Tags: joomla | meta tags | metadata information | new content | posting new articles | search engine optimization | seo

According to Google Trends, Joomla use has been steadily on the rise since mid 2005, giving credence to the belief that Joomla is the best CMS option to use for a wide variety of websites.

This got me wondering, how many people use Joomla to it's full advantage?  We all know that Joomla is a fantastic system to use as a more feature rich version of a blog, but often i've noticed that people write content and hit post without thinking about the finer details of what they're doing. 

So today I wanted to touch on 2 features of posting a new article (from administration and/or user end) that are missed in over 70% of posts i come across, those being:

I'm going to start with the latter in this case, as it's the more important one to use. 

Meta Data used to be key to getting good page rank.  As the internet and search engine tactics improved, they became less important, but are still a "must have" on every single web page.  This is where many people go wrong.  When you post a new article in Joomla and view it in the browser, it is loaded with it's own meta information such as title, description, keywords, etc. This allows you to have posts on almost any subject and ensure their metadata applies perfectly to each page.  A massive kudos to Joomla for this feature.  So do you use it?

After you post your new content, before you save it, go to the right of your screen (admin area) or below your content (user area) and hit the "Metadata Information" dropdown (admin area).  In there you'll find 4 fields to fill in.  The most important are the top 2, description and keywords.  Don't go overboard here, but make sure you are clear and precise as search engines use this information to categorize and assist in listing your website.

Let me give you an example of what happens if you don't use the Metadata Information.  Here is section of the source code from 2 pages on my site, the first is the privacy page which I have not yet added metadata information and the second a post i put up recently reviewing an online game.  Look at how the code differs.

Example: No Metadata Information added

Example: Metadata Information added

The differences speak for themselves.  Every post you put up without adding the Metadata Information is going to have the standard Joomla data, such as the first example.  It's great if you have a page about Joomla, but actually downgrades your website for the most part.  So please, be sure to add that information EVERYTIME you post a new article.  Also, if you have not done so already, go back and edit all your old articles to add the information, you wont regret it later.

The second one to look at the the Advanced Parameters.  This is more optional than anything else and has more to do with look and feel of your site than anything else.  But, a few small tweaks in here can make a big difference, depending in the type of content.  For the most part, the default settings will be perfect for your content.  There may be times however when removing an authors name is important, as could be removing the data the content was posted or modified.  You do that all from in here.  If you are keen to brand your name on the search engines in relation to your content, ensure the authors name is shown (default or show).  

Last, but most definitely not least make sure you set the Author Alias if you're logged in as an administrator.  You can change the alias to your name always shows, this is the best option, but regardless, the key is to make sure your name is shown as the author, not an alias like "moderator" or "administrator"