HTML5 Elements and Why They Are Important to WordPress On-page SEO
HTLML5 elements can be entirely new to some SEO experts. Their development and purpose has a lot to do with the user experience than with SEO, but still their presence and optimization can mean a lot to a website when Search Engines such as Google crawls them. These elements not only enhance the navigation structure of the website, but also creates opportunities for the website’s content to rank on top positions. Adding HTML5 with on-page SEO can produce an excellent experience for both the SEO expert and the web user. To ensure perfect configuration of these elements into your website, it is recommended to seek assistance of an expert web developer.
Semantic Elements
But before we go any further, lets first find out the new elements that have been introduced in HTML5. A few basic semantic elements include <aside>, <article>, <details> and <dialog> etc. These semantic elements in HTML5 help by describing the meaning clearly to online users and developers alike. Through these elements web surfers can distinguish which content is worthy and what kind of content it really is.
Why These Elements Are Important
With the release of HTML5 several new semantic tags have also been introduced. We have listed 7 of these elements and how they influence WordPress on-page SEO.
<article>
When content is published online it becomes easy for search engines such as Google to cover the content with this tag and set it as a new blog or article entry. What’s even more to it is that it helps tidy up the HTML code by minimizing the use of <div> tags.
<section>
These tags are more than what meets the eye. While they help customers get onsite experience by allowing content to be divided into sections so it becomes more digestible for the user. Each of these sections can have their separate HTML heading so can be specifically targeting on search engines for relevant content.
<header>
Quite similar to the <h1> tag, the header helps in specifying the header of the page while it can be as much effective in identifying the header section of the page, exhibit navigational link and other useful text for the content.
<footer>
Details such as the company information, contact details, blogs and other valuable content in the footer can be highlighted with <footer> tag. It might not be as useful as <header> but the SEO benefits it offers are still enough to leverage it in SERPs.
<nav>
Navigation is the roadmap of a website. It helps the user find their desired content and improves the usability of the website. The <nav> tag is best used to highlight links, for example in main site navigation and pagination on web pages.
<video>
Another crucial semantic element is <video>. This tag enables cross browser compatibility while displaying videos without any requirement of flash player extensions. To top it off, HTML5 offers the addition of video caption, description and subtitles. This helps browsers pick up the signals more easily.
<aside>
Quite similar to the <section> tag, <aside> tag brings the secondary content into the spotlight such as sidebar or commands buttons. <aside> tag can be most effectively used with call to action.
Some of the new additions might make this platform a bit more complex, but that’s only for the first timers. Once you have started using it, you will get a hang of it. The basic use of HTM5 is quite similar to the previous 4th version. The main purpose behind establishment of HTML5 is to provide backward compatibility. So, you do not have to worry about starting the packages from the scratch.
Importance of Using HTML5 in On-Page SEO
There are multiple SEO experts, who are currently using this latest HTML5 for addressing some on-page SEO challenges. There are multiple reasons behind its importance, and some of the major ones are listed below:
Adding new footer tag:
With HTML5, you get the opportunity to tag new footer. It helps the user to store some major information, related to the SEO purposes. You have the right to use footer tags along with header ones more than once, for a single page. For each section, you have the right to get separate header and footer. That will be super fun and easy.
New header tag:
Just like the footer one, this new header tag is just marvelous for designing on-page characteristics. It comprises of maximum flexibility; even more than footer. It is somewhat similar to that of H1 tag, and comprises of multiple elements. You can include paragraph with hard coded links, if you want to.
Addition of new Tag:
This is another interesting part of the new HTML5 section. You can always add new navigation tag, which is suitable for on-page SEO purposes. And that will help in making navigation an easy option for you. These are further used for collecting links to other pages.
Improved page segmenting:
Search engines are currently taking help of page segmentation. Here, the main page is going to be divided into multiple parts. And each one of these parts is described as separate entity. With HTMl5, it becomes easier for the SEO experts to work on this segregation.
New Section Tag
This tag is mostly used for identifying the multiple separate tags on page. Each section now comprises of own HTML heading. And these tags are designed in such a manner so that SEO experts will come to know more about the packages.
Promising article tag:
Among so many added values, mentioned above, the most important one has to be article tag. This is the best addition for on-page SEO values. It helps in marking separate entries in online publication. It helps in making the HTML code cleaner and helps people to know more about the content, without even going through it to judge. Search engines are even going to put some more weightage with such article tags in separate sections.
Final Thoughts
Make sure to catch up with experts and HTML5 programmers. They are sure to help you learn more about the additional services, over here. They know what you want, and would like to present you with the same. With their help, it won’t be difficult for you to learn about HTML5 elements.