Metadata is data that describes other data — in a web context, information about a page that isn't part of its visible content but helps search engines, browsers, and other systems understand what that page actually is.
Common Types of Web Metadata
- Title tags — the clickable headline shown in search results
- Meta descriptions — the short summary shown beneath a title in search results
- Open Graph tags — control how a link appears when shared on social media
- Schema markup — structured data describing specific content types in detail
- Image metadata — alt text and file information attached to images
Why Metadata Matters
- Directly shapes how a page appears in both search results and social media shares
- Helps search engines correctly understand and categorize a page's content
- Improves accessibility, particularly through descriptive image alt text
- Can meaningfully affect click-through rates from search
Managing Metadata in WordPress
SEO plugins like Yoast or Rank Math give a dedicated, simple interface for managing most page-level metadata, without needing to write or edit any actual HTML directly.
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