Meta tags are pieces of information that are placed inside the HTML of your web page that contain a description of its contents. This information is used by search engines to list and rank your site. Meta Tags are usually composed of 3 elements: Meta Title, Meta Keywords, and Meta Description.
Meta Tags Components
Meta Title: This is the title that users will see at the top of the browser window. Title tags help search engines determine your web page's relevancy for certain keyword phrases.
Example: SuperE-Store.com: Online shopping for consumer electronics, and more
Recommendation: Keep the Meta Title simple and short; this is the “gist” of your site.
Meta Keywords: These are phrases that search engines use to rank your website. They can be words or synonyms associated with your website separated by commas.
Example: Movies, Videos, Comedy, Action, Adventure, Family, SciFi, Science Fiction, Horror …
Recommendation: The keywords need to be relevant to the current page. There are no limit to the number of keywords you can have, but certain search engines may penalize for excessive keywords. You can also use misspellings of common words to increase your hits.
Meta Description: A short, plain language description of the document, usually 20-25 words or less. Search engines will usually place this below the title of your website in a completed search engine query.
Example: Selling the latest in DVD’s, CD’s, Video Games, Software, Cell Phones, Books, and other HOT products!
Recommendation: Make the Meta Description as compelling as possible
Meta Tag Locations
There are 3 areas in the shopping cart to enter meta tag information. They are Store Meta Tags, Category Meta Tags, and Product Meta Tags. Here are the instructions for each area:
Store Meta Tags
1. Log into your e-Store Control Panel
2. Select the Content tab
3. Select Store Meta Tags from the category bar to the left
4. Add your meta tag information, then press the Save Changes button
Category Meta Tags
1. Log into your e-Store Control Panel
2. Select the Catalog tab
3. Select a category, or sub category, and press the Edit button
4. Under Edit Category, click the Meta Tags tab to expand it
5. Add your meta tag information, then press the Save Changes button
Product Meta Tags
1. Log into your e-Store Control Panel
2. Select the Catalog tab
3. Select Products from the category bar to the left
4. Select a search parameter from Search By drop-down menu, type in your keyword, press the Find button. You can also select Keyword/SKU from Search By drop-down menu, leave the field blank, then press the Find button for a list of all your products.
5. Select the product you wish to edit, and then press the Edit button to the right
6. Under General Info, click the Meta Tag (advanced) tab to expand it
7. Add your meta tag information, then press the Save Changes button
Submitting Your Site to Search Engines
Once you have filled out the meta tag information, and your e-Store is complete, you will need to submit your e-Store address (http://shop.domain.com) to various search engines. Depending on the search engine, it may take up to 2 to 3 weeks for it to show up. For a list of free search engine submission sites, please visit the following links:
Google: http://www.google.com/addurl/
Yahoo! & Altavista: http://submit.search.yahoo.com/free/request
AOL & MSN: http://dmoz.org/add.html
Hotbot: http://www.hotbot.com/addurl.html
If you have your e-Store linked directly off of your website, it is a good idea to make sure you have entered your meta tag information for your website. Once you have done that, you will need to re-upload your website, and submit your site to the different search engines, along with your e-Store.
For additional information on submitting your website to search engines, and general search engine questions, please visit http://www.searchenginewatch.com/.
Article ID: 97, Created On: 7/8/2008, Modified: 1/14/2011