What is the purpose of including meta tags in the head section of an HTML document?

Including meta tags in the head section of an HTML document serves the critical function of providing metadata about the document. Metadata encompasses various types of information that might include character set specifications, author details, viewport settings for responsive design, and keywords or descriptions relevant to SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

This metadata becomes especially important for search engines and browsers, as it helps them understand how to properly display the content, index it for search results, and manage how the webpage appears on different devices. For instance, a meta description can influence how a webpage's snippet appears in search engine results, thereby affecting click-through rates. Ultimately, this makes the inclusion of meta tags essential for both the functionality of web pages and their discoverability on the internet.

While providing links to stylesheets and scripts is an important aspect of the head section, it does not fall under the definition of metadata. Including comments is a practice aimed at helping developers but does not relate to metadata in any way. Styling the web page is mainly achieved through CSS, which is linked or included separately from the metadata functions. Therefore, the purpose of meta tags is specifically oriented toward conveying information about the document itself.