Metadata consists of code elements within your web pages that provide information to search engines about your content. While invisible to visitors, these elements help search engines better understand and categorize your pages — and increasingly, help AI-powered search engines identify, summarize, and cite your content as a source.
What you’ll learn:
- What metadata is and how it affects SEO.
- How AI engines use metadata to identify, summarize, and cite your content.
- The most important types of metadata.
- How to optimize metadata for better search visibility.
- How to implement metadata on WordPress.com.
When search engine crawlers visit your site, they analyze both visible content (text, images) and behind-the-scenes metadata. This information helps them:
- Understand what your page is about.
- Determine how relevant your content is to search queries.
- Display helpful information in search results.
- Help AI engines like Google’s AI Overviews understand what your page is about — making it more likely to be cited as a source in AI-generated answers.
Note: Well-optimized metadata makes it easier for search engines to properly categorize your content, potentially improving your rankings.
The main types of metadata to consider for SEO are title tags and descriptions.
Title tags appear in two important places:
- At the top of browser tabs:
- As the clickable headline in search results:
Title tags should:
- Include your primary keyword near the beginning.
- Be descriptive but concise (typically 50-60 characters).
- Accurately represent your page content.
On WordPress.com, title tags are automatically created using your post or page title followed by your site name. For your homepage, the site title and tagline are used. On higher-level plans, you can customize the title tags.
AI engines also use your title tag as the label for your page when citing it as a source. Keep it clear and descriptive — accuracy matters more than cleverness here. A vague title like “Norway Adventures” tells an AI engine very little about what your page actually covers. A specific title like “Whale Watching in Tromsø: Best Tours, Prices and What to Expect” gives it everything it needs to identify, label, and cite your page correctly.
Meta descriptions provide summaries of your pages in search results and answers from AI agents. A well-written meta description that accurately summarizes your page’s content can increase the chances of your page being ranked well in search and cited by AI tools.
Consider the following when writing meta descriptions:
- They should be compelling and accurately describe your content.
- Ideal length is about 150-160 characters.
- Including relevant keywords can help them appear in bold when they match search queries.
- Include the core answer or value of the page, not just a teaser.
- A good test: could someone understand what your page is actually about from the meta description alone, without needing to click?
On WordPress.com, you can write meta descriptions in the Excerpt field when editing posts or pages:
On higher-level plans, you can add dedicated meta titles and descriptions within the editor.
Review the content you selected earlier and improve its metadata:
- Check your site title to ensure it includes your primary keyword.
- Write or revise your meta description in the Excerpt field to be compelling and include relevant keywords.
- Read your meta description as if you’ve never seen the page. Does it accurately describe what someone will find? Would an AI engine be able to use it as a reliable one-sentence summary of your content? If not, rewrite it to be more specific and complete.
- Review all images to ensure they have descriptive alt text.
By optimizing these metadata elements, you make it easier for both search engines and potential visitors to understand and engage with your content.
