bendichter · Oct 9, 2026 · Oct 9, 2026 · Oct 9, 2026 · Oct 9, 2026 · Oct 9, 2026
diff --git a/config/_default/params.yaml b/config/_default/params.yaml
@@ -8,3 +8,8 @@ cta:
 # Footer
 footer_logo: "/images/colored-logo.png"
 copyright_text: "© Neurodata Without Borders - All Rights Reserved"
+
+# Search results and link previews, for pages that have no description or
+# image of their own
+description: "Neurodata Without Borders (NWB) is a data standard and software ecosystem for neurophysiology and behavioral data."
+shareImage: "/images/share-card.jpg"
diff --git a/content/about-nwb/_index.md b/content/about-nwb/_index.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: About NWB
+description: "Neurodata Without Borders began in 2014 as a consortium of researchers and foundations working to remove the obstacles to sharing neuroscience data. Read about its goals and history."
 about_section:
   enable: true
   image: /images/about-nwb.png

diff --git a/content/community/_index.md b/content/community/_index.md
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 ---
 title: "Community"
+description: "Resources for the NWB community, including materials for teaching with NWB and a gallery of conversion and analysis projects."
 weight: 5
 ---
diff --git a/content/contact-us/_index.md b/content/contact-us/_index.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: Contact Us
+description: "Ask questions on the NWB help desk, join the Slack workspace, contribute on GitHub, or sign up for the mailing list."
 community_section:
   enable: true
   title: Community

diff --git a/content/convert/_index.md b/content/convert/_index.md
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 ---
+description: "An overview of the tools for converting neurophysiology data to NWB, from no-code applications to programmatic APIs: NWB GUIDE, NeuroConv, PyNWB, and MatNWB."
 title: "Converting Data To NWB"
 aliases:
   - /converting-data-to-nwb

diff --git a/content/enhancement-proposals/_index.md b/content/enhancement-proposals/_index.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: Enhancement Proposals
+description: "NWB Enhancement Proposals (NWBEP) are the formal way to propose major additions or changes to the NWB standard. They are reviewed by the NWB Technical Advisory Board."
 section:
   - title: About NWB Enhancement Proposals (NWBEP)
     list:

diff --git a/content/events/_index.md b/content/events/_index.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: "NWB Events"
+description: "Past and upcoming NWB events, including workshops, hackathons, tutorials, and conferences."
 banner:
   enable: true
   title: "NWB Events"

diff --git a/content/extending-nwb.md b/content/extending-nwb.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: "Extending NWB"
+description: "NWB can be extended in two ways: NWB Extensions (NDX) for data types that are not yet part of the core standard, and NWB Enhancement Proposals (NWBEP) for changes to the standard itself."
 date: 2025-08-07
 ---
 

diff --git a/content/faq/_index.md b/content/faq/_index.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: "Frequently Asked Questions"
+description: "Answers to common questions about using NWB, how it compares with other data standards and formats, and the differences between NWB 1 and NWB 2."
 weight: 5
 ---
 

diff --git a/content/faq/comparison_to_other_standards.md b/content/faq/comparison_to_other_standards.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: "How does NWB 2.0 compare to other neurodata standards?"
+description: "How NWB 2.0 differs from NWB 1.0, NIX, and BIDS in approach and scope."
 weight: 1
 ---
 

diff --git a/content/faq/why_hdf5.md b/content/faq/why_hdf5.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: "Why use HDF5 as the primary backend for NWB?"
+description: "HDF5 organizes complex hierarchical data and metadata, is a mature standard supported in many programming languages, and allows random access to chunked and compressed datasets."
 weight: 2
 ---
 
@@ -45,4 +46,4 @@ Binary files do not allow for complex hierarchical data including Groups, Attrib
 
 The [HDMF specification language](https://hdmf-schema-language.readthedocs.io/en/latest/) is inherently hierarchical, not tabular, and we need a storage layer that can express the hierarchical nature of the data as well. There are some approaches for mapping between relational tables and hierarchical structures such as object relational mappers, but this is not as good of a solution as using a storage layer that is hierarchical by nature.
 
-While we think relational databases are not ideal as an NWB backend, we do recognize that they can be a powerful choice for storing scientific data because they enforce formal relationships between data and enable flexible, complex queries. If you are interested in using relational databases for neuroscience research, we would recommend exploring [DataJoint](https://www.datajoint.com/), an open-source framework for programming scientific databases with computational workflows with APIs in MATLAB and Python. [DataJoint Elements](https://datajoint.com/docs/elements/) is a collection of curated modules for assembling workflows for the major modalities of neurophysiology experiments. The NWB team is collaborating with DataJoint to build import/export functionality between DataJoint Elements and NWB files. For labs interested in leveraging the benefits of relational databases and NWB, using DataJoint internally and using NWB to archive and share data could provide the best of both worlds.
+While we think relational databases are not ideal as an NWB backend, we do recognize that they can be a powerful choice for storing scientific data because they enforce formal relationships between data and enable flexible, complex queries. If you are interested in using relational databases for neuroscience research, we would recommend exploring [DataJoint](https://www.datajoint.com/), an open-source framework for programming scientific databases with computational workflows with APIs in MATLAB and Python. [DataJoint Elements](https://docs.datajoint.com/elements/) is a collection of curated modules for assembling workflows for the major modalities of neurophysiology experiments. The NWB team is collaborating with DataJoint to build import/export functionality between DataJoint Elements and NWB files. For labs interested in leveraging the benefits of relational databases and NWB, using DataJoint internally and using NWB to archive and share data could provide the best of both worlds.
diff --git a/content/grants-and-projects/_index.md b/content/grants-and-projects/_index.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: Grants and Projects
+description: "Grants that fund NWB development and dissemination, and seed grants from The Kavli Foundation that helped labs standardize their data with NWB."
 sponsered_projects:
   enable: true
   boxes:
@@ -186,14 +187,14 @@ past_projects_section:
     - image: /images/project_components.png
       title: "NWB: A Data Standard and Software Ecosystem for Neurophysiology"
       content: The National Institutes of Health, through project <a
-        href='https://reporter.nih.gov/search/39Cu1-L5zUap7i3X41dBTA/project-details/9582696'>1R24MH116922</a>, funded <a href='https://crd.lbl.gov/divisions/scidata/mla/staff/oliver-ruebel/'>Oliver Rübel</a> (Lawrence
+        href='https://reporter.nih.gov/search/39Cu1-L5zUap7i3X41dBTA/project-details/9582696'>1R24MH116922</a>, funded <a href='https://github.com/oruebel'>Oliver Rübel</a> (Lawrence
         Berkeley National Laboratory) and <a href='https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/brain-science/about/team/staff-profiles/lydia-ng/'>Lydia Ng</a> (Allen
         Institute for Brain Science) to continue development of the NWB data
         format and software ecosystem to enable standardization, sharing, and
         reuse of neurophysiology data and analyses, enhancing discovery and
         reproducibility. This funding is part of the NIH’s BRAIN Initiative
         support to develop standards.(September 2018-May 2020). For updates on
-        this project see our <a href='http://www.nwb.org/progress-reports/'>Progress Reports page</a>.
+        this project see our <a href='https://web.archive.org/web/20250425022741/https://www.nwb.org/progress-reports/'>Progress Reports page</a>.
     - image: /images/enabling_sharing_nwb.png
       title: Enabling Shared Analysis and Processing of Large Neurophysiology Data
       content: The National Institutes of Health, through project <a href='https://reporter.nih.gov/search/MrtOAMt7skGS5bbZADQBMQ/project-details/9409114'>1R44MH115731</a>, funded

diff --git a/content/news/_index.md b/content/news/_index.md
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 ---
 title: "NWB News"
+description: "Release announcements, newsletters, and event news from the NWB project."
 ---
diff --git a/content/nwb-software/_index.md b/content/nwb-software/_index.md
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ community_tools:
       description: Tools for data acquisition, analysis, visualization, and exploration
       url: "/tools/community/"
 title: The NWB Software <br> Ecosystem
+description: "An overview of the NWB software ecosystem: the specification language, data APIs, data storage, and data standard schema, with the tools built on them."
 software_types:
   enable: true
   title: Areas of Concern and Types of Software in the NWB Ecosystem

