Below are some SEO best practices that should be used as guidelines when updating on-site content.

Meta Descriptions

Meta descriptions are meant to provide a brief summary of a web page. Search engines often display the meta description in search results, which can influence click-through rates.

  • Meta descriptions should be highly relevant to the content of the page with the purpose of driving clicks.
  • Aim to keep meta descriptions between 50-160 characters in length. Google truncates around 155 characters.
  • Use a targeted keyword in the description but be careful to not keyword stuff or use too many keywords.
  • Drupal will automatically pull teaser content as the default meta description but it is highly recommended that you develop specific, click-oriented meta descriptions.
  • Example: The Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute provides research-based cancer care to children using the latest therapies and technologies.

Title Tags

Each page should have a unique, descriptive title tag. What you input into your title tag field will show up in search results, although in some cases Google may adjust how your title tag appears in search results.

  • Include important keywords.
  • Aiming to keep them to 50–60 characters is safe, but don’t sacrifice quality.
  • It is recommended that title tags are in this format [Page Topic | Miller Children’s]
  • Drupal will automatically pull the node title and brand name as the title tag, but it is recommended that you develop specific title tags based on the relevant page topic and keywords.
  • Example: Leukemia and Lymphoma Program | Miller Children's & Women's Hospital

URL Structure

URL structure represents the site’s file structure. URLs provide added context to a user about what the page content will be about. 

Keep the following in mind when naming your page or specifying a URL alias:

  • Name the page clearly.
  • Nest/organize URLs appropriately based on categories/subcategories.
    • The URL structure also defines the breadcrumbs in the header which makes it even more important to make sure pages are properly nested.
  • Keep them short when possible, but don’t sacrifice descriptiveness.
  • Use hyphen to separate words.
  • Avoid case sensitivity.
  • Aim to keep URLs shorter than 2,083 characters.
  • Example: millerchildrens.org/locations/childrens-village/parking-info

Alt Text

Alt text is a principle of web accessibility, and is used to describe images to the visually impaired via screen readers. Search engine bots also crawl alt text to better understand images.

  • Create alt descriptions that read naturally for users, and avoid stuffing keywords for search engines.
  • Example: Woman holding small newborn inside the NICU

H1s

Your H1 should include the primary topic of the page, ideally this would also be a primary keyword you’re wanting to rank for.

  • Only have one per page.
  • Example: Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute