Next time you need a break from the heavy lifting – the strategy decks, the campaign planning, the endless approvals – this is something you can pick up, finish and push live to improve your website’s SEO. No developer, no agency retainer, and no need to block out your whole afternoon.
There are three little things quietly doing more damage to your search performance than most people realise: title tags, meta descriptions and alt text. Together, they can impact your rankings and click-through rates, and none of them require touching a line of code. If your site’s on the smaller side, this is a single-sitting job. For bigger sites, it’s more an ongoing effort, but it’s still the kind of low-brainpower work that can slot in between your bigger projects.
What title tags, meta descriptions and alt text are
Before you start fixing anything, it's worth knowing what each of these is for.
Title tags
Your title tag is the blue, clickable headline in a Google search result, and it's also what shows up in the browser tab. It matters, but it doesn’t need to be perfect. Google sometimes rewrites title tags for you – not changing how it appears in the browser tab, just in the search results – especially if you go past the 60-character limit or if it decides a different phrase on the page makes a better headline.
Your title tag should be clear and front-loaded with your keyword and what the page is about. Use title case for best practice and keep it between 50-60 characters, max.
Meta descriptions
The meta description is the grey summary text under the title in search results. It is not a ranking factor – Google has been consistent about that for years – but it's a click-through lever. A well-written meta description convinces the searcher to choose your result over the others Google offers up, so a generic or missing description can cost you clicks.
You have more room for your meta description – up to 160 characters. Use them to reinforce what the page covers, what your solution is, and why it’s worth the click. Short, fragmented sentences often work well.
Alt text
Alt text describes an image for anyone using a screen reader, and it's what displays if an image fails to load. Its primary job is accessibility, not SEO, but it can still support your page and site visibility, particularly in image search.
Use your alt text to describe what’s in the image and use your keyword if you can (but not just for the sake of it). For example, “A line graph showing steady improvement of conversion rate over time.” Or “Screenshot of the Transactions page, showing the most recent three payments received and fees paid.”
If it’s a decorative image, skip it.
Step 1: Find out what you've published
Most CMSs will publish something in your title tag at the very least, but it’s rarely ideal. It’ll usually be the name you’ve given the page on the backend, which may not be what you want your customers to see.
To start cleaning things up, you first want to pull together a list of all the title tags, meta descriptions and alt-text that’s live on your site. If your site’s only a couple of pages, viewing the page source (CTRL or CMD + U) and searching for <title> and name=”description” will do. But for anything bigger, you’ll want a tool to pull the information for you.
Some platforms, like Shopify, have a built-in export tool. But for most platforms, Screaming Frog is probably the fastest starting point. It crawls up to 500 URLs of a site for free, so is good enough for most businesses. Simply download the app, enter your domain, run the crawl, then export the Page Titles, Meta Description and Images tabs for three clean lists to work from. (Or do what I do and export everything, then delete the unnecessary columns so everything is on one tab.)
Step 2: Review the content, including the length
Spreadsheets are best for this because you can see all your pages at once and use custom formatting to bring your attention to the pages that need your attention first. Here’s how I format my spreadsheets:
- Rename existing columns “existing” or “old” – so you get “Old title tag”, “Old meta description”, “Old alt-text”.
- Add new columns for the rewritten version (“New title tag”, etc.) so you can easily identify what you’ve reviewed and what’s left to do.
- Add Length columns for your new title tag and meta description. Your Screaming Frog export will tell you the length of your current meta, but it’s static and won’t update if you overwrite the content.
- Use the LEN function to calculate character lengths. If your new title tag is in column D, put the length function in column E as =LEN(D2). This should auto-populate down the spreadsheet for you to make things easy.
- Add conditional formatting on the length columns to highlight in red if your title tag or meta description is outside the ideal range (50-60 characters for title tags, 145-160 for meta descriptions).
FREE DOWNLOAD
Want a short-cut? Download my Excel template with the rules already set up so you can just copy/paste in your existing content.
Step 3: Write or rewrite your content
With your list in front of you and the problem rows flagged, you’re ready to review and rewrite the content.
- Title tags: Lead with your primary keyword, aim for 50–60 characters, and make sure each page has its own unique value. Ending the tag with your business name is standard but not necessary as Google displays that information separately in the search results.
- Meta descriptions: Write to earn the click, not just describe the page. Keep it to 150–160 characters, include your keyword naturally, and avoid generic boilerplate repeated across multiple pages.
- Alt text: Write a description of the image as if you were explaining it to someone who couldn’t see it, because that’s exactly what your alt text does. Leave purely decorative images blank – people don’t need to hear that it’s an image of a swirl in brand blue.
Step 4: Push your fixes live
If your platform has the export function (like Shopify), you can usually reformat your CSV to how it appeared in the export and import it for instant updates across the site. Check the flow carefully, though, as you don’t want to overwrite other content.
For other platforms, like WordPress and HubSpot, manual re-entry through your SEO plugin panel or page editor is the realistic option. It’s slow, consistent work – perfect for when you need something a bit mind-numbing.
Note, there are some plugins you can add to your site for a bulk import, but I haven’t personally tried them.
Your quick-win checklist
Export or view your current title tags, meta descriptions and image alt text.
Add a =LEN() column and flag anything outside the length ranges (50-60 for title tags, 145-160 for meta descriptions).
Rewrite flagged title tags with your keyword near the front.
Rewrite flagged meta descriptions to earn the click.
Rewrite or add alt text for images missing it or where it's just a keyword dump.
Publish the changes.
Can’t be bothered?
That’s totally fair. If you'd rather have someone who does this for a living look after it for you, that’s one of the many things I’m here for. Get in touch to discuss scope, budgets and timelines.