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Personal Resume Webpage -- Meta Tags |
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Meta tags are
tags in the HTML file's head -- the top section of the file that
is not seen by a visitor, but is intended to provide useful information
for the browsers and the computer "serving" the HTML file
to the visitor. Some search engines use the contents of these tags
as well.
Before you
start, some important things you should know:
- Microsoft
Word and other software programs that generate HTML do not
create Meta tags for your resume Web page that are useful to search
engines, although they do create other Meta tags to help
the browser.
You will have to edit your HTML file yourself (or have someone
else do it) to add Meta tags.
- Meta tags
are not a magic solution that will make your resume always
pop up to the top of the search results.
The effectiveness of Meta tags depends on the search engine being
used by the searcher.
These days (2005), the Description Meta tag is the most useful. Many major search engines ignore Keyword Meta tags
(e.g. Google) because so many
games have been played with them that they often are misleading.
However, Keyword Meta tags can be helpful with some search engines, so you
should use them if have the time. .
- Be sure that
your resume is Cyber-Safe
before you put your Personal Resume Web Page out there for the
whole world to see!
| Note: On
this page, and in the other related pages for this section,
HTML code will be presented in italics -- like this. |
Creating
Meta Tags for Search Engine Optimization:
- Open up
your HTML file
If you have an HTML editor, like HomeSite or Microsoft
Frontpage, use that software. (With Frontpage, you will need to
access the HTML source code, one of the tabs at the bottom of
the screen will give you access, usually.)
If you don't have an HTML editor, use the Notepad program
on a PC (in the Accessories program group) or SimpleText
or BBEdit on a Mac.
- Go to
your HTML file's head (between the <HEAD> and
</HEAD> tags).
If you don't know where your file's head is, go to the
Basic HTML page to find out.
- Create
your <META> tags in the file head.
Meta tags are different from other HTML tags in 2 ways:
- No closing
tag is needed (no </META> should be used).
- 2 parts
are needed: "Name" and "Content" and you must have
both in order for your tag to work.
The Description
Meta tag is used by several search engines as the text description
that acocmpanies the link to your Webpage. It is created in the
following manner:
<META
Name="Description" Content="resume
of an experienced, professional optical engineer looking for work
in the San Francisco Bay area of California.">
Note:
- There
are no spaces around the equals sign, neither before nor after
it.
- There
are quotes around the words after the equals sign.
- Put spaces
after the word META and before the word "Content."
- End the
list of keywords with a period before you close the quotes
and and the tag (as above)
- Do not
close the Meta tag with a </META>. It is not needed,
and would only confuse the browser.
- Don't
forget to close the quotes, both times.
The Keyword
Meta tag is useful for some search engines. The "Name" is
"keywords" and the "Content" is your list of keywords
and keyword phrases.
For example, the keyword Meta tag looks like this:
<META Name="keywords" Content="resume,
[list your keywords here].">
If you want to use both tags in your resume, which is perfectly
acceptable, following the format above, add them as follows:
<META
Name="keywords" Content="resume,
[list your keywords here].">
<META Name="Description"
Content="resume of an experienced, professional
optical engineer looking for work in the Bay area of California.">
| Note:
If you don't reproduce the code exactly as specified
it won't work on every browser, and you want everyone to
be able to see it, regardless of the browser that they are
using. |
- Save your
HTML file. Use
a .html or .htm extension after your HTML file's
name, as in "resume.html" for example.
- View
your HTML file to be sure than nothing changed in the
visible portion of your personal resume web page.
If you can see the Meta tag contents in your browser, then
you probably didn't put them in your HTML file's head.
Go
back to the editor, and check to be sure that your Meta tags
are in the right place -- above the closing HEAD tag
(</HEAD>) and below the closing TITLE tag
(</TITLE>). Review the contents of the Basic
HTML page for an example. If you change your HTML file,
be sure to save it again before you try to view it.
(See Protecting
Your Privacy and Choosing a Job Site
for more information.)
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