The Basics of Meta Data
Meta data consists of a title, description and keywords that are placed into the code of every web page. They are seen and read by search engine spiders. The goal of writing meta data is to enable search engines to accurately index a web page. Identify the keywords and phrases that are found within the content on each page and the search engine will recognize the relevance of the meta data. Poorly written, inaccurate or absent meta data on a web page may result in poor search engine listings and fewer people visiting that page.

Search engines (SE) like Google, Yahoo, MSN, and AOL are frequently changing their algorithms (the way that they index all web pages on the Internet). In the past these SEs would put a lot of weight into looking at the meta data (particularly description and keywords) listed on each individual web page; this has changed over time but when you write good meta data it will reinforce the relevancy of the content for the search engine. The focus of search engines will always be content. The more accurately the meta data (title, description, keywords) matches or reflects the unique content on a page, the better the ranking of that page in search engine search results. Another advantage of meta data is to help the writer stay focused on the topic at hand.

How to Write Meta Data
1. Review the content on the page (ie the article) and list the words and phrases and themes that best represent the content of that page.
2. Choose words or short phrases that people might type into search engines to find information about that subject). 
3. Write unique meta data for each page – title, description, keywords – as follows:

• The Meta Title: the title should summarize the content on the page in less than 10 words. Ideally the title will include one or two of the most important keywords from the content of that page. The title should be 30-60 characters, including spaces, be engaging, interesting and cause people to want to visit that page. Don’t confuse the meta title with the title of the page that website visitors see. The public does not see any meta data in the content of a web page. The meta title you write will often be the same title Search engines will use to list the web page. Of all three types of meta data, the title is most important so make sure it clearly explains the content of the page.  Do not copy the title of the article on a page to create the meta title. Read more All About Title Tags
• The Meta Description: Write an interesting and punchy sentence or question to describe what the content on each page in more detail. Think of writing a newspaper-type headline that includes keywords and captivates a readers attention. This will appear in the search engine’s results page introducing the web page. The meta description should be less than 15 words and about 110-150 characters. Read more The Meta Description Tag
• The Meta Keywords or Key Phrases: Always choose keywords or key phrases that exist within the content of the page. List keywords in priority, from the most important to least important. Using three to five relevant keywords is much more effective than having a long list of keywords. A long list reduces the weight of each keyword. Read more The Meta Keyword Tag 

Sample Meta Data (for TruthMedia.com)
Title: TruthMedia - Web Evangelism, Christian web design, jobs & resources
Description: Christian web design & web evangelism resources from Campus Crusade for Christ.
Keywords: web evangelism christian ministry jobs web design church websites

Notes: in the above example, the most important keyword phrases for a particular page on the truthmedia.com website are “web evangelism” and “Christian” so notice how those keywords appear in the title, description and keywords. Do not repeat the name of the  website in the meta title and the meta description.
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