Product info to Meta Description

[AndyBorrett]

In my ongoing SEO mission (which is showing results within a week of making the changes - thanks all) I want to redo the Meta Descriptions.

I am using a SPPP setup so I want to be able to use the short description and a few product level variables to build the Meta Description.

My question is, is it possible to use product level infomation in the meta tags layout. I have tried using several but they just don't seem to work.

Any ideas?

At the moment the only way I can find of doing it is an Access Query but that means runing the query each time I add a new product.

[leehack]

I see no reason why not, but you will need to alter the standard code for this area i expect, because actinic will think you have not added one and act accordingly. You have the function of adding these parts first and then the counteraction of the actinic measures to make it work correctly. I suspect you have only attacked one of those two things to do.

[AndyBorrett]

I have tried to alter the standard meta tags layout but it won't let me add, for example, productname.

When I try to upload to the test server I get coding errors telling me that variable productname has been added to standard meta tags but it won't work there.

I presume it is because I am trying to use a product level variable in the outer layer. I have tried both types of file import to import the meta description but that doesn't seem to work either.

[leehack]

Change the place of setting on the variable to include 'site', that might do it.

[AndyBorrett]

I can change the place of setting for my own variables but not ProductName - it doesn't appear in the library.

If I change the standard meta tags layout to

<meta name="description" content="<actinic:variable name="SilverStone" />" />

then I don't get the coding errors but the variable (SilverStone) is not passed to the meta description. Viewing the source shows

<meta name="keywords" content="None" />

[Rich Brady]

Andy, there's a blockif around the meta tag:

<actinic:block if="%28%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22PageType%22%20%2f%3e%20%21%3d%20%22Section%22%29%20AND%20%28%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22GlbMetaDescription%22%20%2f%3e%20%21%3d%20%22%22%29" >
	   <meta name="description" content="<actinic:variable name="GlbMetaDescription" />" />
   </actinic:block>

So if you don't have anything in the Description Variable Field at Section level I assume that Actinic will not load any meta description data.

Have you tried editing the blockif or typing something into the Description Field?

[AndyBorrett]

I removed most of content from standard meta tags layout to see if that made a difference - alas not.

This is what I was left with:-

 <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" />
  <meta http-equiv="MSThemeCompatible" content="yes" />
<meta name="description" content="<actinic:variable name="SilverStone" />" />

[Rich Brady]

Okay,

If I use the "HeaderText" Variable:

<meta name="description" content="<actinic:variable name="HeaderText" />" />

it works in offline preview. Perhaps you could copy the "HeaderText" Variable and use it as a template for your "Silverstone" variable?

[AndyBorrett]

I must be doing something wrong * starts to pull hair out *

I have tried this and typed some text into the header text layout

<meta name="description" content="<actinic:variable name="HeaderText" />" />

Uploaded it and still the meta description os empty

Maybe I need a sleep

[Rich Brady]

Close down actinic and try again, you'd be amazed what comes right after a re-boot

[AndyBorrett]

Forgot about restarting Actinic - good idea.

That didn't work either - I'll have a rethink and try again tonight

Thanks for trying to help

[NormanRouxel]

Back to your original question:

My question is, is it possible to use product level infomation in the meta tags layout. I have tried using several but they just don't seem to work.

Actinic needs to see product variables within a Product List and only within a Section page.

The following code respects that and will work in the HEAD of your overall layout:

<actinic:block if="%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22PageType%22%20%2f%3e%20%3d%3d%20%22Section%22">
	<actinic:block type="ProductList">
	  <actinic:variable name="ProductName" />
	</actinic:block>
</actinic:block>

We're only displaying the product name as a demo here.

[AndyBorrett]

Thanks for stopping me from getting premature baldness Norman - as ever you've come to the rescue!

This is the final code I used to create my meta descriptions

It basically uses the short description, some user defined variables - some of which are blocked out if they didn't make sense and the price.

<actinic:block type="ProductList">
	<actinic:block if="%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22ProductName%22%20%2f%3e%20%21%3d%20%22%22">
	<meta name="description" content="<actinic:variable name="ProductName" /><actinic:block if="%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22SilverStyle%22%20%2f%3e%20%21%3d%20%22Bangles%20%26%20Cuffs%22%20AND%20%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22SilverStyle%22%20%2f%3e%20%21%3d%20%22Charmed%22%20AND%20%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22SilverStyle%22%20%2f%3e%20%21%3d%20%22Collars%22%20AND%20%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22SilverStyle%22%20%2f%3e%20%21%3d%20%22Amber%22" > in <actinic:variable name="SilverStyle" /></actinic:block><actinic:block if="%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22SilverStone%22%20%2f%3e%20%21%3d%20%22None%22"> featuring <actinic:variable name="SilverStone" /></actinic:block><actinic:block if="%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22SilverStone2%22%20%2f%3e%20%21%3d%20%22None%22" > and <actinic:variable name="SilverStone2" /></actinic:block> priced at £<actinic:variable name="ProductPriceRaw" /> including delivery" />
	  
	  </actinic:block>
</actinic:block>

Thanks for all your help

[NormanRouxel]

You may need an if PageType == "Section" around that lot as the ProductList is only valid within Section pages.

Otherwise, you might gert error messages on other pages.

[AndyBorrett]

Forgot to add that to the code I pasted but I did add it around the code otherwise like you say, you get the red coding error message popping up.

I've bought a book on Perl that I'm going to try and work through to help me understand code you've given me in the past.