When I was promoting the blogs listed on the right-hand side of the site last night I noticed that many of them are missing a description tag. Why is this important? Well, a description will allow you to include important keywords that will assist people in finding the blog. In addition many search engines rely on the description tag in order to properly classify your site.
Docudharma is even currently missing this tag. How do I know? Two ways, one is to right click on this page and select view source or view page source. This allows you to view the HTML coding on any page you are viewing. The other is to submit the site to an engine that spiders the site looking for title and description tags.
This isn’t OTB’s fault as it looks to be the way the software is set up. OTB, there should be a way to insert the description tag immediately after the title tag somewhere in the software.
Below the fold I’ll explain how to insert the tag into your own blogs.
Inserting a Description Tag
For lack of a better way of showing you the coding I posted an image of it here:
The DESCRIPTION tag is in bold everything else is meant to show you where to include the tag. The DESCRIPTION tag should go after the TITLE tag on it’s own line. It should also be included in the HEADER tags before the BODY tags as shown in the example.
It’s not as complicated as it sounds. In Blogger you’ll have to access the “template” of your blog’s current theme. If you compare the coding in my example you should be able to figure out exactly where to add the coding. Then remember to save your template. Never overwrite any of the existing code and always add the description on it’s own line and you’ll be just fine.
In other systems there is often a box in your blog preferences area that will allow you to add a description for the site. So you won’t need to do any coding just look for the box. No box? Then you’ll have to do some hunting, check out the forums for your particular software as I am sure the question has already been asked and answered on there.
The internet gods will love you even more and your competition will be left in the dust.
26 comments
Skip to comment form
Author
that with the latest upgrade, Soapblox has given us access to edit the HEAD section. I can easily add those tags. The question is what to put in the description. Are there some keywords that will help us be more popular? Or can I just use part of the mission statement?
suggestions are welcome!
and function of site “tags” to posts which feed the Technocrati marketing engine. Don’t forget that the Technocrati tat network is a star system, please. Inspite of dytopian “folksonomy” guidance on classification, promoted by admins such as those at the GOS, which is effectively none.
pinche_tejano among others is more knowledgeable about the game than are ideologues. Think about that before you dis.
Thank your for writing this as it is very helpful.
hey nlob – I’m having trouble keeping up with all your great suggestions. Somewhere you were mentioning options for making DD mobile? Well here you go….
Soapblox just released the mobile version – but I’m not sure how people are supposed to find it when they are on a PDA device. Do I need to put a link or something on our home page? i.e. “Click for Mobile” or will the PDA automatically know to go to the mobile site. I will look at my husband’s Blackberry and see what happens.
Drop me an email if you need to bring something to our attention and I haven’t replied to you on site. Send to the addy in my profile or to the admin@ address where buhdy and I will get it.