SEMrush just dropped a full breakdown of HTML tags and how they impact your content, SEO, and user experience.
As it turns out, this is exactly the way to level up your content to get listed in AI search result like Google's AI Mode, Search GPT (ChatGPT's search engine) and Perplexity.
If you think HTML tags are just some backend thing your CMS handles, you’re missing the real levers that shape how search engines and algorithms read your content.
 Here’s a rundown of real ways to get noticed and listed in AI search results from Semrush — and how to actually get started.
You can get a free trial on Semrush here.
HTML tags are the structure behind every webpage, defining how content gets displayed and interpreted by both browsers and search engines.
They tell crawlers which text matters, how media gets loaded, and how information connects across the web. Without them, your carefully written content would just be an unorganized wall of text.
Search engines rely on HTML tags to make sense of your page, prioritize content, and deliver the right answers to users.
Proper tagging helps algorithms understand your hierarchy, which boosts your visibility when AI-powered search results start parsing for relevance.
For creators and marketers, getting your tags right can mean the difference between getting surfaced in top search results or buried under your competition.
Most CMS platforms like Wix make adding HTML tags simple, often baked right into the editor.
But even with visual editors, it’s worth knowing how to manually tweak tags for better control.
Tools like browser inspectors, plugins, or direct HTML editors give you full visibility if you ever need to fine-tune things.
Title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and alt text are your heavy hitters here.
Title tags influence both rankings and click-through rates, while meta descriptions help searchers decide whether to click.
Headers structure your content for both readability and search engines, while alt text supports accessibility and image search visibility.
Heading tags (H1 to H6) organize content into a hierarchy that search engines understand.
The H1 acts like your article’s headline, signaling the main topic, while subheadings help break up sections and support semantic clarity.
Using headings properly helps both humans and bots navigate your content intuitively.
Meta tags sit in the page’s header and offer metadata that search engines use behind the scenes.
Beyond meta descriptions, tags like robots, canonical, and viewport control how your page is indexed, handled, and displayed across devices.
Getting these right ensures your pages are crawled and rendered the way you want.
Anchor tags control your internal and external links, shaping how users and bots move through your site.
Smart internal linking helps distribute authority across your pages, while descriptive anchor text gives context to both users and search engines.
Done right, this builds stronger SEO signals and keeps people engaged longer.
Image tags let you insert media while providing alt attributes that describe the content for accessibility and SEO.
Alt text allows images to rank in search and helps screen readers convey what the image contains.
Optimized image tags can even drive traffic from Google Images and AI-powered visual search.
Table tags organize data into rows and columns, making complex information easier to consume.
While not always crucial for SEO, properly formatted tables help when search engines look for structured data to display in rich snippets.
They also improve user experience for readers skimming for key info.
List tags structure content into ordered or unordered formats, making it easier to scan.
For SEO, lists can earn featured snippets or get pulled into AI summaries that highlight key takeaways.
Clean, well-tagged lists keep your content skimmable and algorithm-friendly.
Div tags create containers that segment your page layout without carrying any semantic meaning.
They’re mostly used for design and CSS, but they help developers organize page elements logically.
While divs themselves don’t impact SEO directly, sloppy use can create messy code that complicates crawler behavior.
Span tags let you apply inline styling or target specific text without breaking paragraph flow.
Like div tags, spans aren’t semantic but give developers control over design and scripting.
Use them sparingly to avoid cluttering your HTML structure with unnecessary layers.
Form tags collect user inputs for actions like subscriptions, surveys, or checkouts.
Well-built forms boost conversion rates and can signal user engagement metrics to search engines.
Plus, structured forms that follow accessibility standards can improve your site’s overall usability score.
Input tags define the specific fields inside your forms, like text boxes, checkboxes, and buttons.
Accurate input types enhance user experience and help browsers autofill information correctly.
Clean, functional inputs reduce friction for users, which can indirectly help your site’s engagement signals for SEO.
Button tags create clickable actions that trigger submissions, navigation, or other dynamic functions.
Unlike traditional anchor links, buttons are often used within forms or scripts to control user flow.
Well-designed buttons improve conversions and support accessibility with proper labeling.
Iframe tags embed external content like videos, widgets, or entire webpages inside your page.
They can improve content variety but come with tradeoffs for SEO, since search engines sometimes struggle to index embedded content.
Use iframes carefully to balance functionality with crawlability.
Semantic tags like article, section, nav, and footer give meaningful structure to your page layout.
They help search engines and AI models better understand how content is organized, boosting relevance signals in AI-driven search.
As search evolves toward entity understanding, semantic tags will only grow in importance.
Blockquote tags identify quoted text, adding context for both readers and crawlers.
Proper attribution with blockquotes can boost credibility, and in some cases, get featured in search snippets when quoting authoritative sources.
It’s a simple way to add both clarity and potential search value.
The real play here is simple: HTML tags are not some dusty web dev relic.
They’re the invisible architecture driving how your content shows up in AI-driven search, feeds, and recommendation engines.
If you’re serious about being seen, getting your tags right is non-negotiable. |
