Metadata test
From SiteRay wiki
| SiteRay Test | |
|---|---|
| First appeared: | Sitescore 1.0 |
| Applies to: | All versions |
| Type: | Individual test |
| Scored: | Always |
What does it do?
Tests whether metadata (a type of hidden information on a webpage) is present, and being used correctly. In particular, this includes meta tags.
Any metadata that is in use is presented in a searchable list which can be exported.
Why is it important?
Some metadata has great value, particularly to search engines. Correct use of metadata can improve your placement in search engines, but more importantly how your website appears when in a search engine.
In particular, the description meta tag, is frequently shown in Google beneath the link to a specific result:
In the above example, Google has a description meta tag starting "Enables users to search the Web, Usenet, and images ...". Specifying this tag allows you to influence what text search engines will display on their search engine results, in turn making it more likely your website is clicked on.
The keywords meta tag also has some importance (albeit small) with how some search engines rank a website for terms you specify. Sitescore does not score you for the use of the keywords meta tag.
For some public websites, the use of certain metadata standards is mandated, e.g. eGMS or Dublin Core. If detected, Sitescore will examine these.
Example results
Note that in this example web addresses have been concealed.
How is it measured?
Sitescore checks for the following meta tags:
- Description - A description for the page. This is frequently used by search engines to explain their search results, and specifying this can improve the click through rates on a search engine results page.
The score is derived from the percentage of pages which include the description meta tag. The maximum score requires every page to have every required meta tag. The score is reduced if the website makes use of poorly defined meta keywords, e.g. if there are too many keywords (some search engines penalise websites for using too many). Note that the list of recommended meta tags changes over time as Internet standards advance.
Technical explanation
The test looks for the presence of meta tags on every page, like so:
<meta name="description" content="This is an example">>
Every meta tag encountered is stored and displayed in a searchable list by this test. Where possible, the metadata is categorised automatically.
Common problems
Some people have argued that keywords should not be separated with commas, but with spaces. We refer to the standard on this:
- "Provide keywords and descriptions. Some indexing engines look for META elements that define a comma-separated list of keywords/phrases, or that give a short description. Search engines may present these keywords as the result of a search."
How to improve this score
Make use of the recommended meta tags, and ensure they are used correctly. For most websites, this is technically very straightforward (simply adding 1 – 2 lines of simple code to each webpage). Where templates are used, this is usually almost trivial. The more time consuming element is the manual selection of appropriate keywords and descriptions for each page.
How to use this test effectively
Use this test to detect where your website is not using important meta tags, and to patch those gaps.
