如果您拥有一个网站或在涉及编写或管理在线内容的领域工作，那么您可能听说过元数据。这是您无法摆脱的（如果您想在搜索引擎中排名也不应该）。
您可能会问的问题是“什么是元数据——更重要的是，它是如何使用的？” 让我们来看看什么是元数据以及它提供的好处。
什么是元数据？(What Is Metadata?)
简单来说，元数据是“描述其他数据的数据”。我们知道，这并不能澄清一点。
就这样想吧。元数据(Metadata)提供有关其他形式数据的更多详细信息和信息。例如，如果您正在开展社交媒体活动，那么每个帖子都是数据。元数据提供有关帖子的信息，例如发布时间和地点，以及有多少人查看或与之交互。
换句话说，它告诉您谁、什么、何时、何地、为什么、哪个以及如何。元数据(Metadata)有多种形式（取决于数据）。例如，它可能包括详细信息，例如标题、描述、关键字、引用、创建者、贡献者等。
并非所有数据都使用相同类型的元数据。以下是一些不同的形式：
- 描述性元数据(Descriptive metadata)（标题、主题、作者、流派、创作日期）
- 权利元数据(Rights metadata)（许可条款、权利人、版权状态）
- 保存元数据(Preservation metadata)（用于导航，即项目的层次结构或序列）
- 技术元数据(Technical metadata)（文件大小、名称、创建日期/时间、文件类型、压缩类型）
- 标记语言(Markup languages)（标题、名称、段落、列表、日期）
- 结构元数据(Structural metadata)（页码、章节、索引、章节、目录）
元数据的常见示例(Common Examples Of Metadata)
以下是您可以在周围找到的各种类型元数据的简要介绍。
相片(Photos)
照片——我们一直在拍摄，您会在硬盘上找到各种各样的数据(all sorts of data on the hard drive)。这包括以下信息：
博客文章(Blog Posts)
如果您拥有博客，那么您将能够控制为您的帖子显示的一些元数据。例如，您会在搜索引擎结果中找到元描述。
元数据显示信息，例如：
电子邮件(Email)
您负责创建电子邮件的大部分元数据，例如主题、收件人和发件人。然后是收集的其他数据，例如：
- 发送日期和时间
- 格式（HTML 或纯文本）
- 反垃圾邮件软件详细信息
- 发件人和收件人的服务器名称和IP(IPs of senders)
计算机文件(Computer Files)
如果您在计算机上查找文件，这将派上用场。您可以在桌面上的搜索中输入文件名。
以下是从计算机文件中收集的各种元数据：
网页(Webpages)
网页具有与计算机文件和其他数字资产类似的元数据。例如，它包含以下信息：
如何使用元数据？(How Is Metadata Used?)
希望您对什么是元数据以及在哪里可以找到它有更好的了解。现在，是时候看看如何使用这些数据了。
将网页排名更高(Ranking Webpages Higher)
Google和其他搜索引擎使用您网页中的数据和元数据来确定其排名。数据优化得越好，排名就越容易（假设您所定位的那些关键字没有太多竞争）。
例如，您需要优化显示在搜索结果中的元标题和元描述。这有助于搜索引擎了解您的页面是关于什么的，以及它将如何使人类搜索者受益。
通过网络跟踪消费者(Tracking Consumers Across the Web)
你有没有注意到广告是如何在你上网的任何地方跟随你的？它显示您可能在当天早些时候甚至几天前在网站上搜索过的项目。
这是品牌和企业如何使用元数据跟踪消费者的完美示例。电子商务非常重视使用这种方法，因为它可以帮助他们了解客户并围绕数据开发买家资料。
您的智能手机是另一种用于跟踪您的位置和设备的工具。如果您打开了位置信息，您可能会在购物时看到优惠券和优惠信息。
跟踪电子邮件活动(Tracking Email Campaigns)
普通人可能不关心从电子邮件中收集元数据（除非您有法庭案件）。因此，那些认为值得的人通常是营销人员、广告商和企业主。
那些运行电子邮件活动的人将需要学习以下内容：
- 打开电子邮件时
- 哪些(Which)电子邮件被退回（表示错误或旧电子邮件）
- 电子邮件中点击了哪些链接
- 打开电子邮件的时间和日期（查找模式）
- 收件人的位置
增强社交媒体算法(Enhancing Social Media Algorithms)
(Google)追踪你浏览习惯的不止谷歌， Pinterest、Facebook和Instagram等社交媒体网络也是如此。
每次点赞、评论或订阅，平台都会记录下来。然后，这会告诉算法你喜欢什么以及你喜欢谁，这样它就可以向你展示更多相关的内容。
这一切都是为了提供出色的用户体验。此外，它对于运行社交媒体活动的营销人员可能很有用。
使用元数据改进数据库管理(Improving Database Management With Metadata)
有很多元数据需要收集和组织，尤其是当您是公司（或小企业主）时。因此，为了帮助理解这一切，您可以使用一些称为数据管理软件的工具。
这将有助于识别每个数据集是什么。例如，如果您从活动中收集电子邮件列表，数据工具将确定它们的独特之处。在这种情况下，可能是退回的电子邮件，应该从活动中删除。
卡片中的元数据适合您吗？(Is Metadata In The Cards For You?)
