Semantic HTML: Enhancing SEO and Web Accessibility

Semantic HTML has become more important in the age of search engines understanding languages. Although it’s not a ranking factor, it helps search engines identify the main content on a webpage. Therefore, for both SEO and site accessibility, it’s worth considering. Let’s examine how Semantic HTML streamlines content organization and SEO processes. Findings are based on knowledge gathered from the resources of Digital Sunbird.

Three Content Divisions on a Webpage

According to Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines, there are three different types of content on a webpage:

1. Main content – The primary content that search engines wish to index and rank.
2. Supplementary content – Useful elements, like site navigation, that search engines are not interested in for indexing purposes.
3. Advertising content – Content that search engines don’t intend to crawl.

The Role and Significance of Main Content

Main content propels the fulfillment of the webpage’s purpose, unlike supplementary and advertising content. It is this content that, according to the Search Quality Raters Guidelines, earns a higher Page Quality score. SEOs and publishers should, therefore, focus on creating main content that serves the webpage’s purpose effectively. That’s where Semantic HTML strides in, aiding search engine crawlers in identifying this main content.

Structuring a Webpage with Semantic HTML

Semantic HTML divides and manages the webpage content on multiple levels – main content, supplementary content, and advertising content. The term “semantic” refers to the meaning of a webpage, interpreted through its various components, not the meaning of individual words.

A webpage, just like the human body, is made up of different parts. When it comes to indexing, search engines prioritize the main content over other sections like the header, sidebar, footer, navigation, and advertising content.

Directing Search Engine to Important Content

The use of the <main> HTML element informs search engines about the main content, marking where it begins and where it ends. Such a distinction makes it exceedingly straightforward for search engines to identify, capture, and rank the main content.

Utilizing Additional Semantic HTML Elements

Beyond the <main> element, several other semantic HTML elements can enhance your webpage’s compartmentalization. The <header> and <nav> elements function to mark the topmost area of the page and navigation area respectively. Elements like <footer> and <aside> aid in semantic structuring, the former providing a semantic meaning to the webpage’s closing section and the latter to mark secondary content indirectly related to the main content.

Publishing with Semantic HTML

The <article> element in semantic HTML allows marking the actual article, helping in situations where title and excerpts for different pages are present on a content category page. This element can wrap around these individual title/excerpts and is allowed to present multiple times on a page.

Implementing Semantic HTML

Various semantic elements exist but utilizing them all isn’t necessary. Essential ones include <main>, <aside>, <header>, <nav>, and <footer> as these allow comprehensive page layout overview. The <button>, <form> and <section> are additionally advantageous for accessibility components.

Conclusion

All things considered, semantic HTML is an influential tool for website construction with SEO and accessibility advantages. By exploring and implementing this method, one can significantly optimize both the design structure and searchability of their site content. A comprehensive understanding of semantic HTML is a hallmark of a sophisticated digital marketer.