diff --git a/content/online-resources/_index.md b/content/online-resources/_index.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: "Online Resources"
+description: "Links to NWB project websites, documentation for the core tools, training materials, and support channels such as the help desk, Slack, and the mailing list."
 weight: 4
 resources_section:
   enable: true
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ support_section:
     - title: "Slack"
       content: "Join the NWB community on Slack"
       image: "/images/slack.png"
-      url: "https://bit.ly/3jK6Gm1"
+      url: "https://nwb-users.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-9bsx3xdj-wtUILLNzM8a0mOV_RywS~Q#/shared-invite/email"
     - title: "Twitter"
       content: "Follow NWB on Twitter"
       image: "/images/twitter.png"

diff --git a/content/policies/_index.md b/content/policies/_index.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: Policies Overview
+description: "Policies that govern NWB, covering community-driven development, the Technical Advisory Board, the software and data standard, and the community."
 section:
   - title: Policies on Community-driven Development and Integration of New
       Neuroscience Technologies with NWB

diff --git a/content/publications/_index.md b/content/publications/_index.md
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 ---
 title: "Publications"
+description: "How to cite NWB, with lists of papers, project reports, and awards."
 ---
diff --git a/content/publications/awards.md b/content/publications/awards.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: "Awards"
+description: "Awards and endorsements received by NWB, including a 2019 R&D 100 award."
 weight: 4
 icon: "/images/awards.png"
 list:

diff --git a/content/publications/citing.md b/content/publications/citing.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: Citing NWB
+description: "The citation to use when you acknowledge NWB in your research."
 weight: 1
 icon: /images/citing.png
 content: "If you are using NWB in your research, please use the following

diff --git a/content/publications/papers.md b/content/publications/papers.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: "Papers"
+description: "Papers about the NWB data standard and its software ecosystem."
 weight: 3
 icon: "/images/paper.png"
 list:

diff --git a/content/publications/reports.md b/content/publications/reports.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: "Project Reports"
+description: "Technical reports from NWB hackathons, user days, and other project events."
 icon: "/images/report.png"
 list: 
     - content: "Benjamin Dichter, Oliver R ̈ubel, Ryan Ly, Satrajit Ghosh, Jerome Lecoq, Saskia de Vries, Carly Kiselycznyk, Kaitlyn Casimo, and Stephanie Albin, “Report: Neurodata Rehack: Generating new insights from existing neurophysiology data through secondary analysis: October 3-5, 2022” Online Technical Report, January 2023, <br><br> <a href=''>(PDF) (LaTeX)</a>"

diff --git a/content/supporting-nwb/_index.md b/content/supporting-nwb/_index.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: Supporting NWB
+description: "Ways to help sustain NWB: advocate for funding, spread the word, add a testimonial, and give credit when you use open data."
 hero_section:
   enable: true
   title: "Supporting NWB"

diff --git a/content/team/_index.md b/content/team/_index.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: "Team"
+description: "How NWB is governed, with the members of the Executive Board, the Technical Advisory Board, and the core development team."
 governance_section:
   enable: true
   title: Governance Structure

diff --git a/content/working-groups/_index.md b/content/working-groups/_index.md
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: Working Groups
+description: "NWB working groups curate the core standard, define ontologies, and integrate NWB with other community standards and tools."
 banner_section:
   enable: true
   content: NWB is involved in several working groups to curate the core NWB

diff --git a/hugo.yaml b/hugo.yaml
@@ -10,6 +10,13 @@ enableRobotsTXT: true
 pagination:
   pagerSize: 10
 
