Metadata, SEO and Google Analytics

Before saving your page you should add metadata by clicking the Metadata tab at the top of your editor window.

Metadata is information about your content that search engines use to index your page. So it is very important that the metadata be descriptive of the page content.

Keywords: Think of terms relevant to your page. You should add at least 2 to 3 short word descriptions of your page. Choose keywords a typical person searching to find information on your page might search. To add the keywords:

• Type the keyword(s) in the text box.
• Add commas in between keyword phrases.

The keywords should be added 1 keyword phrase at a time.

Example: On a page about scholarships awarded to Nursing students at a ceremony on May 24th, 2020:

• Good Metadata: Scholarship Award Ceremony 2020, Nursing Scholarship Awards
• Bad Metadata: Nursing, Scholarships, Awards.

University of North Florida, UNF, or any such variation does not have to be added to the keywords, as it is built within the template for the page.

Keywords are also used to filter for the UNF search features. If you build a searchable list, anything you put in your keywords of the page you link to will become searchable terms for that page in the list.

Description: This should be a one to two sentence summary of the contents of the page. It will appear on search results below the page title. Descriptions should be concise. As of 2022, Google suggests keeping descriptions below 160 characters.

Schedule: If a page is created that should only be “live” for a predefined period of time, then the schedule tab can be used to set up the page to automatically be removed on a certain date. A page can also be created and set to go live on a particular start date. To set up a specific schedule for a page, fill in the corresponding date information with the date boxes on the right. We do not reccomend this method of publishing in most cases, but it can be useful if content needs to be published over the weekend or during a school break.

The UNF Web Team can setup special publishing rules to allow content to be published daily, weekly, monthly or even yearly if needed. To determine if this is a feature you need please reach out to webmaster@unf.edu for more details.

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the process of improving the quality and quantity of web traffic to your website. By improving your site's content, the site will improve in searchability meaning more people users will find your site. There are a few key things you can do as an editor to improve your search rankings within your site:

1. Add relevant keywords and keyword phrases to your page metadata:
   1. Keywords and keyword phrases do two things for your site; they allow users to search for your site on search platforms such as Google and Bing, and they allow you as an editor to better write content for your pages.
   2. Apply keywords to your pages that you know users are looking for by thinking about how they might search for your content. For example, if your page is about UNF's Music programs, think about how a prospective student might look for a college's music programs on Google. They might search for "music degree" or "piano college program." These are surface level keywords that could be added to that page to ensure your site is found by that student. Try to answer the question "what is my audience searching for" when adding keywords and keyword phrases.
   3. Try searching for your content on Google. How would you search for your content? Use what you find as a starting point.
   4. Be prepared to change your keyword strategy as the needs of our users change. The current crop of prospective students may think very differently and have vastly different needs to that of the prospective students we will see in 2-3 years. With this in mind, look at the trends of what students need over time and adapt keywords to meet those needs.
2. Title your page effectively:
   1. Google looks at five main things when determining what your page content is about: the url, keywords, page title, heading level 1 and page content.
   2. Ensure that your page url and page title are in someway related (similar words, ideas and thoughts).
   3. Relate your page title to the content and keywords on the page. If your title can give a user 2/3 of the answer to their search query right away, they will be more likely to click on a link to your site to find that final third piece of the information they need.
3. Build relevant content:
   
   1. Your page content should be answering the search query of your users. If a user found your site by searching for "best florida college math programs," your page should have something to do with how great UNF's Math Program is and what it can do for each student interested in the program.
   2. Think backwords when building your content. What users do you want? Are you looking for students searching for "should I study abroad?" If so build your content to explain how studying abroad can be a rewarding college experience.
4. Think mobile first:
   1. Google looks at your site from the mobile first prospective, and in many cases won't even look at the desktop version of your site.
   2. Before publishing your content, review your site on a mobile device to ensure all the necessary content is ordered correctly and it all fits on the screen.
   3. Ensure your written content is designed to be read on a mobile device. At the univeristy about 50% of our users are viewing our pages on a mobile device, making sure they can read the content will help people to stay on our site and ultimately boost our rankings with Google.
5. Be ready to adapt:
   1. Google's algorithm is always changing which means your strategy should adaptable.
   2. As your user base changes, be ready to change with them. What worked to attract college web users in 2019 may not work now so be ready for what works now to potentially be obsolete in a few months.

UNF uses Google Analytics 4 to track traffic to our www.unf.edu domain. The product can help identify how visitors are using our website. 

By knowing which pages are getting views and which pages are not, you can make adjustments to improve your overall search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.

Reach out to webmaster@unf.edu for more information on how much traffic your site is receiving and how you can setup your own tracking account for your site.