Open Graph (OG) tags generally control how website URLs are displayed on social media.
og:image tag
iOS iMessage preview
Open Graph image
og:image tag explanation:
The URL of the image to be displayed when the content is shared on social media.
og:title
tag
Meta
og:title
explanation:
The title of the webpage, used by Open Graph protocol for social sharing.
og:description
tag
Meta
og:description
explanation:
A brief summary of the webpage content, used by Open Graph protocol for social sharing.
og:url
tag
Meta
og:url
explanation:
The canonical URL of the webpage, used by Open Graph protocol.
og:type
tag
Meta
og:type
explanation:
The type of content (e.g., article, website) specified by Open Graph protocol.
og:local
tag
Meta
og:local
explanation:
The locale of the content (e.g., en_US), used by Open Graph protocol.
og:site_name
tag
Meta
og:site_name
explanation:
The name of the website, used by Open Graph protocol for social sharing.
All meta tags are snippets of text that provide information about your webpage. These 'SEO' tags influence your website's search results appearance.
Title tag
Title tag explanation:
The title of the webpage, displayed at the top of the browser in the webpage tab.
Icon (Favicon) tag
Icon tag explanation:
The URL of the favicon for the webpage.
Meta
description
tag
Meta
description
explanation:
A brief summary of the webpage content, used by search engines for displaying the page in search results.
Image itemprop tag
Image tag explanation:
This Microdata format image meta tag is used on some websites (like www.google.com) to present the website's logo or icon instead of an OG image or icon tag.
Apple touch icon tag
Apple touch icon tag explanation
The URL of the Apple touch icon for iOS devices.
Meta
keywords
tag
Meta
keywords
explanation:
A list of relevant keywords for the webpage, used by some search engines to understand the content.
Meta
author
tag
Meta
author
explanation:
The name of the author of the webpage content.
Meta
viewport
tag
Meta
viewport
explanation:
Settings for responsive design, specifying the viewport width and scale.
Meta
robots
tag
Meta
robots
explanation:
Instructions for search engine crawlers on how to index the webpage.
Meta
publisher
tag
Meta
publisher
explanation:
The name of the publisher of the webpage content.
Meta
theme-color
tag
Meta
theme-color
explanation:
The theme color for the browser's user interface when viewing the webpage. This can impact the coloring of the browser to better match the webpage.
canonical
tag
Meta
canonical
explanation:
The canonical URL of the webpage, used to avoid duplicate content issues.
What are meta tags and what is metadata?
Metadata is data that provides information about other data. In the context of websites, metadata refers to snippets of text that describe a webpage's content. These snippets don't appear to users on the page itself but are in the page's code to be read by search engines and social media platforms.
Meta tags:
Meta tags are elements within the HTML of a webpage that provide information about the page to search engines and website visitors. They are placed inside the <head>
section of a webpage's HTML.
Why is metadata important?
Metadata is essential because it helps search engines understand what your webpage is about, which can improve your search engine ranking. Additionally, metadata controls how your content appears when shared on social media, impacting click-through rates and user engagement.
How do I know if a website has meta tags?
To know if a website has meta tags, you can use tools like Spling's meta tag checker. Simply enter the website URL into the top of this page, and Spling will display a preview of all the meta tags present on the site.
- Image meta tags like
<meta property="og:image">
are shown visually - Text meta tags like
<meta property="og:title">
are printed out so you can easily check the brand language - In the future, Spling will be able to bulk check meta tags across all pages on a website.
How do I use or update my website's meta tags?
Meta tags are set in the head of HTML of your webpage. The <head></head> section contains important information about your webpage that isn't directly visible to users but is crucial for search engines and social media platforms to understand the page.
1<!DOCTYPE html>
2<html lang="en">
3<head>
4 <meta property="" content="">
5 <title></title>
6</head>
7<body>
8</body>
9</html>
Contact your developer or reach out to ODW (Osborn Design Works) if you need help.
- If you're not comfortable editing the HTML code yourself, it's a good idea to contact your website's developer. They can make the necessary changes to your meta tags quickly and efficiently.
- For expert assistance with updating and optimizing your meta tags, consider reaching out to ODW (Osborn Design Works). Our team specializes in web design and SEO optimization, ensuring your website is well-optimized for search engines and social media platforms. Visit osborndesign.works for more information and to get in touch with our team.
How long does it take for Google and other search engines to reflect updated metadata?
The time it takes for search engines like Google to reflect updated metadata can vary. Generally, it can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for changes to be indexed and reflected in search results. The speed depends on several factors, including:
- Crawl Frequency: How often Google crawls your site. Popular and frequently updated sites are crawled more often.
- Site Authority: Higher authority sites tend to be crawled more frequently.
- Sitemap Updates: Submitting an updated sitemap to Google Search Console can expedite the process.
While there's no guaranteed timeframe, ensuring your site is regularly crawled and well-maintained can help expedite the process.
How to see updates on Google and search engines faster
Manual indexing in Google Search Console allows you to request Google to crawl and index specific pages on your website. This can be particularly useful when you make significant updates to your content or metadata and want the changes to be reflected in search results more quickly.