Operation Manual

Developing Sites and Pages 83
Using search engine descriptor Meta Tags
Although they're optional, if you want to increase the likelihood that your
Web site will be "noticed" by major Web search services, you should enter
Meta Tag search engine descriptors. Search services maintain catalogues of
Web pages, often compiled through the use of "crawlers" or other programs
that prowl the Web collecting data on sites and their content. By including
descriptive information and keywords, you'll assist these engines in properly
categorizing your site. You can enter descriptors for the site as a whole and/or
for individual pages. For example, for a simple ornithological web site you
could have the following descriptors, reflecting the content of your site or
page, e.g.
Site
Properties
Page
Properties
Description
American Birds
Web
Egret and
Heron species
page
Keywords
Birds, America,
Audubon
Cattle Egret,
Blue Heron,
Green-backed
Heron
It's a good idea to plan which descriptors are used for the site and pages. If set,
a site's descriptors will complement page-specific descriptors.
To enter search engine descriptors:
1. (For the site) Choose Site Properties... from the File menu.
OR
(For a page) Right-click the page in the workspace or Site tab and choose
Page Properties... (or choose the item from the Edit menu).
2. Click the dialog's Search tab.
3. In the top window, type in a brief description of your site. Although the
description can be any length, the first ten words or so are the most
important.