Overview of the metadata
standard
Please note: this is a temporary test
document for use in internal testing only.
What is metadata and why should I
care about it?
• Metadata is the term given to data that describes the
content of web pages and documents. The presence of
good-quality metadata enables users to find the right
documents when searching, whether searching from
the University website or a search engine such as
Google. It is also a University policy that all web pages
and documents must have certain metadata fields
added to them (see the Metadata standard).
• For an introduction to metadata, how it is applied and
how it helps us, have a look at our [[OU metadata
basics]] online PowerPoint presentation, or the Learn
About Guide on metadata.
What metadata do I need to add to
web pages?
The three key fields are title, description, and keywords.
• Title: This is displayed in the top of the browser and is the most
important element for ranking a page higher in search results. It can
be up to 80 characters; try putting the most relevant words at the
beginning in case the title is truncated in some displays.
• Description: This is displayed under the clickable link in search
results pages and should be an accurate summary of the contents
of a page. It should be up to 25 words, no more than 200
characters.
• Keywords: Quality not quantity is key here. Add at least five if
possible, but don’t exceed 250 characters. Choose words that
people might use in searches to find your page, and think about
what distinguishes this page from similar resources. See our advice
on [[how to choose keywords]] for further help.
Web page metadata example
As an example, here’s the metadata for the University’s
Human Resources web site:
• Title: Human Resources Development : About HRD
• Description: Website providing a learning and development
resource area for all staff at The Open University.
• Keywords: hrd, human resources development, staff
training, leadership, inclusion, compliance, diversity in the
workplace, equality, valuing diversity, management
development, learning, organisational development,
change
See more detailed advice including how-to instructions on
[[Adding metadata to web pages]].
What metadata do I need to add to
documents?
The three key fields are title, keywords, and owner.
• Title: This is displayed in the search results; remember it is
displayed out of context, so ensure it makes sense on its
own.
• Keywords: It’s quality not quantity, but try to add at least
five. Choose words that specify the general content
(especially words that don’t appear in the text), and that
people might use to search for this document. See our
advice on [[how to choose keywords]] for further help.
• Owner: This is just the owner of the document (an
individual or a team), and it’s useful in case people search
or limit by this.
Document metadata example
As an example, here’s the metadata for the policy on
file naming:
• Title: Creating and naming documents
• Keywords: training, guidelines, information and
records management, guidance
• Owner: Chris.Biggs
See more detailed advice including how-to instructions
on [[Adding metadata to documents]].
What about other content, such as
images and videos?
While the metadata standard mandates the minimum
metadata required on web pages and documents, it is
beneficial to add metadata to all content, to ensure it can
be retrieved in an internet or intranet search. Other
content types can have different requirements, though,
so see our short guides on adding metadata to images
and videos:
• [[Adding metadata to images]]
• [[Adding metadata to videos]]
For further guidance please contact LibraryMetadata@open.ac.uk.