Understanding Meta tags: Definition, meta tag analysis of a webpage of choice and description of each meta tag

 

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META TAGS

 The HTML code for your website includes meta tags. They aid with the understanding of information about your website by search engines. Furthermore, it affects how your website shows up in search results.

Additionally, meta tags instruct browsers how to display your website on a user's device. In other words, they can ensure that both desktop and mobile consumers see your website properly (Lahey, 2022).

This informs Google that your website is mobile-friendly. It may raise the position of your website in Google's search results (Lahey, 2022). 

A pleasant user experience is something that search engines appreciate more and more, and part of that is making sure that your site responds to a user's query as effectively as it can. The information that searchers need to know about your website is provided upfront in a clear and helpful manner thanks to meta tags, which aid in this (Litsa, 2020).

The page structure of your website will be improved by some meta tag kinds, while other meta tag types instruct search engines which elements of your page to prioritise and which to ignore (Litsa, 2020).

META TAG ANALYSIS

I am using AUTO TRADER as my the website I will be inspecting. We will be inspecting the website's meta tags and descripton of each meta tag.

As we stated earlier, meta tags help google know what website to show when something is typed. 

as it can be seen above there are some meta tags of an online website. Some of the meta tags are;

• Auto trader
• the official number #1 site to buy and sell cars
• the official number #1 sie to buy and sell used cars 
• 0-400,000 cars online 
• To help you find the right one car 

The other type of meta tag above is the one that helps the site to be able to fit into any device. This is because when the site is created on a laptop it takes the width and length of the laptop which means it will be zoomed on a phone or any smaller device. So we use the "Width=device-width" to make it adjust to any device. 

The above meta tags show:

• Meta description: This content expands on the details presented in the title tag and is shown below it (Hughes, 2020). 
• Alt tag: You may make your photographs visible to users and search engines by using this image optimization tag (Hughes, 2020). 
• Header tag: To enhance user experience on your site, you may use these tags to divide lengthy chunks of material into smaller portions (Hughes, 2020).
• Title tag: These crucial tags provide as a preview of your website by appearing as the text that appears above the description of your page in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) (Hughes, 2020).  

We'll check to see if the meta tags listed above function on Google Chrome. 

The image above demonstrates how the website appeared after the sponsored advertisements when you type "The number 1 site to buy cars."

Reference:

Hughes, B. (2020) Why meta tags are still relevant to seo - and the best way to use them, Entrepreneur. Available at: https://www.entrepreneur.com/science-technology/why-meta-tags-are-still-relevant-to-seo-and-the-best-way/344233 (Accessed: February 1, 2023).

Lahey, C. (2022) Beginner's Guide to Meta tags for Seo, Semrush Blog. Available at: https://www.semrush.com/blog/meta-tag/ (Accessed: January 31, 2023).

Litsa, T. (2020) A quick and easy guide to meta tags in Seo, Search Engine Watch. Available at: https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2018/04/04/a-quick-and-easy-guide-to-meta-tags-in-seo/ (Accessed: January 31, 2023).

Free photo: Man giving a business presentation using a high technology digital pen (2021) Freepik. Available at: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/man-giving-business-presentation-using-high-technology-digital-pen_15665031.htm#&position=7&from_view=undefined (Accessed: February 2, 2023).

What is SEO and how is SEO used?

 

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What is SEO?

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a term. A website's or a piece of content's SEO involves adopting measures to raise its Google ranking.When someone looks for anything online, search engine optimization is the process of making a piece of online material more visible at the top of the results page on search engines like Google (Patel, 2021).

View it in this manner. When someone puts "vegan lasagna" into Google, they probably want to find a recipe, ingredients, and preparation guidelines. If you published a piece on how to make vegan lasagna, you probably want people to locate your recipe. You must appear higher in search results than all the other websites that provide vegan lasagna recipes if you want anyone to find it. Although difficult, it is what SEO marketing is all about (Patel, 2021).

How SEO Works 

When someone is looking for an answer on the internet to a question, they use search engines. In order to provide users with the precise results they want, search engine algorithms are computer programmes that scour the web for hints. For each given keyword, search engines use algorithms to identify websites and choose which ones to rank. Search engines operate in three stages: crawling, which is the finding stage; indexing, which is the storing stage; and ranking, which is the retrieval stage (Simon, 2022).

Local searches like "plumbers near me" are rising in popularity. However, approximately 80% of mobile local searches result in conversions. You can draw in these potential customers through local SEO methods. Creating a Google My Business account is the first step in beginning local SEO strategy. Then start asking your customers for reviews (Muthoni, 2022). Make sure you have the right name, address, and phone number to optimise your listings. Make sure to also optimise your listing for voice search, which entails creating appealing, rich content in a conversational style that responds to the majority of frequent questions and offers solutions to users' issues. Other actions include carefully selecting your local keywords and adding entries in directories of nearby businesses (Muthoni, 2022). 

