The meta description of an HTML page is a short piece of text with a maximum of 160 characters that summarizes the contents of the website. Search applications can utilize snippets in search results sometimes to inform individuals about the content of a webpage prior to them picking it. In this article, we will explore the way search engines handle meta descriptions, opinions from leading SEO experts about meta descriptions and why they should still be utilized, and reasons why meta descriptions should be used.
What is a Meta Description?
The description found below the heading beneath the link is referred to as the meta description.
In other words, meta descriptions don’t just provide an overview of the page’s content. Meta descriptions should let users know that the web page they are clicking on will provide a solution to their issue. When considering SEO administration, meta descriptions can be extremely helpful since viewers will go over the meta description to decide if the page is worth exploring.
It is hugely significant to craft a meta description that is of high quality and consists of pertinent and persuasive info, contained within around 100 to 120 characters.
Why Optimize Meta Titles and Descriptions?
In search engine result pages (SERPs), competition is tough. If your website fails to make it into the top three positions on a search engine (these are the most visited locations and result in the most traffic to a website), you’ll need to find other methods to acquire visitors. The meta titles and meta descriptions of your website can have an influence on the outcome.
There are two main reasons for this:
- Your website’s meta title and description will usually be the first thing your website visitors see. And, thankfully, optimizing these does not take much effort (compared to other SEO activities).
- People on the search results page read the meta titles and meta descriptions of websites to decide which link to click. By writing an engaging, accurate, and relevant meta title/description, you can convince more people to click on the link to your website when it appears in their search results.
In conclusion, if you are able to craft better meta titles and meta descriptions, it is likely that your website’s visitors will increase. It should be observed that meta titles will not have much of a result on the way your website is perceived by search engines. Keywords, backlinks and quality traffic are responsible for that.
Meta titles and descriptions are critical for both SEO purposes and promotional activities. The meta title and description on your website will appear on that page, along with ten other excellent links. Remember that there are many other websites that you are up against.
In the upcoming parts of this guide, you will get to know some useful strategies on improving your meta titles and meta descriptions so that they can earn more clicks and achieve a better SEO score.
What the Top SEO Blogs Say About Meta Descriptions
Regardless of their importance for rankings, the leading SEO blogs advocate for the use of meta descriptions. In the Learn SEO series, SEOmoz says…
The meta description tags are not a factor in search engine rankings, yet they are very vital for getting users to click on the link from the search engine result pages. Webmasters have the chance to promote their content to those looking for it, providing them with information on what precisely the page offers.
According to Search Engine Land’s 21 Essential SEO Tips & Techniques…
The meta description tag won’t have an influence on your ranking, however it usually appears as the text snippet under your listing and should thus include appropriate keywords as well as be composed to motivate users to select your listing.
Can you tell if the top SEO blogs employ meta descriptions? The answer is yes and no.
- SEOmoz uses meta descriptions on their homepage and product pages, but not their blog posts.
- Search Engine Land uses a lengthy meta description on their homepage and sometimes uses them on their posts.
- Search Engine Watch uses a lengthy meta description on their homepage, but not on their posts.
- SEOBook doesn’t use a meta description on their homepage or blog posts, but does use it on the occasional internal page.
- Search Engine Journal uses a brief meta description on its homepage but not on its posts.
How to Write a Meta Description
It is clear why meta titles are essential, however do not overlook your meta descriptions. If your headline grabs the attention of your readers, you will have to persuade them that your website is worth exploring. The meta description is the hook to do that.
Google possesses an upper character limit for the meta description, which causes it to be truncated if exceeded. For meta descriptions, the word limit is 150-165 characters.
Taking this into consideration, here are some methods you can use to improve your meta descriptions.
- Add Primary and Secondary Keywords
In your meta description, make sure to include both main and secondary keywords, similar to what you would do for meta titles. This will improve your SEO scores and make them more pertinent.
In addition to the main and secondary keywords, you can also add LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) terms to your explanations.
LSI keywords are terms and expressions that have a strong connection to the subject being discussed, similar to synonymous words based on the content of the discussion. To find keyword ideas related to your main keyword, take a look at LSIGraph.
- Add Engaging Copy
Your meta descriptions must have captivating text similar to the titles. Meta descriptions provide the opportunity for additional words to be included, resulting in more details being supplied.
Here’s what you can do to make your meta descriptions more engaging:
- Insert your USP (Unique Selling Point): Every page on your website will have unique information, products, and services. Make sure you always include your USP in your meta descriptions.
- Add a CTA (Call to Action): What do you want your visitor to do on your website? Buy a product/service? Subscribe to a newsletter? Book a demo? Add it to your meta description.
- Keep Search Intent In Mind
In your meta description, indicate the exact type of content that the webpage will contain. For example, if the subject of discussion is automobiles, are you referring to the Pixar movie “Cars”? Are you selling used cars?
Do you write buying guides about cars? Make sure that the purpose of your website is evident in the meta description. This will boost your link’s clarity to your viewers, furthermore the guests that decide to tap on your connection will be more engaged in your items/administrations.
