Title: Metadata Author: joshua Published: August 1, 2022 Last modified: November 12, 2025 --- 1. [Installation resources](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/) 2. [Parse.ly Integration](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/parsely-integration/) 3. Metadata # Metadata All Parse.ly Integrations start with the same two steps. By now, you should have completed Step 1: [installing the Parse.ly tracking code](https://docs.parse.ly/parsely-integration/). Now it’s time for Step 2: specifying metadata so Parse.ly can crawl it and display it on your dashboard. This post is an overview of metadata; we link to dedicated posts for each of our accepted metadata formats. Familiarize yourself with the contents of this post before implementation. First, let’s look at a couple of places where metadata appears in Parse.ly: [[ Overview & listings views: thumbnail (1), headline (2), publication date (3), author( 4), and section (5) [[ The details view contains additional metadata, i.e., tags (6) Metadata isn’t solely about making Parse.ly look pretty, it also enables functionality. We use metadata throughout all of our features for proper [aliasing](https://docs.parse.ly/the-parsely-canonical-url/), [filters](https://docs.parse.ly/using-dashboard-filters/), [reports](https://docs.parse.ly/reports/), and [customization](https://docs.parse.ly/customize-your-overview/) to find exactly what you’re looking for. ## Metadata Formats: JSON-LD & Meta Tags You may provide metadata via JSON-LD, repeated meta tags, or a combination. * [JSON-LD](https://docs.parse.ly/metadata-jsonld/) – following open standards and schemas, you may also use this script tag for other services (such as Google, [for enhanced display in search listings](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/guides/intro-structured-data)). * [Meta tags](https://docs.parse.ly/metatags/) – if the CMS you are using has a way to provide page information as meta tags in the page header, then this might be a better option. ### Examples using both methods **Note** Meta tags take precedence over JSON-LD values. * If you’re using an unsupported JSON-LD `@type`, then we would categorize that as a Non-Post. To change this, you may add a meta tag to say we should track this page as a Post. * If you normally provide metadata in JSON-LD but need to add `parsely-post-id`, then you may do so via meta tag. ## Parse.ly’s Metadata Fields The following table contains the metadata fields for each method. Please review the [JSON-LD](https://docs.parse.ly/metadata-jsonld/) and [repeated meta tags](https://docs.parse.ly/metatags/) documents for more information. | JSON-LD | Meta tag | Description | | `@context` | | See [JSON-LD documentation](https://docs.parse.ly/metadata-jsonld/) | | `@type` | `parsely-type` | Distinguishes [Posts from Non-Posts](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/parsely-integration/metadata?output_format=md#h-post-vs-non-post) | | `url` | `parsely-link` | The [Parse.ly canonical URL](https://docs.parse.ly/the-parsely-canonical-url/). | | `thumbnailUrl` | `parsely-image-url` | URL of the image ([supported formats](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/parsely-integration/metadata?output_format=md#h-thumbnail-images-supported-file-formats)) | | `headline` | `parsely-title` | Post/Page title | | `datePublished` | `parsely-pub-date` | Publication date | | `creator` | `parsely-author` | Author(s) | | `articleSection` | `parsely-section` | The top-level category. | | `keywords` | `parsely-tags` | We support up to 100 [tags](https://blog.parse.ly/5-tagging-best-practices-content-strategy/) per URL. | | `isBasedOn` | `parsely-network-canonical` | See [Network Syndication documentation](https://docs.parse.ly/network-syndication/) | | | `parsely-post-id` | See [meta tags documentation](https://docs.parse.ly/metatags/) | | | `parsely-metadata` | See [custom metadata documentation](https://docs.parse.ly/api-custom-metadata/) | ### Thumbnail Images: Supported File Formats The Parse.ly dashboard supports the following file formats: `heic`, `webp`, `jpg`,` gif`, `png`, `tiff`. ## Post vs Non-Post [[ Parse.ly uses metadata to distinguish between web pages that are posts and non-posts. We consider posts as those urls that contain editorial or marketing content (articles, reports, blog posts, etc.). And we consider other urls that are more transactional or navigational in nature, to be non-posts. Non posts include: homepages, index pages, section pages, checkout pages, newsletter subscription pages etc.. All of this is based on what you select for the ([meta tag](https://docs.parse.ly/metatags/#h-field-description))` parsely-type` or ([JSON-LD](https://docs.parse.ly/metadata-jsonld/#distinguishing-between-posts-and-non-posts-pages))` @type`. [[ Identifying URLs as Posts or Pages enables this [overview customization](https://docs.parse.ly/customize-your-overview/) to show Non-Posts (left) and Posts (right), or All Pages (not shown). ## Providing Metadata to Parse.ly ### WordPress Parse.ly Plugin If you enabled the [WordPress Parse.ly Plugin](https://docs.parse.ly/wordpress-plugin-setup/) and entered your Parse.ly Site ID, then we already have your metadata straight out of WordPress. However, you may [adjust your plugin settings](https://docs.parse.ly/wordpress-plugin-setup/#h-additional-configuration) or use our [plugin functions](https://docs.parse.ly/plugin-common-questions/#h-can-the-rendered-metadata-be-customized-or-disabled) to modify the metadata that we output. ### `/metadata` Endpoint [Our API](https://docs.parse.ly/api/) enables you to send metadata about a URL. [Video](https://docs.parse.ly/parse-ly-video-tracking/-tracking-v2/) metadata must be sent via the API endpoint if you would like to access video data in the API. Please contact your [relationship manager](https://docs.parse.ly/installation-resources/parsely-integration/value@parsely.com?output_format=md) if you’re interested in having API Access and/or video tracking. ## How Parse.ly Collects Metadata We have two primary means of reading metadata: * [Crawl](https://docs.parse.ly/crawler/) – this is our main method for reading metadata. If we are unable to crawl your site, you may need to add [our information](https://docs.parse.ly/crawler/#h-how-does-the-crawler-work) to your allow list. The Parse.ly Crawler does not execute JavaScript and the information must be accessible in the page source. * In-Pixel – we recommend [testing in a staging environment](https://docs.parse.ly/sandbox/) and sending that pageview traffic to your Sandbox dashboard. We assume that your staging environment is inaccessible to our crawler, so we receive your metadata via pixel requests instead. ## Updating Metadata We anticipate the need for updated metadata. That’s why we recrawl new articles 24 hours after publication. However, we do not automatically update metadata beyond this, by default. To learn more about metadata updates, read more on [recrawls](https://docs.parse.ly/whats-a-recrawl/). ## Missing Metadata If you’re sending metadata but the dashboard isn’t showing it, then you might have our crawler blocked. Try allowlisting our crawler using the information found [here](https://docs.parse.ly/crawler/). Otherwise, if you’re missing individual fields, then we may insert placeholder values. * Unknown authors become “Staff” * Unknown sections become “[Uncategorized](https://docs.parse.ly/uncategorized/)“ ## Next Steps You should now have a better understanding of Parse.ly metadata, why it’s important, how it’s represented, its properties, how to provide it, how we collect it, and how we can update it. Now it’s time to select the format you would like to start with: * [JSON-LD](https://docs.parse.ly/metadata-jsonld/) * [Repeated meta tags](https://docs.parse.ly/metatags/) Want to learn more? Read “[How metadata supercharges analytics in Parse.ly](https://blog.parse.ly/metadata/)“. Last updated: November 12, 2025