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| Meta Tag Name: Description | HTML x.x / XHTML x.x / | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Example: <meta name="description" content="Acme Industrial offers the web's lowest prices on blue widgets - great bargains with fast shipment and guaranteed delivery."> |
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| Recommendation: Strongly Recommended |
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| Length: Minimum n/a Maximum n/a Recommended n/a | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview: The Description Tag is a general description of what is contained in your webpage |
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| Comments: Make your meta description as compelling as you can, as your description often is the difference between getting your listing clicked on in the search results or your competitor's site. |
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| Indexed by Google: unknown | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indexed by Yahoo: unknown | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indexed by MSN: unknown | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indexed by AOL: unknown | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other Examples:
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Tags-URL
AVOID THE COMMON MISTAKES
Description meta tag:
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Function: |
Returns a description of the page in place of the summary the search engine would ordinarily create |
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Limits: |
200 character, 25 word maximum |
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Tips: |
This text should appeal to both the human and robot visitor. It should grab the attention but also include important keywords. The rule of thumb is to try and create a sentence that will make users want to click through to your site. Crafting a simple sentence that can do that effectively will serve you better than rambling your way through several lines in an attempt to list everything. |
<meta name="description" content="Acme Industrial offers the web's lowest prices on blue widgets - great bargains with fast shipment and guaranteed delivery.">
When you look at a list of search results, each listed site/page usually has a description of what the site/page is about. This is not the title which is normally dispayed in bold. Some search engines get the description from this meta tag although today most take it from the printable text in the page itself. To take advantage of the engines that use the description meta tag, this is the place to write a short piece of text to grab the surfer's attention.
Today, the major search engines seem to place very little (or no) value on the content of the description tag from an algorithmic standpoint. Nevertheless, it remains good design practice to put a unique and appropriate description tag on each page. Include relevant keyword content in the tag.
Description META Tag
By Submit Corner
Tell a Friend About This Page
Overview: The Description Tag is a general description of what is contained in your webpage
Search engines that support META tags will often display the Description META tag along with your title in their results. Search engines will often capture the entire META tag of your description field, but webmasters should bear in mind that when a search engine displays the results to a user, the space is limited, usually under 20 words which you can use to grab the attention of a user. For this reason, when creating your META tags, webmasters should make the first sentence of their description field to capture the attention of a user and use the rest of the description tag to elaborate further.
The Description
and
Keyword Meta Tags are the two principle META tags that search
engines look for when indexing your website. The description and
keywords that you provide are likely the words that will show up in
results, so make sure that you put the most energy and thought into the
text you use to describe your website.
Recommended Usage: Strongly Recommended
Meta Description: A short,
plain language description of the document, usually 20-25 words or less. Search
engines that support this tag will use the information to publish on their
search results page, normally below the Title of your site. This tag is
particularly important if your document has very little text, is a frameset, or
has extensive scripts at the top.
Example: <META NAME="description" CONTENT="Citrus fruit
wholesaler.">
Recommendation: Make your meta description as compelling as you
can, as your description often is the difference between getting your listing
clicked on in the search results or your competitor's site.
| description | Required. Non-Repeatable |
Narrative description of the information resource, including the purpose of the information.
Syntax: <META NAME="description" CONTENT=" " >
Usage Guidelines: Provide a full, detailed description of the information resource designed to assist the user to determine its usefulness and decide whether to obtain additional information from the listed contact. Follow these recommendations:
Examples:
<META NAME="description" CONTENT= "Checklist contains records of
all newly received state agency monographic and serial publications cataloged
within the two month period covered. State agency addresses are provided for the
purpose of obtaining copies of the listed materials. This title is also issued
bimonthly on permanent paper in accordance with NCGS 125-11.8 and 125-11.13.">
<META NAME="description" CONTENT= "The Office of State Planning home page describes the mission of the office and contains links to six subdivisions or sources of information. The subdivisions are Strategic Planning and Analysis, State Data Center, State Demographics, Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, the Community Resource Information System, and Geodetic Survey.">
<META NAME="description" CONTENT= "The database contains current statistics on North Carolina households, families, and individuals based on a sample of 1200 to 2500 households surveyed each March. The civilian, non-institutional population is represented. Comparison data is included for years beginning in 1991."
