Definition of ASCII Code

The ASCII code is a 7-bit character set that enables most computer keyboard characters to be displayed. This code, originally developed in the USA, maps letters and symbols, although some characters such as umlauts and the ß are missing in German. An ASCII code table can be used to translate the code into human readable characters.

Historical background

The abbreviation ASCII stands for “American Standard Code for Information Interchange”. The code, which comprises 128 characters, was approved by the US authorities in 1963 and is still in use. In addition to its original purpose, ASCII is also used in art as ASCII art.

How it works

Each character in the ASCII code consists of 7 bits, which is normally unreadable for humans. An ASCII code table can be used to convert the bit representation into human readable characters.

The role of ASCII in search engine optimization

Although other encodings for website texts are common today, ASCII plays a major role in search engine snippets. By including special characters in meta tags or meta descriptions, website operators can attract attention and possibly achieve higher click rates on their search results.

Conversion of ASCII code

Due to the complexity of ASCII, there are numerous converters and ASCII tables on the Internet. Search queries such as “letters to ASCII code” help with the conversion of hex values to ASCII.

ASCII type as a by-product

The use of the ASCII character set to create images and pictograms is referred to as ASCII art. This art form has developed over time on the Internet, where automatic tools can generate ASCII variants from images. In terms of SEO, however, ASCII art images have no relevance, as search engines interpret them as illegible collections of characters.