Web Access Centre

Metadata - Web Access Centre

Summary: Metadata is hidden information that can be embedded into your pages. It can be used to describe the content, such as the accessibility features a page has.

• Rationale
• Techniques
• Testing tips
• Website Accessibility Initiative compliance
• Other pages about layout and structure

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Rationale

Accurate metadata is important for two reasons. Firstly, search engines rank pages on the basis of accurate metadata information such as key words, descriptions of content and media types.

Secondly metadata provides important contextual information for people navigating your site, especially those with screen readers who rely on things such as page titles, structured page headings, and lists.

Techniques

• Page information metadata must include a page TITLE, keywords, author and description. This should be as accurate as possible to ensure that users get all the information they need to navigate a site.
  
  
• Content information metadata can include ordered lists (OL), unordered lists (UL), page headings and data table headings.

Testing tips

Verify the page TITLE, keywords, author and description are all present in pages. Check also for structural coding for content headings, data tables and lists.

• Accessibility toolbar - Go to Doc Info - Metadata Information [new window].
  
  
• Browser - Go to View - Source. Check start of the code for metadata.

Website Accessibility Initiative compliance

• 3.2 Create documents that validate to published formal grammars. Priority 2
  
  
• 13.2 Provide metadata to add semantic information to pages and sites. Priority 2

For more information on techniques visit the Web Accessibility Initiative techniques page.

Other pages about layout and structure

• CSS
• Data tables
• Doctypes
• Frames
• Layout tables
• Metadata
• Structure

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For Web Access Centre updates email webaccess@rnib.org.uk

Content author: webaccess@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 06/03/2008 15:41