---
title: "author · Meta Tag · zhead"
canonical_url: "https://zhead.dev/meta/author"
last_updated: "2026-08-19T02:35:55.886Z"
meta:
  description: "Names one author of the page. Add another author meta tag for each additional author."
  "og:description": "Names one author of the page. Add another author meta tag for each additional author."
  "og:title": "author · Meta Tag · zhead"
---

Meta tags

# author

Names one author of the page. Add another author meta tag for each additional author.

## Code examples

Good example

```
<meta name="author" content="Jane Doe">
```

Names the author exactly as credited on the page.

Good example

```
<meta name="author" content="River Song">
```

A pen name is fine when it matches the published byline.

Avoid this example

```
<meta name="author" content="Admin">
```

A generic account label does not identify the author.

Avoid this example

```
<meta name="author" content="Jane Doe, John Smith">
```

This combines two authors in one value. Use a separate author tag for each person.

## Recommendations

- 01 Credit One Author per Tag The HTML standard defines each author value as the name of one author. Repeat the tag when a page has multiple authors.
- 02 Match the Published Byline Use the name readers see on the page, including a pen name when that is how the author publishes.
- 03 Keep Roles Out of the Name Put job titles and contributor roles in the visible byline or structured data. This value is for the author name.

## Related documentation

- [HTML Living Standard: Semantics](https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/semantics.html#meta-author)

## Related meta tags

### [author](https://zhead.dev/meta/author)

name

Names one author of the page. Add another author meta tag for each additional author.

```
<meta name="author" content="Jane Doe">
```

Names the author exactly as credited on the page.

### [charset](https://zhead.dev/meta/charset)

charset

Declares the character encoding used by the HTML document. In modern HTML, the value must be UTF-8.

```
<meta charset="utf-8">
```

The required character encoding for modern HTML.

### [description](https://zhead.dev/meta/description)

name

Summarizes the page for directories and search engines. Google may use it as a search result snippet when it describes the page better than the visible content does.

```
<meta name="description" content="Bake 12 vanilla cupcakes in 35 minutes. Includes metric measurements, storage notes, and fixes for cakes that sink.">
```

Specific details tell the reader what the recipe covers.

### [google](https://zhead.dev/meta/google)

name

Carries Google-specific page controls. Google currently documents nopagereadaloud for this metadata name.

```
<meta name="google" content="nopagereadaloud">
```

The documented Google-specific opt-out for page read-aloud services.

### [google-site-verification](https://zhead.dev/meta/google-site-verification)

name

Verifies ownership of a site in Google Search Console. Google provides the exact token to place on the site’s top-level page.

```
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="your_verification_code">
```

Replace this placeholder with the exact token issued by Search Console.