 - A meta tag is a tag (that is, a coding statement) in the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) that describes some aspect of the contents of a Web page. The information that you provide in a meta tag is used by search engines to index a page so that someone searching for the kind of information the page contains will be able to find it. The meta tag is placed near the top of the HTML in a Web page as part of the heading.
There are several kinds of meta tags, but the most important for search engine indexing are the keywords meta tag and the description meta tag. The keywords meta tag lists the words or phrases that best describe the contents of the page. The description meta tag includes a brief one- or two-sentence description of the page. Both the keywords and the description are used by search engines in adding a page to their index. Some search engines also use the description to show the searcher a summary of the page's contents.
Although most search engines also use the contents of a page as a way to determine how to index it, the creator of a Web page should be sure to include meta tags with appropriate keywords and description. Well-written meta tags can help make the page rank higher in search results.
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Learn more about Ajax and RIA (Rich Internet Applications) |
| RIA and mashup tools: What architectural principles should I look to adhere to when building a rich Internet or mashup application? |
| SOA needs RIA – Burton Group: Even if your SOA application brings an amazing amount of functionality and data to the Web browser, it still needs to provide a RIA interface to improve the user experiences. |
| Comet: Reverse Ajax for streaming data from the server: The Ajax Push, a technique of streaming data asynchronously from server to browser, aka Comet, holds a lot promise for those looking to build real-time, event-based services. |
| Handling XML with Ajax: This chapter discusses how to create an XML document in Ajax. |
| Security and Ajax: This chapter discusses security-related concerns that have particular implications for Ajax. |
| Ajax tools and products: New tools for Ajax and RIA developers appear regularly. Here is a sampling of some, including a review of free Ajax testing tools and a detailed look at JavaFX 1.2. |
| Ajax and RIA trends: Ajax technologies are as dynamic as the applications they create. Changes and trends Ajax and other RIA techniques are frequent. Read these articles to get up to date. |
| Ajax Tutorial: In this Ajax tutorial, you'll find the definitions, expert advice, trends and tools you need to get started with and optimize your use of Ajax. |
| Podcast: SOA and Web 2.0 – why composite apps matter: The common thread between SOA and Web 2.0 is composite applications. This podcast investigates the realities and best practices of composite app assembly. |
| Chapter of the week: Security and Ajax: This chapter, excerpted from Ajax in Action, discusses security-related concerns that have particular implications for Ajax. |
| LAST UPDATED: |
05 May 2001
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