Meta Data - How to add or edit

Meta data / Search Engine Information is the information that is included on a web page that is invisible to the online user, but is visible to a search engine. It is designed to explain to a search engine what a web page is about.

Meta data or Search Engine Information is not visible on the website itself but is used by some search engines and directories to gain information about the website in order to index (catalogue) it correctly. Different search engines use metadata differently and some don’t use it at all.

Read an article on the Zeald website to Find out more about Meta Data

How to Insert & edit the meta title, description and keywords of a Content Page


Please note: Updating your meta data will not be instantly reflected on your google listings - it will take time for google to go through your site again and update the information it displays. It can be anywhere from 1 day to 1 month!
 
  1. In the administration end of the website, click on the Content tab content
  2. You will see the Content Tree. Locate the content page to which you wish to add or edit meta data
  3. Click Edit Page
  4. Scroll down to the Search Engine Information section at the bottom of the page
  5. Enter the Meta Page Title. Of all the various Meta information, the Meta title is the most important. Make sure that you spend the most time formulating this copy. The Meta title is displayed in the top of the browser window and also as the link in the search engine results. A combination of the page title and the top level categories often provide a great base for a Meta title
    It should:
    • be attractive to visitors and encourage them to click on the link. The more relevant and compelling you can make this title the higher your click through conversion rate
    • be relevant to the content of the page. Ensure that you use key words and phrases that are displayed on the page.
    • have most important words at the start. Because Google truncates the title you must ensure that the relevant and compelling keywords are displayed at the beginning.
    • use relevant phrases from keyword research wherever possible. Make sure that you are using keywords and phrases that your users are searching for
    • be 40 – 95 characters long, including spaces, e.g."Children's books online – stories for kids of all ages – Wheeler's Books NZ"
  6. Enter the Meta Page Description - The page description is sometimes used by the search engines as the short description in the search results. The first sentence or two of the body copy often provide a great base for a Meta description
    It should:
    • make sense, use a short sharp sentence or two that describes the page
    • be relevant to the content of the page. Ensure that you use key words and phrases that are displayed on the page
    • be 180 characters long, including spaces. (Maximum 250)
    • use relevant phrases from keyword research wherever possible. Make sure that you are using keywords and phrases that your users are searching for, e.g. "Buy children's books from Wheeler's Books. New Zealand's largest range of children's books, picture books and young adult novels at the cheapest prices"
  7. You should ignore the Meta Page Keywords – Of all the various Meta information, the Meta keywords are the least important. Because the keywords are not displayed in the search results at all, they have been abused by websites in the past and little if any emphasis is placed on the keyword meta data by the search engines in the ranking process.
    • be no more than 300 characters long, including spaces, e.g."books novels children's books kids books young adult novels"
  8. If you do decide to enter keyword meta data:
    • be full phrases with each word separated with a space. Do not use commas and do not press "Enter" (return carriage) between words.
    • be relevant to the content of the page. Ensure that you use key words and phrases that are displayed on the page, but also consider using mis-spellings and alternate phrases.
    • be unique to the page - Do not to repeat a word more than 3 times. Do not repeat a phrase
  9. Select the Page Priority from the dropdown box – This is only used by Google and helps to ensure that the pages within your site do not compete with each other in the search results. Make this high if this is a relevant page for first time visitors to see, or low if you deem this page less relevent. Very High should be reserved for the Homepage
  10. Click the Save button to save these changes

How to edit the Meta title, description and keywords of the Home Page

  1. Go to the Content Tab
  2. Click the + next to Standard Pages
  3. Click on Home Page
  4. Click Edit Page
  5. Follow directions above

How to add Meta alt text to an image

This is the hidden meta data used by Google and other search engines to find and rank images, so it is important for your website SEO. Make sure that you describe what the image is in the 'Alt' box every time you add an image to a page. Be sure to incorporate relevant target search phrases in this text.
See How to insert images using the rich text editor
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