3.12 Use Metadata Correctly
Search engines and social networks make use of the content within a website, by ensuring that your metadata is correctly marked up, you can reduce emissions by improving way-finding.
Criteria
- Required Elements: Include the required title element, plus any optional HTML head elements (such as link).
- Meta Tags: Include necessary meta tag references that search engines and social networks recognize, using a recognized name scheme such as Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI), Friend Of A Friend (FOAF), or RDFa.
- Structured Data: Embed Microdata, Structured Data (Schema), or Microformats within your pages.
Impact
Medium
Effort
Low
Benefits
- Environmental:
Adding rich metadata allows your website to be indexed correctly within search engines and social networks, allowing visitors to find content from your website or product quicker (often without even requiring a visit), saving clicks and energy. - Transparency:
Used correctly, metadata can ensure clients find the correct site, and if they are just after contact details, potentially do not have to even visit the page (wasting bandwidth). - Performance:
Visitors spend less time jumping through pages, as they will likely land on the page they wish to browse through searching (if they came via a third-party tool). - Economic:
Increased awareness within a search engine or social network may lead to more visitors or customers. - Conversion:
Recognized microdata usage can lead to a better search engine position.
GRI
- materials: Medium
- energy: Medium
- water: Medium
- emissions: Medium
Example
- Code:
<html> <head> <title>Example: A website about Examples</title> <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "WebSite", "name" : "Example", "url" : "https://example.com/" } </script> </head> <body> </body> </html>
- Provide a website name to Google Search.
Resources
- A simple guide to HTML head elements
- DCMI Metadata Terms
- Friend Of A Friend
- [GPFEDS] 1.9 – Strategy (Interoperable Technologies) (PDF)
- How to get a Knowledge Panel for your brand, even without Wikipedia
- HTML Living Standard
- Introduction to structured data markup in Google Search
- Let’s talk about the sustainability of digital touchpoints
- Meta tags and attributes that Google supports
- MetaExtensions
- Microformats
- Open Graph Protocol
- Structured Data
- The digital butterfly effect: Sustainable websites and SEO
- W3C RDFa Specification