Akin to stagehands in theater productions, metadata is the seemingly invisible behind-the-scenes aspect of content creation. However, search engines see these hidden words as the absolute forefront of website copy

Tags, slugs, keywords, alt text, descriptions, and image files names all tell the search engines what to see. But, going without this metadata can drastically reduce your online visibility and search rankings. 

Like real estate’s almighty factor of worth based on location, location, location, metadata’s true value is about content, content, content. Word. But what exactly are these five elements of meta, why is each one important in its own right, and how do they boost your position on page results? Let’s explore each one further to find out. 

Tags

Much like the tag on your t-shirt, coded meta tags indicate what the published material (fabric content) is composed of. While there is contention as of late as to whether or not meta tags matter anymore, the consensus is yes, this snippet of HTML code (in conjunction with quality content) still plays a vital role in SEO.

Slugs

Slugs. They’re not just for gardens. Slugs make up the last portion of domain names and are meant to be an accurate glimpse into what can be expected from a particular page on a site. Instead of relying on auto-gen slugs, craft them yourself to customize them to mirror your sitemap and copy. 

Keywords

Are you all a-buzz just hearing the word keywords? Join the keyword-obsessed club. An SEO must-have, keywords are the simplified summary of all your web page’s content, allowing search engines a quick glimpse into what you are trying to convey. 

Alt Text

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, alt text is necessary for anyone using the internet that’s visually impaired. Alt-text is a written description of an image (no, it’s not worth 100 words, as the cliché says) that’s a short phrase to portray a picture, graphic, logo, video, or animation. 

Descriptions

Let’s talk length. Device width determines the visible character count of your site’s meta description. Most mobile devices topped out at 120 characters, while computers show up to 158 characters (both of these numbers include spaces).

Image File Names

Logically naming your image files to reflect what is represented in the image doesn’t just make a whole lot of sense to other humans. It also makes sense to the algorithms which control search engine results. Make it a best practice to name your images according to their content while avoiding long strings of auto-generated numbers. 

If your published website lacks complete metadata in the backend of your site, you are not alone. But, never fear. Our Content Writing Team and SEO experts are here! Contact Rock Paper Simple to see how we can boost your position through the awesome marketing power of meta.

Published On: August 2, 2021By