Website – Title Tags and Meta Data

This Meta stuff always seems to be so foreign and it’s not. The basics are fairly simple, a lot has been written about Meta data, some real, some not so real. In the early 1990’s meta data was king, and today, as search engines have improved it’s not nearly as important as it used to be.

• Meta data, in the end, is just descriptor information, simple as that. The Wikipedia link and description on Meta elements is fairly in depth and you can find that here.  For a simple reference see below;
• Title tag is the heading at the top of your page that shows up in the browser, it is descriptive and refers to content.
• Meta tags (or meta tag keywords) are short descriptive words that are what the page is about. Commas separate the information and words.
• Meta tag description is a brief outline of what the page is about, it’s longer, usually in a narrative, paragraph style.

This information is all input on the “back end” of your site (the part no one sees, but the programmer or content management manager). It’s important to provide input to Google and other search engines as to what each page is about. Meta data impacts your SEO (search engine optimization). So, you need to be aware.

As search engines continue to improve, I’m thinking Meta data may be a thing of the past. Right now it’s important. Make sure you and your programmer are clear on the keywords you are hoping to see your site ranked. Those keywords must be part of your meta data.

Michael Bickerton, Raven5 Ltd, August 2010