Reference:

Muthoni, J. (2022) Council post: 10 key benefits of SEO for your business, Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/06/14/10-key-benefits-of-seo-for-your-business/?sh=2e9b338b3fd0 (Accessed: January 31, 2023).

Patel, N. (2021) What is seo? your complete step-by-step guide, What is SEO? Your complete step by step guide . NP Digital. Available at: https://neilpatel.com/what-is-seo/ (Accessed: January 31, 2023).

Simon , D.M.I. (2022) What is Seo and how does it work?, Digital Marketing Institute. Digital Marketing Institute. Available at: https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/what-is-seo (Accessed: January 31, 2023).

Free photo: Searching engine optimizing SEO browsing concept (2018) Freepik. Available at: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/searching-engine-optimizing-seo-browsing-concept_3533298.htm#&position=11&from_view=undefined (Accessed: February 2, 2023).

E-commerce website design programming languages definitions

 

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Internet Website cookies

When you use a computer network, your machine is recognised by cookies, which are text files comprising bits of information like a login and password. You may identify unique users and enhance your online surfing experience by using HTTP cookies, a special type of cookie.

Upon your connection, the server generates data that is kept in cookies. An ID exclusive to you and your machine is written on the label of this data (Kaspersky, 2022). 

UI

The point of engagement and communication between humans and computers in a device is the user interface (UI). This can include desktop visuals, keyboards, mice, and display screens. Additionally, it refers to how a user interacts with a website or programme.

Many firms now give higher importance to UI in an effort to enhance the entire user experience as a result of the rising reliance of many businesses on online apps and mobile applications (Churchville, 2021).

Page source

Scripting language-specific material that is legible by humans is called source code. The aim of the source code is to define precise guidelines and requirements for the computer that can be converted into the machine's native language. The basis of programmes and websites is hence their source codes (Source code,  2021). 

Meta tags 

A meta tag is a component that offers details about the HTML document's metadata. The keywords, author, page description, or any other facts regarding the particular page might all be included in this data. A meta tag, however, is not visible or shown on the corresponding page, unlike other HTML elements (What is a meta tag, 2020). 

Jquery

Web designers may increase the functionality of their websites by using the JavaScript library jQuery. The MIT licence governs its open source nature and free distribution. The most utilised JavaScript library for web development in recent years is jQuery (JQueery, 2022).

Hyperlinks 

An HTML element that links to a different section of the same page or to a different document entirely is known as a hyperlink. Links on webpages are frequently highlighted and typically coloured purple or blue (What is a hyperlink, 2021).

HTML

Known as HTML, or hypertext markup language, it is a formatting language used to display content downloaded from the Internet. Each retrieval unit is referred to as a Web page (from the term "World Wide Web"), and such pages usually include hypertext connections that enable the retrieval of adjacent pages. Web pages are written using the markup language HTML (Hemmendinger, 2018).

CSS

Cascading Style Sheets, or CSS, is a markup language that is used to style components that are expressed in markup languages like HTML. It divides the website's content from its aesthetic display (Artūras, 2023).

Javascript 

Web development frequently makes use of the computer language JavaScript. It was first created by Netscape as a way to include dynamic and interactive components on webpages. ECMAScript, a scripting language created by Sun Microsystems, is the foundation of JavaScript, which is influenced by Java but has a syntax more akin to C (Javascript, 2020).

Python

Python is a popular computer programming language for creating websites and applications, automating processes, and performing data analysis. Python is a general-purpose language, which means it may be used to make a wide range of applications and isn't tailored for any particular issues (Coursera , 2022).

Ruby 

Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto developed the object-oriented, open source programming language known as Ruby. The development of Ruby draws its influence from Lisp, Smalltalk, and Perl in order to produce a programming language that emphasises simplicity and productivity (what is ruby, 2013). 

Reference:

Artūras, B. (2023) What is CSS and how does it work?, Hostinger Tutorials. Available at: https://www.hostinger.co.uk/tutorials/what-is-css (Accessed: January 26, 2023).

Churchville, F. (2021) What is User Interface (UI)? definition from searchapparchitecture, App Architecture. TechTarget. Available at: https://www.techtarget.com/searchapparchitecture/definition/user-interface-UI (Accessed: January 26, 2023).

Coursera (2022) What is python used for? A beginner's guide, Coursera. Available at: https://www.coursera.org/articles/what-is-python-used-for-a-beginners-guide-to-using-python (Accessed: January 26, 2023).

Hemmendinger, D. (2018) HTML, Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/technology/HTML (Accessed: January 26, 2023).

