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How to check metadata

When you’re following the instructions to set up Parse.ly, you’ll hear a lot about metadata. We ask you to send us your metadata and ensure it looks correct, but what does that mean? Here, we’ll review how to check metadata.

Getting started

Before you can evaluate your metadata, your Parse.ly dashboard must be receiving pageviews.

  1. Log into your dashboard
  2. Navigate to the Posts (or Pages) tab.
  3. The timeline graph at the top of the page will contain data if pageviews are being received.
  4. If we are not receiving your pageviews, perform our testing instructions and follow our troubleshooting guide.
A Parse.ly dashboard without pageviews (left) and with pageviews (right).

Posts and non-post pages

Parse.ly categorizes all pages on your site as either “Posts” or “Non-post”. The first thing to check is that your pages are categorized correctly.

Navigate to the Posts (or Pages) tab and toggle the Page Type filter between “Posts” and “Non-Post.”

You should expect to see content pages (articles, reports, blog posts, etc.) when “Posts” is selected, and navigational or informational pages (homepage, section pages, contact pages, etc.) when “Non-post” is selected.

If any pages are miscategorized, consult our metadata guide and update your metadata within your CMS.

  • The @type (if using JSON-ld) and parsely-type (if using repeated meta tags) dictates this categorization.
  • If you’re using the WordPress Parse.ly plugin, visit wp-admin/options-general.php?page=parsely#recrawl-section and adjust Track Post Types as.

Thumbnail

Now that we’re in a post listing, let’s examine all the pieces of metadata that appear there. We’ll start with the thumbnail.

While this isn’t necessary, your dashboard will appear less monotonous if your post listings each had a unique thumbnail. Select a supported file type and follow one of these examples:

  • meta tag: <meta name="parsely-image-url" content="https://docs.parse.ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/09/complete2.gif" />
  • JSON-LD: "thumbnailUrl": "https://docs.parse.ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/09/complete2.gif"

Title

If you’re only seeing url, then we don’t see a title value in your metadata. You can specify one like this:

  • meta tag: <meta name="parsely-title" content="Open in Parse.ly" />
  • JSON-LD: "headline": "Open in Parse.ly"

Publication Date

Note the formatting of the date is an ISO 8601 UTC timezone string

  • meta tag: <meta name="parsely-pub-date" content="2023-10-12T22:26:30Z" />
  • JSON-LD: "datePublished": "2023-10-12T22:26:30Z"

Author

You may have one or more authors. If you don’t provide an author, we will list Staff.

  • meta tag: <meta name="parsely-author" content="joshua" />
  • JSON-LD: "creator": ["joshua"]

Section

We accept one section value. WordPress calls these categories. If we don’t see a category, we’ll use the placeholder value of Uncategorized:

  • meta tag: <meta name="parsely-section" content="Tools" />
  • JSON-LD: "articleSection": "Tools",

Tags

We accept up to 100 tag values per url. You may also know these as “keywords”. The tags that appear with a dashed border are automatically-generated smart tags.

  • meta tag: <meta name="parsely-tags" content="bookmarklet" />
  • JSON-LD: "keywords": ["bookmarklet"]

Putting it all together

It’s important to get your metadata correct so that you can take advantage of filters, reports, and more. Review each of the above fields to ensure you have the correct values. If you need to make changes, then read about our recrawl process. Here are some additional examples in each format so that you can see the complete picture:

Meta tags

<meta name="parsely-title" content="Best pizza in town" />
<meta name="parsely-link" content="https://www.example.com/post/best-pizza-in-town" />
<meta name="parsely-type" content="post" />
<meta name="parsely-image-url" content="https://www.example.com/tumblr-pizza-logo.png" />
<meta name="parsely-pub-date" content="2024-01-24T16:00:00Z" />
<meta name="parsely-section" content="Reviews" />
<meta name="parsely-author" content="Donnie" />
<meta name="parsely-author" content="Leo" />
<meta name="parsely-author" content="Mikey" />
<meta name="parsely-author" content="Raph" />
<meta name="parsely-author" content="April O'Neil" />
<meta name="parsely-tags" content="editor: April, city guide, reviews: pizza" />

JSON-LD (Structured Data)

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
	"@context": "http://data-pipeline-schema/.org",
	"@type": "NewsArticle",
	"headline": "Best pizza in town",
	"url": "https://www.example.com/post/best-pizza-in-town",
	"thumbnailUrl": "https://www.example.com/tumblr-pizza-logo.png",
	"datePublished": "2024-01-24T16:00:00Z",
	"articleSection": "Reviews",
	"creator": ["Donnie", "Leo", "Mikey", "Raph"],
	"keywords": ["editor: April", "city guide", "reviews: pizza"]
}
</script>

Additional Resources

Please take a look at these other articles. If you need consultative advice, please contact your account manager. For technical support, or if you would like us to check your metadata, write to support@parsely.com.

Last updated: August 15, 2024