Metadata: What You Need to Know
In this blog post, we will discuss what metadata is, what the different types of meta tags are and the best way to use them. We will also touch on some best practices as well as common mistakes when it comes to writing metadata.
What is Metadata?
The main type of metadata is the title and descrtiption tags, this is the information that appears when you search for something in Google. When you type in a searchphrase, you will see a list of websites appear, each of these sites will have a URL, Meta Title and Meta Description.
The meta tag information (title and description) is added in the back end of your website and won’t appear on the page itself.
The information displayed will help the searcher decide whether or not to click on your website.
Metadata should be unique for every page. It is basically a way of providing information about your website that is used by search engines and users to understand what each page on your website is about.
Why Meta Tags are Important?
While metadata isn’t a ranking factor for Google, using meta tags is still important because using the right meta tags is the easiest way of telling search engines what your web page is about. This in turn helps you attract more clicks and traffic to your site.
When someone performs a Google search, they are looking for a specific piece of information. Meta tags provide the information that appears alongside a search result, and can play an important role in determining whether or not someone clicks through to your web pages.
If your title tag and description match the searcher’s intent, then they are much more likely to click through to your website. However, if your meta tags don’t match their intent, then they are likely to move on to a different search result instead.
Types of meta tag
Title tag
One of the most important meta tags is the title tag. The title tag is the text that appears as the page title in the search engine results pages (SERPs) when someone searches for a keyphrase that is related to your website.
The title tag should be about 50 to 60 characters long, be unique, engaging and descriptive, and accurately reflect the content on your web pages.
Meta description
The meta description is another important meta tag. The meta description text is the information that appears under your title tag in the search engine results.
Your meta description should be a brief, accurate summary of the content on the web page. It should also be unique and interesting, so that people will want to click on your listings in the results pages.
The description should be around 150-160 characters long.
Common Mistakes with Metadata
A common mistake that people make when they add metadata is using the same title tag and meta description tag for every page on their website. Duplicate meta descriptions and title tags are a bad idea because they can make your website look spammy. Create a unique title tag and meta description for each particular page on your site to avoid this.
Another common mistake is using keyword stuffing in your title tag and meta description. Keyword stuffing is when you try to add too many keywords into your meta title and meta description, in an attempt to trick search engines and get higher search engine rankings. Metadata isn’t a ranking factor so adding in lots of keywords won’t do anything in helping your ranking positions.
You should also try not to cram too much technical information into your meta descriptions. Remember you are trying to get your target audience to click through to your website. Make each meta description tag unique and engaging with the basic information needed and then include all the more in depth information on your web page content for them to read when they click through.
Don’t try and trick people into clicking through to a webpage by including information in your metadata that isn’t accurate.
Finally, you should try and use all the characters available to you in both the title tags and meta descriptions, otherwise you’re not making the most of them and it’s a wasted opportunity.
Meta tags are an important part of search engine optimisation. They help a search engine crawler to understand your website page’s content and to index it accordingly. When you are creating meta tags for your website, always remember to keep them unique, accurate, and interesting. By following these tips and best practices, you can improve your click thorugh rate and get more traffic to your website.
If you want to know more about how to improve your websites performance online. Why not get in touch with the team today!
