Why is it important for meta elements to be processed early in a document?

Placing meta elements within the first 1024 bytes ensures they are processed early by the browser.

This placement is crucial for meta elements that declare character encoding, as it allows the browser to correctly interpret the document's content from the start. If placed too late, the browser might misinterpret the text, leading to display issues.

<meta charset="utf-8">
<!-- Other meta elements should also be placed early in the document -->