Metadata

Principle

Metadata is the context and description for data on a webpage. When creating a new webpage, make sure the metadata reflects the topic and content of of the page.

Although metadata will not be visible to users, it speaks directly to search engines and communicates what information can be found on the webpage. It is a useful tool for improving search engine optimization (SEO).

Standards

Title

Your page title should be unique and reflect the content on the page. It should be short (no more than 70 characters, spaces included) but descriptive, and include the site the page is a part of, as well as the agency name. This gives the page some framework, and a user some context. It also helps optimize the page for search engines and makes the page content more findable. No two pages should have the same title.

Use this format

Page Title – Page Site Name – Agency Name
Examples:

Forms – Civil Rights – MnDOT
Contacts – Hwy 3 Project – MnDOT
Summer Safety Tips – Work Zone Safety – MnDOT
Pavement Markings – Approved/Qualified Products – MnDOT

In Dreamweaver, enter your page title into the title bar or into the page title tag above the description and keywords tags.
Note that the page title does not necessarily reflect the heading 1/site name at the top of each page. These heading 1/site names should be consistent throughout a given site, as they help users understand the framework of the site as they navigate through it.

Open a webpage in “split” or “code” view. Near the top check the code for the following metadata tags and enter a title, description, and key words into the appropriate sections. Separate keywords with a comma.

Code

<title>Design System - MnDOT</title>

Description

Code

<meta name="description" content="MnDOT Design System tools and resources"/>

Keywords

Code

Editor information

In the gray text under the meta names, include your name, the name of the content editor and date you are editing the page.