Seo Meta

Title Tag Patterns

Character Limits:

• Google: 50-60 characters (desktop), 78 (mobile)
• Social: 60-70 characters

Page Type Formulas:

Title Modifiers (add credibility):

• 24/7 Emergency
• Licensed & Insured
• Free Quotes
• Same Day Service
• Family Owned
• Award Winning

Anti-Patterns (avoid):

• ❌ "Welcome to..." (wastes characters)
• ❌ Keyword stuffing (plumber plumbing plumbers)
• ❌ ALL CAPS (looks spammy)
• ❌ Special characters (★ § ¶)

Meta Description Patterns

Character Limits:

• Desktop: 155-160 characters
• Mobile: 120-130 characters

Formula:

[Value prop] [Service] in [Location]. [Differentiator]. [CTA].

Examples by Page Type:

Home Page:

Fast, reliable plumbing services in Sydney. 24/7 emergency response, licensed plumbers, upfront pricing. Call 1300 XXX XXX for same-day service.

Service Page:

Expert hot water repairs in Sydney. Fix or replace electric, gas & solar systems. Licensed technicians, 1-year warranty. Book online or call 1300 XXX XXX.

Location Page:

Trusted plumber in Bondi. Blocked drains, leaks, hot water, gas fitting. Same-day service, upfront quotes. Call your local plumber on 1300 XXX XXX.

Power Words (use sparingly):

• Trust: Licensed, Certified, Insured, Guaranteed, Trusted
• Speed: Fast, Quick, Same Day, Emergency, 24/7, Instant
• Value: Affordable, Competitive, Upfront, No Hidden Fees, Free Quote
• Local: Local, Nearby, Your Area, [Suburb Name]
• Quality: Expert, Professional, Experienced, Award Winning

Open Graph Tags

Required Tags:

<meta property="og:title" content="Service in Location" />
<meta property="og:description" content="Value prop. Differentiator. CTA." />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/og-image.jpg" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/page" />
<meta property="og:type" content="website" />

Image Requirements:

• Dimensions: 1200x630px (1.91:1 ratio)
• Format: JPG or PNG (JPG preferred for file size)
• File size: <1MB (ideally <300KB)
• Text overlay: Keep important text center (safe zone: 1000x530)

og:type Values by Page Type:

Optional but Recommended:

<meta property="og:site_name" content="Brand Name" />
<meta property="og:locale" content="en_AU" />

Twitter Cards

Card Types:

Required Tags:

<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Service in Location" />
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Value prop. Differentiator. CTA." />
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/og-image.jpg" />

Optional:

<meta name="twitter:site" content="@yourbrand" />
<meta name="twitter:creator" content="@authorhandle" />

Fallback Behavior:

• If twitter:title missing, uses og:title
• If twitter:description missing, uses og:description
• If twitter:image missing, uses og:image

Best Practice: Define og:* tags first, only add twitter:* if values differ.

JSON-LD Structured Data

LocalBusiness Schema (Most Important)

Use for homepage and contact page:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Plumber",
  "name": "Acme Plumbing",
  "description": "Licensed plumbing services in Sydney",
  "@id": "https://acmeplumbing.com.au",
  "url": "https://acmeplumbing.com.au",
  "logo": "https://acmeplumbing.com.au/logo.png",
  "image": "https://acmeplumbing.com.au/og-image.jpg",
  "telephone": "+61-XXX-XXX-XXX",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "priceRange": "$$",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main Street",
    "addressLocality": "Sydney",
    "addressRegion": "NSW",
    "postalCode": "2000",
    "addressCountry": "AU"
  },
  "geo": {
    "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
    "latitude": -33.8688,
    "longitude": 151.2093
  },
  "openingHoursSpecification": [
    {
      "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
      "dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday"],
      "opens": "07:00",
      "closes": "17:00"
    }
  ],
  "sameAs": [
    "https://facebook.com/acmeplumbing",
    "https://instagram.com/acmeplumbing"
  ]
}

Specific Business Types (instead of generic LocalBusiness):

• Plumber, Electrician, Locksmith, HVAC (HVACBusiness)
• Dentist, Attorney, Accountant
• Restaurant, Cafe, FoodEstablishment
• Store, AutoRepair, BeautySalon

