If you look at source of this webpage, you will notice some unusual meta tags like:
1 2 | <meta name="DC.publisher" content="Windows 7,Blog,Wordpress,SEO,Tips,Tutorials,Wallpapers,Themes,Icons,Downloads" /> <meta name="DC.publisher.url" content="https://thecustomizewindows.com/" /> |
These peculiar looking meta are actually Dublin core.
What is this Dublin core actually is?
The Dublin Core is set of metadata which provides a small group of text elements through which most resources can be described. Dublin Core metadata can describe physical resources such as and composite media like web pages. Metadata records based on Dublin Core have become standard in the fields of library science and computer science.
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The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative is an open organization engaged in the development of interoperable meta data standards that support a broad range of purposes and business models.
Does Google Search Engine reads Dublin core?
“…Google do not (currently) read DC metadata. They’re indexing HTML pages, and expect to find normal HTML metas.
Continue to use DC by all means, but do it in addition to HTML standards, not instead of, if you want it to be accessible to the widest range of user agents.”
Update on 30th Jan, 2014 : Google does understand Dublin Core now for few elements. See the below resources :
1 2 | https://developers.google.com/webmasters/videosearch/markups https://developers.google.com/webmasters/state-of-the-web/2005/metadata |
Then why you are using the Dublin core in your WordPress blog?
We think Dublin core should be used as to mark a page for standard reference.
Dublin core and SEO?
This is very contradictory topic. Using Dublin core meta is good if used but no harm if not used.
Dublin core and WordPress?
There are many free WordPress plugins to deploy Dublin core meta in WordPress posts and pages. We are using Dublin Core for WP plugin.
Dublin core for static HTML pages
You can use this online tool to generate Dublin core :
1 | http://www.dublincoregenerator.com/generator.html |
Hi Abhishek
Many Thanks for this post – it has been extremely helpful to me. I have one query that I have not been able to solve and that is to do with the DC.Subject line…….how can I get DC4WP to pick up the subject??
Again, thank you..
I will now be a regular reader here.
James
Hello James,
DC.subject is/are picked up automatically from the post tags and categories. Just look the source of this page, you’ll find:
“DC.subject” content=”SEO tips”
“DC.subject” content=”Wordpress and SEO”
“DC.subject” content=”Google”
“DC.subject” content=”SEO
“DC.subject” content=”Wordpress”
The first two are from categories and last three are from post tags. I have not done anything extra work : they has been added automatically by the plugin.
Note that, this plugin can not “inject” DC to dynamic home page with recent blogs or archival pages (look the source of those pages of this site). Unfortunately, very only few who are actually aware or interested about Dublin Core. So, there is probably no chance to get more feature rich Dublin Core plugin/any major update of DC4WP.
Thank you and welcome for the kind words.
-Abhishek
This is my first time knowing dublin core. thanks for this post. :)
Thanks Abhishek for this wonderful post. I just came across this Dublin Core concept today when I ran a seo score of my blog at Woorank. I will give a try to the plugin you referred.
Thanks Prasenjit.
Use Dublin Core or not ? Google do not (currently) read DC metadata. ???
The Post was ~4 years old. We have updated the Post. Google actually understand Dublin Core now for few properties.
You can read this from woo blog :
Beware that, there will be (false) alert on w3c test for HTML5.