您总是听说元数据和大数据。随着您对元数据及其用途的新认识，事情将如何改变？您是否要开始关注WordPress仪表板中的元标题、标签和描述？或者，也许您会找到更好的方法来根据数据类型组织计算机文件。
当您深入研究元数据时，您会发现可以学习和使用它做很多事情。
HDG Explains : What is Metadata & How Is It Used?
If you own a wеbsite or wоrk in fieldѕ that inνolve writing or managing onlіne content, thеn you likely heard of metadata. It’s something уou can’t get away from (nor should you if yоu want to rank in searсh engines).
The question you may be asking is “what is metadata – and more importantly, how is it used?” Let’s take a look at what metadata is and the benefits it offers.
What Is Metadata?
In simple terms, metadata is “data describing other data.” We know, that doesn’t clear things up one bit.
Just think of it like this. Metadata offers more details and information about other forms of data. For example, if you’re running a social media campaign, then each post is data. The metadata provides information about the post, such as when and where it was posted, and how many people viewed or interacted with it.
In other words, it tells you the who, what, when, where, why, which, and how. Metadata comes in various forms (depending on the data). For instance, it may include details, such as title, description, keywords, references, creator, contributor, and so on.
Not all data uses the same types of metadata. Here’s a look at some of the various forms:
- Descriptive metadata (title, subject, author, genre, date of creation)
- Rights metadata (license terms, rights holder, copyright status)
- Preservation metadata (used for navigation, i.e., hierarchy or sequence of items)
- Technical metadata (file size, name, date/time created, file type, compression type)
- Markup languages (heading, name, paragraph, list, date)
- Structural metadata (page numbers, sections, indexes, chapters, table of content)
Common Examples Of Metadata
Here’s a quick rundown of the various types of metadata you’ll find around you.
Photos
Photos — we take them all the time, and you’ll find all sorts of data on the hard drive. This includes information like:
- Date and time
- File name
- Camera settings
- Geographical location
Blog Posts
If you own a blog, then you’ll be able to control some of the metadata that appears for your posts. For instance, you’ll find the meta description in search engine results.
The metadata shows information, such as:
- Title and author
- Time and date published
- Tags
- Category
- Description
Email
You’re responsible for creating much of the metadata on emails, such as the subject, recipients, and sender. Then there are other data collected, such as:
- Date and time sent
- Format (HTML or plain text)
- Anti-spam software details
- Server names and IPs of senders and recipients
Computer Files
This will come in handy if you’re ever looking for a file on your computer. You can type in the file name into the search on your desktop.
Here’s a look at the various metadata collected from computer files:
- File name
- Type
- Size
- Date and time of creation
- Last date and time modified
Webpages
Webpages have similar metadata as computer files and other digital assets. For example, it contains information on:
- Page title
- Page description
- Icons
- Date modified
- Render mode
- Referring URL
- Address
How Is Metadata Used?
Hopefully, you have a better idea of what metadata is and where to find it. Now, it’s time to look at how this data is used.
Ranking Webpages Higher
Google and other search engines use data and metadata from your webpages to determine its ranking. The better optimized your data, the easier it’ll be to rank (assuming there’s not a lot of competition for those keywords you’re targeting).
For example, you need to optimize your meta title and meta description, which shows up in search results. This helps search engines understand what your page is about and how it’ll benefit human searchers.
Tracking Consumers Across the Web
Do you ever notice how ads follow you everywhere you go on the web? It shows items you might’ve searched for on a website earlier in the day or even several days ago.
This is a perfect example of how brands and businesses use metadata to track consumers. E-commerce is big on using this method because it helps them learn their customers and develop buyer profiles around the data.
Your smartphone is another tool used to track your location and device. If you have your location turned on, you may see coupons and offers show up as you’re shopping.
Tracking Email Campaigns
The common person may not care about gathering metadata from an email (unless you have a court case). So those who find it worthy are typically marketers, advertisers, and business owners.
Those who run email campaigns will need to learn things like:
- When emails are opened
- Which emails are bouncing (indicates wrong or old email)
- What links are clicked in an email
- What times and days emails are opened (to find a pattern)
- Locations of the recipients
Enhancing Social Media Algorithms
Google isn’t the only one tracking your browsing habits — so are social media networks like Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
Each time you like, comment, or subscribe, it’s being recorded by the platform. This then tells the algorithm what and who you like so it can show you more relevant content.
It’s all about offering a great user experience. Plus, it can be useful for marketers running social media campaigns.
Improving Database Management With Metadata
There’s a lot of metadata to collect and organize, especially when you’re a company (or small business owner). So to help make sense of it all, there are tools known as data management software you can use.
This will help to identify what each data set is. For example, if you collect a list of emails from a campaign, the data tool will determine what’s unique about them. In this case, it may be emails that bounced back and should be removed from the campaign.
Is Metadata In The Cards For You?
You hear about metadata and big data all the time. With your newfound understanding of metadata and what it’s used for, how will things change for you? Are you going to start paying attention to the meta title, tags, and description in your WordPress dashboard? Or maybe you’ll find better ways to organize your computer files based on data type.
As you delve into metadata, you’ll find there’s a lot you can learn and do with it.
