What Counts as Metadata?

Metadata isn’t a bonus—it’s infrastructure.

It governs how platforms see your product, where it shows up, and whether it gets seen at all. But most ecommerce teams still treat it as an afterthought—something for SEO later, or tags someone else adds. That misunderstanding is costing visibility.

This lesson defines metadata clearly—what it includes, how it works, and why it drives discoverability across search, ads, AI feeds, and your own internal tools.

Metadata Is More Than Meta Tags

Let’s start by defining what actually qualifies as metadata on a Product Detail Page. It’s not just <meta> tags.

Here’s what counts as PDP metadata:

• Structured schema markup (JSON‑LD, Product Schema, Breadcrumb Schema)
• Alt Text on product images
• Open Graph Tags for social previews
• Platform-specific tags (TikTok Schema, Meta Commerce)
• Attribute-level data (color, size, material, SKU, etc.)
• Price, inventory status, variant metadata (e.g., Variant Swatch Images)
• Canonical URL, page titles, and structured headings
• Ratings and review markup (Product Rating Markup)

If it’s machine-readable and field-based, it’s metadata.

See What Counts as Metadata? for more examples.

Metadata Powers Visibility

Every discovery engine—from Google to TikTok to Meta—relies on metadata to determine ranking, eligibility, and placement.

For example:

• Google’s structured data guidelines recommend complete Product schema for rich result eligibility
• Meta Commerce requires clean metadata to surface products in Facebook Shops and Instagram
• TikTok Shop parses attributes and schema fields to feed product cards into For You feeds
• AI models use structured fields to match intent, not just string-match keywords

That means your Feed Approval Rate, AI visibility, and even internal Faceted Navigation depend on metadata hygiene—not page design.

Gaps Are Easy to Miss

Many teams assume metadata is “done” because the PDP renders correctly. But structured data can break silently.

Here’s where teams typically fall short:

• Missing brand or gtin in schema
• Inconsistent or incorrect Alt Text
• Duplicate or untagged product images
• Incorrect Canonical URLs
• Lack of structured variant logic
• Outdated Open Graph Tags or stale metadata fields
• Drift between catalog fields and live PDP content—see Feed Drift

This creates Visibility Gaps, even when PDPs look fine to a human.

Metadata Is the PDP’s Nervous System

The real shift is mindset: metadata isn’t a layer you apply after the PDP is built. It is the PDP.

It tells platforms what the product is, how to display it, when it’s relevant, and why it should rank. If that layer breaks, your entire Digital Shelf starts to collapse—no matter how good your copy or design is.

See the Content vs Structure reference for why metadata often outweighs visual polish in modern ecommerce.

What To Do Next

• Audit your live PDPs against Schema Validation tools
• Review your SEO Attributes and compare to your catalog fields
• Fix inconsistent Field Updates that break alignment
• Establish clear Field Governance rules
• Automate updates where possible—see Where Automation Fills the Gaps

If you’re not sure where to start, begin with a Health Audit or explore the lesson Common Failures That Break Visibility.

Bottom Line

Metadata isn’t just about SEO. It’s about structure, visibility, and scale.

It’s what discovery engines see—and it’s what makes your PDP work in a digital ecosystem.

If you treat metadata like extra credit, your products will disappear. Treat it like infrastructure, and your visibility compounds.