Search Engine Optimisation and the importance (or otherwise!) of metadata

Metadata is, by definition 'data about data' - and in terms of website content it consists of words in the html code of a page that describe the content succintly. As it does not feature highly on a page, metadata has become one of the most abused and misunderstood aspects of search engine optimisation; properly written, it can help immensely to bolster click-through rates from search engines to websites, and it can also make a site look as though it's full of spam even before anyone has set foot on your site.

The two crucial areas of metadata that most concern us at BE Technical are the "title" text and the "description" content. These should be unique and descriptive, and as well as reiniforcing the message of the page, they can also encourage searchers to visit your site. So we prefer to say that metadata is less about search engine optimisation than search engine marketing.

Getting Metadata Right is a Key Aspect of Search Engine Optimisation

As you know, search engine optimisation is not just a case of listing a lot of key words and phrases and hoping for the best. The words on your pages will be read by visitors to your site as well as search engines, and should be used to contain good old-fashioned marketing messages. Think about how you scan search engine results pages yourself - you don't just click on anything, do you?

At BE Technical, we specialise in writing text for websites that is clear and understandable, as well as optimised for search engine results. While metadata may seem a minor consideration, we feel it is crucial to get right. Well-written meta data can make a big difference to both your website's ranking on search engine result pages, and to potential visitors' first impression of your site.

BE Technical always include the writing of metadata for every page in our overall plan for the development of a website.

Want to learn more about meta tags? Read Meta Tags Explained, by Jerry West.

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