Metadata, in its simplest form, is data about data. In a website context, even though the metadata is invisible to a visitor browsing a website, it is a critical component of web development and getting a website to rank well in internet searches. The metadata is read by the search engine bots that crawl across the vast internet landscape, providing a concise summary of what a web page is about.
Without being indexed, a website can't appear in search engine results. When a website is indexed, the key information provided by metadata is catalogued and added to a massive database that helps search engines to instantly retrieve relevant results for user queries. The alternative of having to scan the entire web in real-time wouldn't be technically feasible.
Every website is based on code. Metadata is an integral part of the coding structure for a website and consists of a set of tags. The metadata resides in the head section at the top of a webpage.
Metadata can be written in a variety of formats. Most commonly, HTML is used for writing the meta tags that are in the head of the web document.
The meta tags provide features like mobile responsiveness, proper indexing, and accurate search display, directly impacting the visibility of a website across the internet.
In a well written website, you'll also find a section of code written in a structured markup language. This structured data helps search engines to understand the context of the web content and is used to enable enhanced "rich results" in search.
Below the metadata there will be other code. For a front-end website, the code is usually written in the following core languages that each provide particular functionality:
This latter code is translated by your PC browser and displayed on your screen as a web page.
A website written by a skilled website developer will have been coded directly using a knowledge of the respective coding languages. A good developer will write the code with a view to SEO and applying the latest coding conventions for matching the algorithms used by search engines to rank a website in search results.
Other providers may use a website builder such as WordPress, Wix or Squarespace, which don't require coding knowledge. Even if a site has been produced using one of these platforms, the software generates the code on your behalf. However the metadata inserted by website builders is often generic by default.
All website code, including metadata, needs to be optimised and written uniquely for your particular website. This is the secret to website performance.
Without clear and complete metadata, a search engine might struggle to determine if your page is the best fit to a user's search, potentially leading to lower rankings.
The following list is not entirely comprehensive but it provides a summary of the key metadata tags for a website.
Essential SEO meta tags include:
This is the most critical tag. The Meta Title will always be used by search engines and it acts as the clickable headline in search engine results.
The Meta Description is there as a descriptive summary of what the web page content is about. This tag provides a great opportunity to “sell the page” so users click on the link and go to the website. It needs to be written so as to stimulate interest for the user to click through to the website rather than scrolling to the next search result.
While not a direct ranking factor, the Description tag is provided to boost click-through rates and therefore the number of conversions on the website. This will indicate to search engines that your page is relevant, and thus can further boost your ranking over time.
The Viewport tag is essential for ensuring mobile-friendly, responsive design that will define how the page loads on various screen sizes.
The Robots tag instructs search engines on whether to index a page or follow links. If this tag is written incorrectly it can unintentionally remove the website from search results.
Charset defines the character encoding, ensuring text, numbers, and symbols display correctly. Without this tag, browsers must "guess" the encoding, which often leads to broken text or unreadable symbols.
Proper charset declaration can also prevent certain types of attacks, such as cross-site scripting (XSS), by ensuring the browser doesn't misinterpret malicious code hidden in obscure encodings.
While technically a link, the Canonical tag is essential for SEO, and is used to specify the required version of a website URL in order to prevent duplicate content issues.
Open Graph (OG) tags are a specific type of metadata. While regular metadata is geared toward search engines, OG tags are designed directly for social media representation.
These tags are specific HTML snippets that instruct social media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn on how to display content such as title, description, and images when a website link is shared. This is designed to make a social media link to your website more attractive for users to click on and to hence boost traffic to your site.
Therefore, while these tags are not a direct ranking factor in website searches, they play a crucial role in improving social media visibility and engagement. This in turn benefits overall SEO performance.
Hopefully this article has helped you to understand that metadata is key to a web page, given that these tags can have an enormous impact on the user experience, SEO and conversion. Understanding and using best practice to optimise meta tags will significantly improve your website performance.
By using metadata to provide clarity to crawlers as well as context about the website to users, it ensures that your intended audience will actually find your website and provide an opportunity for your business to gain additional customers.
While website metadata may not be an interesting subject for consumption by website users, it's something you should be aware of when you are considering building a website. You, or your developer, will require a detailed knowledge on this subject to guide you towards a successful site. Metadata really is the invisible backbone to a website.
If you'd like further information on how to optimise your website using metadata, we're happy to help. Contact us to arrange a free, no-obligation discussion.