<META NAME="description" CONTENT= "The database is a directory of current information on grants-in-aid available to local communities and non-profit organizations for financial and technical assistance from the state of North Carolina.">
<meta name="description" content="Acme Industrial offers the web's lowest prices on blue widgets - great bargains with fast shipment and guaranteed delivery.">
When you look at a list of search results, each listed site/page usually has a description of what the site/page is about. This is not the title which is normally dispayed in bold. Some search engines get the description from this meta tag although today most take it from the printable text in the page itself. To take advantage of the engines that use the description meta tag, this is the place to write a short piece of text to grab the surfer's attention.
Today, the major search engines seem to place very little (or no) value on the content of the description tag from an algorithmic standpoint. Nevertheless, it remains good design practice to put a unique and appropriate description tag on each page. Include relevant keyword content in the tag.
<meta name="description" content="Acme Industrial offers the web's lowest prices on blue widgets - great bargains with fast shipment and guaranteed delivery.">
When you look at a list of search results, each listed site/page usually has a description of what the site/page is about. This is not the title which is normally dispayed in bold. Some search engines get the description from this meta tag although today most take it from the printable text in the page itself. To take advantage of the engines that use the description meta tag, this is the place to write a short piece of text to grab the surfer's attention.
Today, the major search engines seem to place very little (or no) value on the content of the description tag from an algorithmic standpoint. Nevertheless, it remains good design practice to put a unique and appropriate description tag on each page. Include relevant keyword content in the tag.
<meta name="description" content="between 200 and 250 characters" /> |
The Meta Tag "description" contains - guess what - description of the page. It should describe the content briefly and objective. "Best and most freakin' hot page on this god damn planet" is an example for a not very detailed and formal description. Search engines often show title and description on their search results. So it is a good idea to write some short and useful prose about the contents of the page.
| META Description Tag - Revised 6.20.02 | ||||
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| description | Required. Non-Repeatable |
Narrative description of the information resource, including the purpose of the information.
Syntax: <META NAME="description" CONTENT=" " >
Usage Guidelines: Provide a full, detailed description of the information resource designed to assist the user to determine its usefulness and decide whether to obtain additional information from the listed contact. Follow these recommendations:
Examples:
<META NAME="description" CONTENT= "Checklist contains
records of all newly received state agency monographic and serial
publications cataloged within the two month period covered. State agency
addresses are provided for the purpose of obtaining copies of the listed
materials. This title is also issued bimonthly on permanent paper in
accordance with NCGS 125-11.8 and 125-11.13.">
<META NAME="description" CONTENT= "The Office of State Planning home page describes the mission of the office and contains links to six subdivisions or sources of information. The subdivisions are Strategic Planning and Analysis, State Data Center, State Demographics, Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, the Community Resource Information System, and Geodetic Survey.">
<META NAME="description" CONTENT= "The database contains current statistics on North Carolina households, families, and individuals based on a sample of 1200 to 2500 households surveyed each March. The civilian, non-institutional population is represented. Comparison data is included for years beginning in 1991."
<META NAME="description" CONTENT= "The database is a directory of current information on grants-in-aid available to local communities and non-profit organizations for financial and technical assistance from the state of North Carolina.">
The description is used by both internal and external search engines in indexing the contents of a page and is given extra weighting in determining relevant results to a search query.
The description is typically displayed in search results and is a primary means by which users assess the relevance of a page to their search.
| <meta name="description" content="[description]"> |
| Variable | Description |
| [description] | An accurate summary or abstract of the page contents. |
Every page MUST have a description.
The description SHOULD be an accurate, appealing summary of the contents of a particular page.
Section and sub-section home pages MUST have a unique description specific to the section.
Content pages SHOULD have a unique description specific to that particular page. If this is not practical, the description may repeat that of the parent section.
The contents of the description meta tag MUST NOT exceed thirty words.