HOMEPAGES.WMICH.EDU Website Review

The length of your meta description seems to be outside the recommended range. Ideally, a META DESCRIPTION should be between 50 and 160 characters, including spaces.

A meta description tag serves as a concise and informative summary of a web page's content, aiming to engage and inform users about the page's topic.

Google relies on the actual content of the page to generate a snippet for search results, but it may also utilize the meta description for a more descriptive representation of the page.

Meta descriptions act as a compelling pitch to persuade users that the page aligns with their search intent. While there's no strict character limit, Google truncates the snippet in search results as necessary to fit the device's width.

Best practices for Meta Descriptions

• Length: Maintain a description length of 50-160 characters to ensure optimal visibility in search results.
• Uniqueness: Craft unique descriptions for each page on your website to differentiate their purposes and content.
• Accuracy: Create descriptions that precisely depict the specific content and purpose of the page.
• Keywords: Ensure that each web page has a unique meta description containing important keywords relevant to the page's content.

The length of your meta keywords seems to be outside the recommended range. Ideally, a meta keywords should be between 10 and 255 characters, including spaces.

Meta keywords are a specific type of meta tag that appear in the HTML code of a web page. They provide information to search engines about the topic of the page. Meta keywords were once used to help rank web pages in search engine results. However, due to the abuse by webmasters and marketers, Google claims to have stopped using them more than a decade ago. Despite this, there are still reasons to consider using meta keywords:

• Uncertain Impact on Google's Algorithm: While Google devalued meta keywords, it is uncertain if they were entirely removed from its ranking algorithm. Google keeps its ranking algorithms top secret to deter people from gaming the system.
• Other Search Engines and CMS: Other search engines like Yandex, Baidu, and Naver may still use meta keywords. Additionally, some internal CMS search systems, such as SOLR and Algolia, also utilize the meta keywords tag.

Best practices for Meta Keywords

• Relevance is Key: It is crucial to choose keywords that accurately reflect the content of your page.
• Keep it Limited: It is generally recommended not to exceed more than 10 meta keywords for a single page. Also, the content length should not exceed 255 characters (including spaces).
• Consider Long-Tail Keywords: Long-tail keywords are more specific and longer phrases that target a niche audience. These keywords can be highly effective in driving targeted traffic to your website.

Remember, meta keywords are just one aspect of search engine optimization (SEO), and search engines now place less emphasis on them compared to other factors. However, by following these best practices, you can still optimize your meta keywords effectively and improve the visibility of your web pages.

Your page lacks external links.

External links, also known as outbound links, are hyperlinks that direct users to pages or resources outside the current website. They differ from internal links, which connect to URLs within the same domain. While it may seem counterintuitive to lead users away from your site, linking to reputable sources can establish your site as an authority. External links not only facilitate navigation between websites but also play a crucial role in SEO. They pass link equity, improve ranking, and can enhance a site's credibility. By linking to trustworthy sites, you can provide value to users and signal relevance to search engines like Google.

Here are best practices for external links:

• Link to relevant sites for better user experience, avoiding competitor links.
• Avoid link schemes like buying/selling links, use SPONSORED or NOFOLLOW tags for sponsored content
• Use clear anchor texts for outgoing links, following Google's guidelines.
• Regularly audit external links to fix broken or redirected links for improved user experience.
• Know the difference between NOFOLLOW and DOFOLLOW links: NoFollow for referral traffic, DoFollow for SEO value and link authority. Avoid NoFollow for internal linking.

Your page lacks internal links.

Internal links are hyperlinks within a website that connect different pages. They are important for SEO for three reasons: they help search engines understand the website’s structure, pass authority to web pages, and assist users in navigating the site. There are various types of internal links, including navigational, footer, contextual, and sidebar links.

Here are best practices for internal links:

• Use keyword-rich anchor text in internal links.
• Link to important pages on your site to send link authority.
• Utilize a pyramid-like structure for internal linking.
• Implement contextual and structural internal links on your site.
• Use tools to analyze site indexation and optimize internal linking.