The Web Tutorials
Meta tags :: Publishing :: Search Engines :: Banner Ads :: Advertising :: Tracking
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Copyright
Search Engines
HTML
Linking documents
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Tables
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Javascript
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Internationalism
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Preparing for PublicationBefore you actually upload (publish) your pages to the server, there is one important addition to be made to them. You need to put in some meta tags.
There are two tags you need in particular: a description of your site, and a list of keywords, so that when you register with the search engines they will be able to list your keywords, and when a potential customers types in one or more of those keywords your site comes up.
Meta tags are placed in the HEAD of your page. The first one we are concerned with is the Description tag. Its HTML format is:
<META NAME="DESCRIPTION" CONTENT=" ">
You would then place a description of your site within the speech marks at the end of the tag.
Don't waste words here. The search engine may only pick up the first 25 words, so if you start off in a rambling manner "This is a site devoted to the..." you have immediately wasted seven words. "HTML coding and page construction tutorials. How to construct a good business web site." That will do and describes what this section of my site is all about. So the complete tag would read:
<META NAME="DESCRIPTION" CONTENT=" HTML coding and page construction tutorials. How to construct a good business web site.">
That is then hopefully the text that is displayed by the search engine when it lists your page in answer to a keyword search. That way the searcher knows exactly what to find at your site.
You will also need to start your Body text with a similar kind of description. If you don't want it to appear in the page, write it inside HTML tags, then it won't display, but the search engine will still be able to read it. Alternatively, insert a small transparent gif at the top of your page, and give it an ALT tag with the description in it. For example:
<IMG SRC="../../pics/trans.gif"ALT="HTML coding and page construction tutorials. How to construct a good business web site"
If you look at my education home page you will find at the top left corner a link back to the runway index. Just before that link is a transparent gif. That's where i've put the above code.
The next meta tag you need is the one to list your keywords. The HTML code is as follows:
<META NAME=description keywords=" ">
Once again, your list of words will go between the last set of quotation marks.
This is a difficult one. It is at this stage that you have to think like a customer. Out there are people who really want the services you are offering from your web site. They are even now sitting at their computers struggling with keywords, and using the search engines in the hope of finding something useful. What keywords are they typing in?
You need to sit down and think long and hard what your potential customers are going to be keying in to the search engines. Come up with a list. Sleep on it. Ask other people what they would key in. After a couple of weeks of asking and refining your list you should have something to type in. Once again, make sure no words are wasted. You only have 20-25 words to use. Any you list beyond that will be ignored.
Check back with the chapter on search engines. Note that certain search engines require you to use versions with both caps and lower case. Others only require lower case. Make sure you understand what the search engines will be looking for.
A useful site for checking meta tags and how to use them.
When you have entered your meta tags you will be ready to publish your site.
