Metadata is a very important part of SEO. However, it is often forgotten or in the background when carrying out search engine positioning actions. In this article we are going to explain what it is for and why metadata is important for SEO.
What is metadata
Metadata is a type of structured data that offers relevant information about content. Although we usually talk about the metadata of web content or a website, in reality almost any digital content contains this type of data, from e-books to MP3 music files.
In the context of SEO, metadata is HTML elements whose main function is to describe to search engines the content of a site or web page. Search engines use this data to quickly analyze the content and know what content it offers and what the topic is.
With the exception of the meta description or alt texts of images, this data is not for humans, but rather They only work for robots of search engines.
What is metadata used for in SEO?
As we have explained, metadata is used so that search engines can obtain quick information about web content.
Correctly configuring the metadata structure of a website allows the content to be positioned much more quickly and, therefore, it is much easier to improve positioning.
After the latest changes in Google algorithm, especially after the update on useful content, it is very important correctly label content of a website so that it is positioned correctly on the search results page.
At the same time, certain types of metadata, such as meta descriptions, help the user identify the content. If this metadata is attractive to users, the chances of the content being clicked on will be much higher.
Types of metadata
On a website you can find different types of metadata such as:
-Meta Title: It is the label that tells bots the central topic of a piece of content. If it exceeds 70 characters it will be cut off in the SERP and the user will not obtain all the information.
-Meta Description: Provides a description of the content of a web page. It is used as a summary of the content and should not exceed 155 characters.
-Heading Tags: Labels used to mark titles and subtitles (H1, H2, etc.). They are used to structure the content of a page.
-Alt Tags: They are texts that describe the content of images. They are typically used to provide context and display information when images do not load.
-Meta Robot Tags: This metadata gives direct instructions to search engine robots. For example, they indicate which content should be indexed or which links are marked as “no follow.”