JavaScript (2020) JavaScript Definition. Available at: https://techterms.com/definition/javascript (Accessed: January 26, 2023).

JQuery (2022) jQuery Definition. Available at: https://techterms.com/definition/jquery (Accessed: January 26, 2023).

Kaspersky (2022) What are cookies?, www.kaspersky.com. Available at: https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/definitions/cookies (Accessed: January 26, 2023).

Source code: What exactly is it? (2021) IONOS Digital Guide. Available at: https://www.ionos.co.uk/digitalguide/websites/web-development/source-code-explained-definition-examples/ (Accessed: January 26, 2023).

What is a hyperlink? - definition from Techopedia (2021) Techopedia.com. Available at: https://www.techopedia.com/definition/5175/hyperlink (Accessed: January 26, 2023).

What is a meta tag? - definition from Techopedia (2020) Techopedia.com. Available at: https://www.techopedia.com/definition/2338/meta-tag (Accessed: January 26, 2023).

What is Ruby? - definition from Techopedia (2013) Techopedia.com. Available at: https://www.techopedia.com/definition/3301/ruby (Accessed: January 26, 2023).

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Essensial features of an E-commerce website

 

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• User Friendly-Navigation

To assist clients in finding the items they want quickly, a user-friendly navigation system is essential. Products should be rationally divided into groups, with the most well-liked groups being featured first (STAFF and Hines, 2022). 

• Product Reviews
  

The most common type of user-generated content on e-commerce websites is product feedback and ratings. Shoppers require social evidence that an item will meet their needs, and this portion of a product page on an e-commerce site is vital for that (STAFF and Hines, 2022). 

• FAQ for Products
  

A section of the most typical queries from consumers is another approach to include user-generated content into your online business. There are several ways that this area might benefit your store. By responding to your customers' most common pre-sales inquiries regarding your items, for instance, you may improve the number of transactions. Additionally, it cuts down on the time your customer support staff must spend responding to inquiries regarding items both before and after the sale (STAFF and Hines, 2022).

• Order Tracking 

When a consumer puts an order, their main concern is when their order will arrive (STAFF and Hines, 2022)

• Product availibility filter

Make it possible for customers to locate the goods that are offered with their desired pickup or delivery option promptly (STAFF and Hines, 2022).  

• Data Privacy 

It may be necessary for your website to have a policy that informs visitors of the information that is gathered about them on it using cookies from the website and other analytics tools, depending on the location of your e-commerce business and the clients it serves (STAFF and Hines, 2022). 

• Coupon codes

When confronted with a coupon or discount box on a checkout page, shoppers frequently do Google searches for coupon codes (STAFF and Hines, 2022).

Reference:

 STAFF, S.E.J. and Hines, K. (2022) 21 must-have features for Ecommerce sites, Search Engine Journal. Associate Editor at Search Engine Journal. Available at: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ecommerce-guide/must-have-website-features/#close (Accessed: January 22, 2023).

<a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/e-commerce-online-shopping-plant-sale_17133831.htm#query=e%20commerce%20website&position=2&from_view=search&track=ais">Image by rawpixel.com</a> on Freepik

Invention of WWW and E-commerce

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W.W.W

As a computer science fellow at the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN) in 1989, Tim Berners-Lee created the initial framework for a system that would enable straightforward information sharing between various research institutions like MIT, CERN, Stanford, and others by connecting their individual systems together. The initial purpose of the Web was to satisfy the need for automated data exchange between researchers at universities and research facilities throughout the globe (Brahambhatt, 2021).

In writing and formalizing an exposition of the key ideas and key vocabulary underlying the Web, Berners-Lee collaborated with Belgian systems engineer Robert Cailliau. A "web" of "hypertext documents" may be browsed by "browsers" in the "Worldwide Web" "hypertext project," according to the paper (Brahambhatt, 2019).

E-Commerce 

At the turn of the 20th century, the telephone was developed, and from that sprang the history of e-commerce. If we define ecommerce as the networking of business communities and the digitization of business information, EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is sometimes seen as the birth of ecommerce. Since the 1960s, big businesses have been spending money on EDI development. Up until the 1980s, it was not really accepted. The definition of internet commerce has evolved during the past 30 years (Ruhaniika, 2019).

Michael Aldrich developed online shopping in the UK in 1979, and it has become a significant part of computer commerce. In 1981, Thomson Holidays established the first known business to business transaction in history. Gateshead SIS/Tesco in 1984 is credited as being the first business-to-consumer transaction (Ruhaniika, 2019).

Reference:

Brahambhatt, R. (2021) Origin of the internet: Who invented the world wide web?, Interesting Engineering. Interesting Engineering. Available at: https://interestingengineering.com/culture/origin-of-the-internet-who-invented-the-world-wide-web (Accessed: January 19, 2023).

