Meta Tags

Meta tags are most effective for ensuring good search engine results. They also enable a wide variety of electronic devices to read and display the content of your web page. They are a value to visually impaired individuals using devices that will read the content of your page. They are also used to provide additional information that would only appear when the visitor "rolls over" a specific item to activate small informational pop-up windows.

Your web developer or Content Management Systems should ask for these during the production of your web pages before posting to your site. They are necessary to make your content assessable to all who visit your site no matter what devices they may be using.

Other meta tag names includes: acronyms, document titles, owner, author, creation date, updated date, revisit date... and a few more that apply to tables, but we won't go there today..:) I've only displayed the critical ones for a basic page meta tags in the table below. The ones listed should be part of any page posted on the web.

Tag Name	What the web visitor sees	What your browser window displays	What Search Engines see	Code entered by coder or automated by a Content Management System
Title		Guy Mercier - the News bits in the Browsers' window title bar	Guy Mercier - the News bits	<title>Guy Mercier - the News Bits</title>
Document Descriptions		theNews bits is produced by Guy Mercier. Guy provides graphic design and multimedia services for print, exhibits and the web.	theNews bits is produced by Guy Mercier. Guy provides graphic design and multimedia services for print, exhibits and the web.	<meta name="description" content="theNews bits is produced by Guy Mercier. Guy provides graphic design and multimedia services for print, exhibits and the web." />
Image Tag		Pop-up rollover window for Explorer users displaying: Audrey Jessup. Founder of the Capital Crime Writers Association. This link will send you to her profile page at Capital Crime Writers.	Audrey Jessup. Founder of the Capital Crime Writers Association. This link will send you to her profile page at Capital Crime Writers.	<img src="../images/audreyJessup.jpg" alt="Audrey Jessup. Founder of the Capital Crime Writers Association." width="150" height="183" class="picleft" />
Link Tag	guy	Pop-up rollover window for Explorer users displaying: Link to Guy Merciers' web site. This link will load my home page in a new browser window.	Link to Guy Merciers' web site. This link will load my home page in a new browser window.	<a href="http://www.guymercier.com" target="_blank" title="Link to Guy Merciers' web site. This link will load my home page in a new browser window.">guy</a>
Keywords			theNews Bits Guy Mercier Graphic Design Multimedia	<meta name="keywords" content="theNews Bits Guy Mercier Graphic Design Multimedia">

Long and Short Descriptions

Coded to images or specific "page elements". The code creates a "pop-up window" containing additional information about what they are viewing to the visitor that can be read by users using Internet Explorer when they "rollover" the coded element. It also allows a wide variety of devices to read the hidden information that would otherwise go "unseen". A visually impaired visitor uses devices that can read the content of your web pages. This helps the search engines results too... making your content more accessible.