTML is, what it means for SEO, and why it’s essential for having accessible and highly-ranking websites.
What is Semantic HTML?
Semantic HTML refers to the practice of using HTML tags, the meaning of which describes, or identifies, the purpose behind an element that the tag contains. In other words, other than generic container tags such as <div> and <span>, semantic tags define what the enclosed content is. Examples of such tags include, but are not limited to, <header>, <article>, <nav>, and <footer>. These give more context to web browsers and search engines about the structure and content of a webpage.
Examples of Semantic HTML Elements
Some common semantic HTML tags include:
- <header>: The header is a section or page that contains navigation links, usually with logos and introductory content.
- <nav>: defines a set of navigation links, which tells search engines that the links inside should be used to navigate the site.
- <article>: This tag is used for independent content such as blog posts, news articles, or self-contained compositions.
- <section>: Groups related content into distinct sections within a page.
- <footer>: Herein lies the footer of a page or section and usually contains copyright information, links, or contact details.
Why is semantic HTML relevant to SEO?
- Improves crawling and indexing.
Search engines rank the usage of web crawlers to analyze and index the web. By using semantic HTML, it gives the crawler an easier way to understand structure and meaning. A good example is if one correctly defines a <article> tag; that itself tells the crawler that this is a highly valuable piece of information, which will aid Google in indexing that particular information.
Semantic tags can help the search engine pay more attention to parts of the page, such as headers, footers, and main content. This may evolve into improved indexing and, consequently, better ranking.
- Enhances Content Hierarchy
Semantic HTML originally helps to create a logical sense of hierarchy of content on your webpage. Using the <h1> for the main heading, <h2>, <h3>, and so on down the line for subheadings outlines a clear structure of content.
This hierarchical structure supplies the search engine with important information on which parts of the content are more important. The better Google understands your content, the higher its chances of returning for similar searches.
A well-structured page with semantic HTML tags provides an easy way for users to find what they are looking for. That means increased engagement and time on the page, a positive signal for SEO.
- Enriches Rich Snippets and Featured Snippets
One of the biggest benefits of using semantic HTML is that it helps enable rich snippets. Rich snippets are the elaborated search results that give additional context, like reviews, ratings, and product prices. This makes your listing in their search results more beautiful and, therefore, might help your clickthrough rates.
While semantic HTML itself does not directly create the rich snippets, it does make it easier to implement structured data, like Schema markup. By using a combination of semantic HTML and structured data, you are more likely to get a featured snippet or rich snippet in search results.
Information that Rich snippets usually avail is short and relevant, thus helping a website rank better and attract more traffic.
- Enhancing Accessibility and User Experience UX
Accessibility plays a big part in UX, and UX is increasingly becoming a ranking factor with search engines. Semantic HTML will help improve this by allowing screen readers to better understand the structure of a web page.
Using <nav> elements for menus, for example, will allow screen readers to identify that an area is used for navigation and can provide an easier way for visually impaired users to interact with the content. That, in turn, leads directly to longer on-site times, reduced bounce rates, and better overall SEO performance.
Because semantic HTML standards ensure that your website is accessible to all users, you are also indirectly helping in SEO, as Google rewards websites with good user experiences.
- Boosts Mobile SEO
This means that Google will predominantly be taking the mobile version of the content to consider for ranking and indexing. This is where semantic HTML can help a lot. It makes sure that content is structured in a proper, consistent, and logical way on different devices.
Semantic HTML fosters a better mobile experience and makes sure that mobile users receive as much value from a given webpage as desktop users do. Since a bulk of web traffic is transitioning towards mobile devices, Semantic HTML optimization could lead to certain improvements in rankings for mobile search results.
How Semantic HTML Helps One Conduct Better SEO
Here are some actionable steps for using semantic HTML effectively:
- Use the Right Tags:
Replace generic <div> and <span> elements with appropriate semantic tags. For example, use <header> instead of a <div> for your page’s header, <footer> for the footer, and <main> for the main content area.
- Structure:
Nail down a structure for your content. Use heading styles: <h1> is for your main page title and <h2> to <h6> for subheadings. This is not only about readability; it feeds the search engines more context about the structure of your page.
- Combine with Structured Data:
Where required, use Schema markup for reviews, events, or even recipes. Combining Schema.org with semantic HTML provides better ways for the search engine to interpret the content on your page.
- Make Navigation Accessible:
Wrap navigation elements in <nav> so that screen readers and search engines know which links are helping users navigate their way around your site.
- Utilize <article> and <section> Wisely:
When writing blog posts or creating content, wrap them in <article> tags. For parts of your content that are thematically related but not standalone, use <section>.
Final Take
Semantic HTML is one of the most underrated but important determinants of SEO. Better structure, more informed content, and enhanced accessibility are only a few ways semantic HTML can improve your site’s performance in search engines. This, in turn, can let the search spiders crawl and index your site even better, get your pages into rich snippets, and generally enhance user experience.
Proper implementation of Semantic HTML is important to both the initial and continued success of SEO for anyone seeking better visibility in the search results of their website. Incorporate semantic HTML into your web development practices, and you’ll set the foundation for a more accessible, search-friendly, and user-centric website. The long-term benefits will not only improve your SEO but also ensure that your content is well-received by users and search engines alike.
