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This page is a help reference for Meta tags, both basic and advanced. It is most likely that you will not need to use the advanced metadata. The advanced metadata will help you keep track of your pages. If the terms used are not familiar to you, you probably do not need to use the advanced metadata. Click here to go to the basic Meta tags introduction.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. META Tags
3. Dublin Core Elements and META Tags
4. Meta tags and Examples
   1. Title
   2. Description
   3. Subject (Keywords)
   4. Robots
   5. Creator
   6. Contributor
   7. Date
      1. Created
      2. Valid
      3. Available
      4. Issued
      5. Modified
   8. Relation
      1. Is Version Of
      2. Is Replaced By
      3. Replaces
      4. Is Part Of
      5. Is Referenced By
      6. References
      7. Is Format Of
   9. Format
      1. Medium
      2. Extent (Size)
   10. Publisher
   11. Identifier
       1. Version
   12. Language
   13. Type
   14. Rights
   15. Source
   16. Coverage
5. References

1. Introduction [Back to TOC]

   "There is now a wealth of information on every subject available on the Net. For many, however, the true excitement of the Web is in the services that you can access from your home or office. Today's Web gives people access to news, to the weather and to financial services. Via the Web, users can purchase books, computers, clothes, and any number of other items; you can book seats on planes and rooms in hotels. The possible uses of the Web seem endless, but there the technology is missing a crucial piece. Missing is a part of the Web which contains information about information - labeling, cataloging and descriptive information structured in such a way that allows Web pages to be properly searched and processed in particular by computer. In other words, what is now very much needed on the Web is metadata." ( [W3C] )

   In an attempt to follow metadata standards for the Web, EZ-NetTools has implemented a specialized metadata vocabulary developed by the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). The intent of implementing this specialized metadata vocabulary is to enhance the promotion of web pages developed using the EZ-NetTools^TM and to produce more intelligent and useful metadata information.

   The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative is an organization dedicated to promoting the widespread adoption of interoperable metadata standards and developing specialized metadata vocabularies for describing resources that enable more intelligent information discovery systems. More information on the DCMI can be found at http://www.dublincore.org.

2. META Tags [Back to TOC]

   HTML lets authors specify metadata information about a document rather than document content -- in a variety of ways. One way is using the META Tag. META tags are HTML tags which provide information that describe the content of the webpage a user will be viewing. Many search engines read META tags as part of their indexing formulas.

3. Dublin Core Elements and META Tags [Back to TOC]

   The META tag of HTML is designed to encode a named metadata element. Each element describes a given aspect of a document or other information resource. The HTML encoding allows elements of Dublin Core metadata to be interspersed with non-Dublin Core elements. A Dublin Core element is indicated by the prefix "DC". For example, this Meta tag,

   says that Jon Doe is the Creator, where the element named Creator is defined in the Dublin Core element set. For a more complete listing and explanation of the Dublin Core Element Set see [DCMES].

   Dublin Core Elements also use what is called a qualifier. Qualifiers are used by the Dublin Core Elements to refine the meaning of the element. For example, this meta tag,

   This meta tag would be describing the date the web page was created.

4. Meta tags and Examples [Back to TOC]

   Below is a list defining the Dublin Core Elements implemented by EZ-NetTools^TM. Currently, EZ-NetTools^TM is implementing all 15 of the Dublin Core Elements. For more information about the Dublin Core Qualifiers see [DCQ]. All metatags are optional.

   Title [Back to TOC]
   The name of the web page. The title indicates what the web page is about and is used to refer to that page in bookmark or hotlist entries. For example,

   <Title>EZ-NetTools Metadata Help and Information Page</Title>

   this defines the Title of the web page as "EZ-NetTools^TM Metadata Help and Information Page".

   Description [Back to TOC]
   A brief statement about the content of the web page. The description is presented to the user along with the title as the result of a search. For example, this meta tag,

   <meta name = "DC.Description" content = "This page a help resource for metadata.">

   defines very briefly the content of the web page.

   Subject (Keywords) [Back to TOC]
   A series of words or short statements that represent the content of the web page. The keywords will often be used by search engines to index the web site along with the Title and Description. For example,

   <meta name = "DC.Subject" content = "metadata, dublin core, help, meta tags">

   Robots [Back to TOC]
   Instructions for search engine robots and spiders pertaining to the web page and referenced pages. Valid values for the robot tag are:

   INDEX: Instructs the search engine to include this page in the indexing.
   NOINDEX: Instructs the search engine not to index the web page.
   FOLLOW: Instructs the search engine to follow links on the page.
   NOFOLLOW: Instructs the search engine not to follow links on the page and not to index the linked pages.

   For example, the following tag,

   <meta name="ROBOTS" content="index,follow"> instructs the search engine to index the web page and follow all the links.

   Note: All of the following metadata elements are advanced and most web pages will not need to use them. These metadata elements will not be shown in standard HTML META tags, but will be referenced in an external file using the HTML LINK tag. Some search engines look for the LINK tag for additional metadata information.

   Creator (Author) [Back to TOC]
   The name of the person responsible for the content of the web page. For example, this meta tag,

   <meta name = "DC.Creator" content = "Jon Doe">

   defines Jon Doe as the creator of the web page.

   Contributor [Back to TOC]
   A list of names of those making contributions to the web page. The contributor could include the name of a person or of an organization. For example, this meta tag,

   <meta name = "DC.Contributor" content="john smith, mary lou">

   defines John Smith and Mary Lou as contributors of the web page.

   Date [Back to TOC]
   A date associated with various stages of the web page. Date should be in the format YYYY-MM-DD.