+# The site does not use taxonomies. Without this, Hugo builds unstyled
+# /tags/ and /categories/ pages that nothing links to and adds them to the
+# sitemap.
+disableKinds:
+  - taxonomy
+  - term
+
 # Markup
 markup:
   goldmark:

diff --git a/layouts/partials/essentials/head.html b/layouts/partials/essentials/head.html
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 <meta charset="UTF-8" />
 <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge" />
 <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
+{{ partial "essentials/metadata.html" . }}
 
 {{/*  Title  */}}
 <title>{{ if and .Title (not .IsHome) }}{{ .Title | plainify }} - {{ end }}{{ .Site.Title }}</title>
@@ -21,6 +22,12 @@
 {{/*  Favicon  */}}
 <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/images/favicon.png" type="image/x-icon">
 
+{{/*  Canonical URL. The pages of the paginated news list all share one
+      .Permalink, so that list is left without a canonical link.  */}}
+{{ if not (and .IsSection (eq .Section "news")) }}
+  <link rel="canonical" href="{{ .Permalink }}" />
+{{ end }}
+
 {{/*  Styles  */}}
 {{ $plugin := slice }}
 {{ $plugin := $plugin | append (resources.Get "scss/plugins.scss" | resources.ExecuteAsTemplate "plugins.scss" . | toCSS) }}

diff --git a/layouts/partials/essentials/metadata.html b/layouts/partials/essentials/metadata.html
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+{{/*
+  Description and link preview tags.
+
+  The description is the first of these that is set: `description`, `summary`
+  (events) or `subtitle` (news) in the front matter, the start of the page
+  body, then `description` in config/_default/params.yaml.
+
+  The preview image is the page's `image` when it is a PNG or JPEG no wider
+  than 3.3:1. Wider logo strips lose most of their width when a preview crops
+  them, so those pages, like pages with a GIF or with no image, use
+  `shareImage` from the same file.
+*/}}
+{{ $title := site.Title }}
+{{ if and .Title (not .IsHome) }}
+  {{ $title = .Title | plainify | htmlUnescape | replaceRE `\s+` " " }}
+{{ end }}
+
+{{ $description := .Params.description | default .Params.summary | default .Params.subtitle | default .Summary | default site.Params.description }}
+{{ $description = $description | plainify | htmlUnescape | replaceRE `\s+` " " | truncate 200 }}
+{{ $description = trim $description " " }}
+
+{{ $image := site.Params.shareImage | absURL }}
+{{ $largeImage := true }}
+{{ with .Params.image }}
+  {{ if hasPrefix . "http" }}
+    {{ $image = . }}
+  {{ else }}
+    {{ $path := index (split . "#") 0 }}
+    {{ $file := printf "static%s" $path }}
+    {{ if and (findRE `(?i)\.(png|jpe?g)$` $path) (fileExists $file) }}
+      {{ $config := imageConfig $file }}
+      {{ $ratio := div (float $config.Width) $config.Height }}
+      {{ if le $ratio 3.3 }}
+        {{ $image = $path | absURL }}
+        {{ $largeImage = and (ge $ratio 1.5) (ge $config.Width 600) }}
+      {{ end }}
+    {{ end }}
+  {{ end }}
+{{ end }}
+
+<meta name="description" content="{{ $description }}" />
+<meta property="og:site_name" content="{{ site.Title }}" />
+<meta property="og:title" content="{{ $title }}" />
+<meta property="og:description" content="{{ $description }}" />
+<meta property="og:url" content="{{ .Permalink }}" />
+<meta property="og:image" content="{{ $image }}" />
+{{ if and .IsPage (eq .Section "news") }}
+  <meta property="og:type" content="article" />
+  {{ with .Date }}<meta property="article:published_time" content="{{ .Format "2006-01-02T15:04:05Z07:00" }}" />{{ end }}
+{{ else }}
+  <meta property="og:type" content="website" />
+{{ end }}
+{{/*  X reads the Open Graph tags above for everything except the card type.  */}}
+<meta name="twitter:card" content="{{ if $largeImage }}summary_large_image{{ else }}summary{{ end }}" />
diff --git a/static/images/share-card.jpg b/static/images/share-card.jpg