# Element “meta” is missing one or more of the following attributes: “itemprop”, “property”.
> Canonical HTML version: https://rocketvalidator.com/html-validation/element-meta-is-missing-one-or-more-of-the-following-attributes-itemprop-property
> Attribution: Rocket Validator (https://rocketvalidator.com)
> License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
The `` element is most commonly used inside the `` section to define metadata like character encoding, viewport settings, or descriptions. Inside ``, attributes like `charset`, `http-equiv`, and `name` are perfectly valid. However, the HTML specification also allows `` to appear inside the `` — but only under specific conditions.
When a `` element appears in the ``, it **must** have either an `itemprop` attribute (for microdata) or a `property` attribute (for RDFa). It must also have a `content` attribute. Additionally, it **cannot** use `http-equiv`, `charset`, or `name` attributes in this context. These rules exist because the only valid reason to place a `` tag in the `` is to embed machine-readable metadata as part of a structured data annotation — not to define document-level metadata.
### Why this matters
- **Standards compliance:** The HTML living standard explicitly restricts which attributes `` can use depending on its placement. Violating this produces invalid HTML.
- **Browser behavior:** Browsers may ignore or misinterpret `` elements that appear in the `` without proper attributes. For example, a `` tag inside the `` will have no effect on character encoding, since that must be determined before the body is parsed.
- **SEO and structured data:** Search engines rely on correctly structured microdata and RDFa. A `` element in the body without `itemprop` or `property` won't contribute to any structured data and serves no useful purpose.
### Common causes
1. **Misplaced `` tags:** A `` element meant for the `` (such as `` or ``) has accidentally been placed inside the ``. This can happen due to an unclosed `` tag, a CMS inserting tags in the wrong location, or simply copying markup into the wrong section.
2. **Missing `itemprop` or `property`:** A `` element inside the `` is being used for structured data but is missing the required `itemprop` or `property` attribute.
## Examples
### Incorrect: `` with `http-equiv` inside the ``
This `` tag belongs in the ``, not the ``:
```html
```
### Fixed: Move the `` to the ``
```html
My Page
```
### Incorrect: `` in the `` without `itemprop` or `property`
```html
9.99
```
The `` element is missing the `itemprop` attribute, so the validator reports the error.
### Fixed: Add the `itemprop` attribute
```html
9.99
```
### Correct: Using `property` for RDFa
The `property` attribute is also valid for `` elements in the `` when using RDFa:
```html
Concert
```
### Incorrect: `` inside the ``
The `name` attribute is only valid on `` elements inside the ``:
```html
Welcome to my site.
```
### Fixed: Move it to the ``
```html
My Site
Welcome to my site.
```