What is metadata?
Metadata is descriptive information about your platform content that appears in search engines or on social media previews. It includes:
The meta title (page headline)
The meta description (preview text)
The preview image
These tags are not visible on the platform itself, but they influence how people discover and click on your platform externally. Proper metadata improves:
Your platform’s visibility (SEO)
How trustworthy and clear it looks when shared
Engagement and click-through rates
What is default metadata on the platform?
Platform homepage
Title: Citizen engagement platform of [Organization Name] | GoVocal
Description: Welcome to the online citizen engagement platform of [Organization Name]. Explore local projects and vote on your favourite ideas. Come participate in the discussions!
Image: Platform header image
Projects overview
Title: Projects • [Organization Name]
Description: Explore all ongoing projects...
Image: Platform header image
Individual project page
Title: Project • [Project Title]
Image: Project banner image
Ideas overview
Title: All Ideas • [Organization Name]
Description: Explore all ideas posted...
Individual idea
Title: Idea • [Idea Title]
If shared by author: Support my idea: [Idea Title]
Image: User-uploaded image
These defaults update dynamically based on the page being viewed to optimize discoverability.
Tips on how to improve search engine ranking
Search engines use many factors to rank pages, but two areas you can influence are metadata and content popularity.
Metadata tips:
Use clear, descriptive titles and descriptions
Include relevant keywords (e.g. city name, voting, participation)
Content popularity tips:
Publish content regularly (e.g. ideas, updates, events)
Share links on reliable channels (e.g. newsletters, social media)
Encourage backlinking from official websites
Avoid spamming, quality matters more than quantity.
How to customize your platforms metadata?
Steps:
Identify which page(s) you want to update (e.g., homepage, a project, idea page).
Prepare the new metadata:
Title
Description
Optional preview image (where applicable)
Open the chat bubble on the bottom right of your platform.
Contact the Go Vocal support team and provide the new metadata.
They will update the tags on your behalf.