What is the significance of meta tags in HTML?

Meta tags play a crucial role in HTML by providing metadata about the web page, which can significantly enhance its search engine optimization (SEO) and influence how the page appears in search results and social media previews. Meta tags can include information such as the page description, keywords, author, and viewport settings.

When used properly, these tags help search engines understand the content of a webpage, thus improving its ranking in search results. For instance, the "description" meta tag gives a brief summary of the page content, which can entices users to click on the link when it appears in search results. Additionally, meta tags can control how a web page displays in different environments, such as setting the appropriate specifications for how it should be shown on mobile devices or social media platforms.

While the structure of an HTML document is defined primarily by elements like headings, paragraphs, and lists, and multimedia elements are typically embedded using tags such as and