Metadata and Business
Just what is metadata? Metadata is simply data that provides information about other data, “meta” being a Greek prefix meaning “after” or “beyond”. There are three main categories of metadata.
- Descriptive metadata – Used to describe a resource such as title, keyword, subject, and authors. Oftentimes it is used to find a resource, object or file during a search online.
- Structural metadata – Refers to the physical and/or categorical information about a digital object or resource. It is used to distinguish elements such as file formats, size, media type. This type of metadata greatly enhances a digital object’s ability to be searched and retrieved.
- Administrative metadata – Provides information that helps manage digital resources. This information includes when and how it was created and who is able to access it.
Metadata is important to business owners and managers for a host of reasons. Describing and categorizing your data increases its usability, sharpens and clarifies your sales funnels, and ultimately expands your profitability.
Metadata is often overlooked and neglected because it is an ongoing and time-consuming task. Many business owners and managers are simply too occupied with running the day-to-day operations of their operations, finance, and sales functions.
However, it is essential, because more than half of online users begin their online experience with a search engine. Most of your potential clients are searching for a service or product, and no longer a specific company. Proper metadata translates into higher page rankings, and enhanced visibility that will place you higher in search engine results. In the contemporary business landscape, being able to be found is just as crucial as the quality of your product or service.
Metadata is valuable for a business because it is the micro justifying and selling the macro. A large and expansive application like Google Maps does not even begin to work properly without the individual addresses of homes, businesses, and schools. An online retailer like Amazon cannot sell its warehouse of books without the individual ISBN number of each book.
Having your metadata properly configured means you are able to monitor and analyze your traffic better, properly organize your company’s digital resources, and clarify your marketing message to your ideal clients and customers. For business owners, proper metadata configuration is no longer a nice-to-have it is a must-have.
At VZP Digital we have a team that is dedicated to an entire suite of metadata services. Let us work for your business so you can work on your business. Call us today to get a free consultation and find out more.