Meta Data in a web-page is not displayed, but it is included in the code of the page to help with display and indexing. The two main kinds of Meta Data we cover here are Meta Descriptions and Meta Key Words.
Alt image text can also be considered as Meta Date, and you can read more about that here: What are Image Alt Tags.
Meta Descriptions are sometimes used to help search engines tell people what your page is about. When you see a search result, the two-lines of text under the main link sometimes come from the Meta Description. Search engines also use them to decide what your page is about. Although not used as much as they once were, they are still quite important, and should be setup properly.
The Meta Description on each page of your website should be a sentance or two long, and describe what your page is about, as if to someone who had not seen it before. The Key Words from you page should also appear here.
There is another piece of Meta data, and that is the Meta Key Words. Again, in the past these were very important, although not so much now, they can make the difference. Make sure each of these words appears on your page. Include the words which are most important to your page. For example if you are a plumber in Ashford, your key words may start like this...
plumber, plumbing, heating, bolier, leaks, taps, ashford, kent, uk, tn23, tn24, 01233...
Including part postcodes, dialing codes and location will help local people find you.
Because of abuse in the past, search engines can be very picky about the keywords they will accept from meta data. Ensure all of the words in your meta keywords, are also in the content of the page.
For more help with Meta Descriptions, Meta Key words and promoting your website, please contact us for a free consultation.