How to Optimize Your Meta Titles and Descriptions
Up to this point in the article, we have outlined the basics of meta titles and descriptions, as well as how to craft them. However, that’s not enough. Meta titles and descriptions also need to be optimized.
Here are some extra steps you can take to make sure your titles and descriptions are better than your competitors’.
Optimize for the SERPs’ Appearance
When you enter a search term into Google, the search engine displays a page of results. These pages contain more than just links that are blue in color (organic search results). There are certain ads that have been created to be especially effective for pay-per-click.
That is what we call SERP optimization.
Google is constantly striving to create the optimal SERP (Search Engine Result Page) for each search query entered in the search bar. Consequently, if your meta title and description don’t agree with how Google wants to show the listings, your rivals will have the chance to draw a high number of clicks and thrive.
Hence, it is crucial to see how Google arranges the search results before creating your meta title and description.
Optimize for Search Intent
What a person hopes to achieve by entering a query into the search bar is referred to as “search intent”. It’s your responsibility as a website owner to make sure the goals of your users are achieved.
Search intent can be categorized into four different types:
1. Informational
Specifically looking for facts, an informational search is when an individual wants to get details about a good or service – in this instance, a mobile phone. This kind of inquiry might appear like this: “iPhone 13pro properties.”
2. Transactional
A transactional search is when the user seeks to buy something directly, such as ordering a birthday cake from a bakery.
This search could look like: “buy birthday cake.”
3. Commercial
When looking for the lowest price on anything necessary for a special event, such as securing a wedding coordinator, a commercial search is the way to go.
This could be searched as: “inexpensive wedding coordinators in January.”
4. Navigational
Finally, when you are looking for a specific app, like Google Docs or Whatsapp Web, you do a navigational search.
To find the application you need, simply enter its name into the search bar and select the first result.
3 Reasons Why You Should Still Use Meta Descriptions
Many SEO experts may wonder why they should use meta descriptions if they don’t play a role in the ranking algorithm. The response to this is straightforward. Cease viewing them as something that will influence your positioning in a results list and begin considering them as something that will improve the process of making a conversion. It is important to consider your meta description when creating content for your website, including homepage, internal pages, blog posts and more. Here are some benefits to doing so.
Reason 1: Bolded Keywords in Search Results
Even if inserting the keyword you are targeting into the meta description does not boost your ranking in search results, it could still assist in catching a user’s eye. A query with a specific word or phrase will be highlighted in any locations it shows up in search outcomes. If you are aiming for that keyword, it should be emphasized. Which search engine results stand out to you?
This serves as a reminder as to why your primary keyword phrase should be included in your SEO title tag and meta description. You wouldn’t want to be the one in this group with no highlighted terms for that query. Make sure to include the targeted keywords in your meta description and phrase it in such a way that draws people to click on that result.
Reason 2: Top Social Networks Use It
Whenever you post a link to a page on social media websites like Facebook, Google+, or LinkedIn, the platform will generate a description based on the meta description or the initial sentences of the post. The entirety of the meta description will likely be visible, while the initial one or two sentences of your post will be truncated with an ellipsis. You may have the ability to modify the explanation of your page on Facebook and LinkedIn, but not all people who are disseminating it will take this approach.
Reason 3: Social Bookmarking Networks Use It
A lot of social media networks also employ the meta description as the outline of a page on their platform.
A few illustrations of networking sites that have meta descriptions are: Digg, BizSugar, and My SEO Community. Any social networking website created with the Pligg Content Management System also normally prioritizes the meta description first. You have the ability to make changes to the content posted on these sites, but it is not certain if others will follow suit. Additionally, if you don’t have to make modifications to the write-ups, it means you don’t have to do as much work yourself when you submit your webpages.
How to Include Meta Descriptions on Your Pages
You are fortunate if you are running WordPress on a website that you own. It is not difficult to incorporate meta descriptions into your webpages with the help of plugins like All in One SEO Pack, and they do not carry any cost. Simply put the program in and for each page/post, you’ll find a search engine optimization details part that will demand a customized SEO label, meta descriptions, and other relevant details. You can add the SEO information for your homepage in the main configuration part of the plugin. See if your website’s platform has SEO options already available; if not, look for an SEO plugin, add-on, or extension for it by doing a search.
Tips for Improving Search Engine Result Click-Throughs
The importance of meta descriptions is sometimes overlooked, but they can be used to create a compelling invitation to take action. Here are some tips you can employ when writing your meta descriptions:
- The power is in the language. How you phrase your descriptions can make or break your search engine result. Add words that describe value in your description. Give searchers a good reason to click on your result.
- Write calls to action! Try adding language like “click here”, “learn more by clicking here” and “click on this result”. Obviously the context of the webpage will determine what wording you choose like: “download here”, “view video” etc.
- Test them! – If you have certain landing pages that receive a decent amount of organic traffic, consider testing different variations of meta descriptions to see if you can get a lift in click-throughs. Try different description lengths, phrasing and positioning of your keywords.
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