Ruhaniika, S. (2019) E-commerce: Introduction, meaning, history, features, impact, advantages, Economics Discussion. Available at: https://www.economicsdiscussion.net/business/e-commerce/31868 (Accessed: January 19, 2023).

Free photo: Business people using internet (2019) Freepik. Available at: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/business-people-using-internet_4246721.htm#&position=15&from_view=undefined (Accessed: February 2, 2023).

 

Advantages and disadvantages of E-commerce websites

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 Everything has its own advantages and disadvantages. Below are some of the advantages and disadvantages of E-Commerce. 

Advantages; 

• Availability: E-commerce sites are open round-the-clock, allowing users to explore and purchase whenever they want, with the exception of outages and planned maintenance. Brick and mortar establishments often have set hours of operation and occasionally even shut down completely (Lutkevich and Holak, 2022).
• lower price: Pure-play e-commerce companies do not have to pay rent, stock, or payroll costs associated with operating physical storefronts. However, they can be responsible for shipping and storage fees (Lutkevich and Holak, 2022).
• Wide availibility: There is a wide range of products that customers can access because the products do not have to be in a store, instead they are in a ware house and can be shipped instantly after an order. 
• Easy access of products:  Finding a certain product in a physical store could be challenging for customers. Customers may utilise the site's search function to locate products right away while browsing the product category pages live on the website (Lutkevich and Holak, 2022).
• Customization and Product Suggestions: Online stores can keep track of a visitor's browsing, searching, and purchasing patterns. They can gather information about target markets and utilise this data to give customised product suggestions (Lutkevich and Holak, 2022).

Disadvantages; 

• Security: Due to attacks by cybercriminals and hackers, online portals have received a lot of media attention. This is a very significant problem since, as a result of carelessness, the money in your account might be completely removed (Bhasin, 2019).
• No possibilty for a customer to try a product: One of the main drawbacks of e-commerce sites is that customers are unable to test the products out for themselves. This mostly affects the people shoping clothes. Sometimes the quality delivered is not what you expect or the size is not right (Bhasin, 2019). 
• Late delivery: A typical drawback of e-commerce platforms is late delivery. The consumer is guaranteed, while placing an order, that the product will arrive in at most seven days or within a certain time frame. Most of the time, it does not occur, and you are kept waiting (Bhasin, 2019). 

Reference:

Bhasin, H. (2019) 16 disadvantages of e-commerce - problems with e-commerce, Marketing91. Available at: https://www.marketing91.com/disadvantages-of-e-commerce/ (Accessed: January 18, 2023).

Lutkevich, B., Chai, W. and Holak, B. (2022) What is e-commerce? definition and meaning, CIO. TechTarget. Available at: https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/e-commerce#:~:text=E%2Dcommerce%20(electronic%20commerce),or%20consumer%2Dto%2Dbusiness. (Accessed: January 12, 2023).

<a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/isometric-e-commerce-shopping-basket_10489941.htm#query=e%20commerce&position=25&from_view=keyword#position=25&query=e%20commerce">Image by coolvector</a> on Freepik

Definition of E-Commerce

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 E-commerce, often known as electronic commerce, is the exchange of goods and services as well as the sending of money and data through an electronic network, most commonly the internet. These business dealings can be either B2B (business-to-business), B2C (business-to-consumer), C2C (consumer-to-consumer), or C2B. The widespread use of e-commerce sites like Amazon and eBay over the past 20 years has significantly boosted the growth of online retail. (Lutkevich,  Chai and Holak, 2022).

Reference:

Lutkevich, B., Chai, W. and Holak, B. (2022) What is e-commerce? definition and meaning, CIO. TechTarget. Available at: https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/e-commerce#:~:text=E%2Dcommerce%20(electronic%20commerce),or%20consumer%2Dto%2Dbusiness. (Accessed: January 12, 2023).

<a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/box-market-electronic-ordering-shop-basket_1236197.htm#query=e%20commerce&position=0&from_view=keyword">Image by ijeab</a> on Freepik

Welcome Post

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Hi, 

Welcome to my computing blog page. My name is Abdallah Mukhtar, and I am from Nigeria (a west African country). I just completed my first term at DE MONTFORT University Leicester, UK. I am a computing student planning to majour in Cyber Security in my first year. I have already made some good friends in the school and the learning enviornment is calm and chill. This term we are diving more into computing aspects unlike last term that we were having basic subjects. So I hope to improve and do better than last term. I mostly look foward to problem solving and programming (PSP). I hope the term will be a good one, stay tuned to find out. 

Reference:

Free photo: Toy bricks on the table with word welcome (2020) Freepik. Available at: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/toy-bricks-table-with-word-welcome_11260747.htm#query=welcome&position=0&from_view=search&track=sph (Accessed: February 2, 2023).