HTML Tips and Techniques
Using Meta Tags

Search engines sometimes use metatags to help classify a webpage. What are metatags, and how are they used?

A metatag is used in the HEAD section of a HTML document, and helps give additional information about the document to search engines. They are not seen by the user, and not used by browsers. In some search engines, these metatags determine what clickable link and description are shown in the search engine results listings.

DESCRIPTION
If you use

<META name="description" content="this is your lovely description">

in your HEAD area, this will define a description for your webpage. This description is often used to highlight your link when it appears in search engines.

KEYWORDS
The line

<META name="keywords" content="keyword1, keyword2, keyword3">

lets you choose which keywords are best related to your site. Some search engines want commas between words or phrases, while others don't care about commas. Do research into the search engine you are most interested in.

There are a few other metatag statements, but they are rarely used. If you make sure your pages have these two tags on each page, it'll give you an advantage in those search engines that use them!

Lisa's HTML Tips and Techniques Homepage

Other Sites by Lisa
ASP Code & Help Java Code & Help Gaming Walkthroughs