   	Created [Back to TOC] The date the web page was created. This date should not change after being created. For example, this meta tag, <meta name = "DC.Date.Created" content = "2001-01-01"> defines 2001-01-01 as the date the web page was created. The value of this metadata element will be generated automatically when you create your page.
   	Valid [Back to TOC] A date or range that the web page is effective. For example, this meta tag, <meta name = "DC.Date.Valid" content = "2002-10-31"> defines 2002-10-31 as the last day the web page is valid.
   	Available [Back to TOC] A date or range that the web page will become or did become accessible. For example, this meta tag, <meta name = "DC.Date.Available" content = "2001-01-14"> defines 2001-01-14 as the date the web page became available.
   	Issued [Back to TOC] The date the web page was published. For example, this meta tag, <meta name = "DC.Date.Issued" content = "2001-01-01"> defines 2001-01-01 as the date the web page as issued.
   	Modified [Back to TOC] The last date that the web page was changed. For example, this meta tag, <meta name = "DC.Date.Modified" content = "2001-08-12"> defines 2001-08-12 as the last time the web page was modified. The value of this metadata element will be generated and updated automatically when you modify your page.

   Relation [Back to TOC]
   Describes the relationships between the web page and other web pages, documents, images, ect. Typically, the relation will be identified by a URL.

   	IsVersionOf [Back to TOC] The described resource is a version, edition, or adaptation of the referenced resource. For example, this meta tag, <meta name = "DC.Relation.IsVersionOf" content = "http://support.eznettools.net/Construction/ ezpagebuilder/toolbar/metatags.html"> defines the web page as a version of the listed web page.
   	IsReplacedBy [Back to TOC] The web page has been replaced by the referenced web page. For example, this meta tag, <meta name = "DC.Relation.IsReplacedBy" content = "http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/"> defines the web page as being replaced by the listed web page.
   	Replaces [Back to TOC] The web page replaces the referenced web page. For example, this meta tag, <meta name = "DC.Relation.Replaces" content = "http://support.eznettools.net/Construction/ ezpagebuilder/toolbar/metatags.html"> defines the web page as replacing the listed web page.
   	IsPartOf [Back to TOC] The web page is a subpart of the referenced web page. For example, this meta tag, <meta name = "DC.Relation.IsPartOf" content = "http://support.eznettools.net/Construction/ ezpagebuilder/toolbar"> defines the web page as being a part of the listed web page or directory.
   	IsReferencedBy [Back to TOC] The web page is referred to by the referenced resources. For example, this meta tag, <meta name = "DC.Relation.IsReferencedBy" content = "http://support.eznettools.net/Construction/ ezpagebuilder/toolbar/filemenu.html"> defines the web pages that refer to the web page.
   	References [Back to TOC] The described resource references other web pages, documents, images, ect. For example, this meta tag, <meta name = "DC.Relation.References" content = "http://support.eznettools.net/Construction/ ezpagebuilder/toolbar/pageoptions.html"> defines the listed web page to be a reference to the web page.
   	IsFormatOf [Back to TOC] The web page has the same content as the listed resource, but is in a different format. An example would be a printer friendly version of a web page. For example, <meta name = "DC.Relation.IsFormatOf" content = "http://support.eznettools.net/Construction/ ezpagebuilder/toolbar/metatags.html">

   Format [Back to TOC]
   The Format has references to the physical characteristics of the web page. Format may include the media-type or size of the web page. A list of recommended media-types can be found at http://www.isi.edu/in-notes/iana/assignments/media-types/media-types.

   	Medium [Back to TOC] The media-type of the web page. This will always be "text/html" for web pages. For example, <meta name = "DC.Format.Medium" content = "text/html">
   	Extent (Size) [Back to TOC] The total size of the web page in bytes. This will be computed when the page is saved and will include all images. For example, this meta tag, <meta name = "DC.Format.Extent" content = "3192"> indicates the size of the page as 3192 bytes.

   Publisher [Back to TOC]
   The organization responsible for making the web page available. For example, this meta tag,

   <meta name = "DC.Publisher" content = "EZ-NetTools">

   Identifier [Back to TOC]
   A way to identify the web page from other web pages in the website. Typically the web page should be identified by a URL or a number. The identifier should be unique. For example, this meta tag,

   <meta name = "DC.Identifier" content = "/MemberHelp/Construction/ez-pagebuilder/ toolbar/metatags.html"> is using a relative URL as the unique identifier.

   Version [Back to TOC] The current version of the web page. For example, <meta name = "DC.Identifier.Version" content = "1.3">

   Language [Back to TOC]
   The language of the web page. A list complete list of language codes can be found at http://www.oasis-open.org/cover/iso639a.html. For example,

   <meta name = "DC.Language" content = "EN">

   Type [Back to TOC]
   The nature of the content of the web page, usually "Text". A list of recommended values can be found at http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmi-type-vocabulary. For example,

   <meta name = "DC.Type" content = "Text">

   Rights [Back to TOC] Information about rights held in and over the web page. For example,

   <meta name = "DC.Rights" content = "Copyright 2001">

   Source [Back to TOC]
   A list of resources from which the web page is derived. The web page may be derived from the referenced resources in whole or in part. Typically the resource should be referenced by a URL. For example,

   <meta name = "DC.Source" content = "http://dublincore.org/documents/dces">

   Coverage [Back to TOC]
   The extent or scope of the content of the web page. Typically coverage will include a geographic location or coordinates, time period, or jurisdiction. For example,

   <meta name = "DC.Coverage" content = "Idaho">

[DCMES] Dublin Core Metadata Element Set

[DCQ] Dublin Core Qualifiers

[W3C] World Wide Web Consortium