Service Schema

Use for service pages:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Service",
  "name": "Hot Water Repairs",
  "description": "Fast hot water system repairs in Sydney",
  "provider": {
    "@type": "Plumber",
    "name": "Acme Plumbing",
    "url": "https://acmeplumbing.com.au"
  },
  "areaServed": {
    "@type": "City",
    "name": "Sydney"
  },
  "availableChannel": {
    "@type": "ServiceChannel",
    "serviceUrl": "https://acmeplumbing.com.au/hot-water-repairs",
    "servicePhone": "+61-XXX-XXX-XXX"
  }
}

FAQ Schema (Rich Snippets)

Use for FAQ sections:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How much does a plumber cost in Sydney?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Plumbing rates in Sydney typically range from $100-$150 per hour for standard work. Emergency callouts may incur higher rates. We provide upfront quotes before starting work."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "Do you offer same-day service?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Yes, we offer same-day plumbing service across Sydney for urgent repairs. Call us before 2pm for same-day availability."
      }
    }
  ]
}

BreadcrumbList Schema

Use on all pages except homepage:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 1,
      "name": "Home",
      "item": "https://acmeplumbing.com.au"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 2,
      "name": "Services",
      "item": "https://acmeplumbing.com.au/services"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 3,
      "name": "Hot Water Repairs",
      "item": "https://acmeplumbing.com.au/hot-water-repairs"
    }
  ]
}

Canonical URLs

When to Use:

• Every page should have a self-referencing canonical
• Duplicate content (pagination, filters, print versions)
• Syndicated content
• Cross-domain duplicates

Self-Referencing Canonical:

<!-- Always include, even if no duplicates -->
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/page" />

Pagination:

<!-- On page 2+ -->
<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/services" />
<!-- Not https://example.com/services?page=2 -->

Common Mistakes:

• ❌ Missing canonical (Google chooses for you)
• ❌ Relative URLs (use absolute URLs)
• ❌ Canonical pointing to different content
• ❌ Multiple canonicals (only one per page)

Validation Tools

Check Your Implementation:

Browser Extensions:

• SEO Meta in 1 Click (Chrome)
• META SEO inspector (Firefox)

Quick Reference Checklist

For every page, include:

• <title> (50-60 chars, unique per page)
• <meta name="description"> (150-160 chars, unique per page)
• <link rel="canonical"> (absolute URL)
• Open Graph tags (og:title, og:description, og:image, og:url, og:type)
• Twitter Card tags (twitter:card, twitter:title, twitter:description, twitter:image)
• JSON-LD structured data (LocalBusiness on homepage, Service on service pages)
• BreadcrumbList schema (all pages except homepage)
• Mobile viewport meta tag
• Charset meta tag (UTF-8)

Never:

• ❌ Duplicate titles across pages
• ❌ Use "Welcome to..." in titles
• ❌ Omit og:image (critical for social sharing)
• ❌ Use generic @type (LocalBusiness instead of Plumber)
• ❌ Skip CTA in meta description

Error Prevention

Common Issues

Testing Workflow

1. Validate HTML: Use W3C validator
2. Test Structured Data: Google Rich Results Test
3. Test Social Sharing: Facebook Debugger + Twitter Card Validator
4. Mobile Preview: Google Search Console URL Inspection
5. Cross-Browser Check: Test meta rendering in Chrome/Firefox/Safari

Best Practices Summary

Title Tags:

• 50-60 characters maximum
• Include primary keyword + location + brand
• Unique for every page
• Use modifiers (24/7, Licensed, Free) sparingly

Meta Descriptions:

• 150-160 characters maximum
• Include value prop + differentiator + CTA
• Write for humans, not search engines
• Every page needs unique description

Open Graph:

• Always include og:image (1200x630px)
• Use absolute URLs
• Keep og:title under 60 chars
• Test with Facebook Debugger before launch

JSON-LD:

• Use specific @type (Plumber, not LocalBusiness)
• Include all contact info (phone, address, email)
• Add openingHoursSpecification for better display
• Validate with schema.org validator

Canonical URLs:

• Every page needs canonical
• Always use absolute URLs
• Self-referencing is good practice
• Only one canonical per page

Production Notes:

• Use react-helmet-async for React apps (SSR-safe)
• Generate JSON-LD dynamically from CMS/database
• Cache meta tag components for performance
• Monitor Search Console for indexing issues
• Update structured data when business details change