When creating web pages, you may feel compelled to skip over the meta description. Why should you waste your time on such a tiny detail when there are so many other things to fine-tune? While it’s true that meta descriptions are small in the grand scheme of page creation, they play a big part in improving your website’s SEO.
Meta descriptions allow users to quickly understand what to expect from the contents of your web page. This ease of browsing can lead to an improved click-through rate (CTR), build positive brand awareness, and even help Google more accurately index your pages. All good things, right? So, let’s dive into what exactly meta descriptions are, why they’re important, and how you should write them to ensure your website’s success.
What are Meta Descriptions?
Meta descriptions (also known as snippets) are pieces of code that describe a webpage’s content. They live within the HTML (It’s okay to shudder, but we promise it’s not that confusing!) and come after the title tag. The code will likely look something like this:
/><meta name=”description” content=” Award-winning digital marketing agency based in Milwaukee. Best-in-class SEO, PPC, social media, and website design services.” />
But it will appear on the search engine results page like this:
(If you want to add a meta description without trying to navigate the complicated ins and outs of HTML, you can use SEO plugins like Yoast SEO, Rank Math, or even AI platforms. These provide a meta box for each post or page you create, and you can enter a custom meta description there.)
Google can—and often will, around 70% of the time—rewrite meta descriptions as they see fit. They do this by scanning content to determine what they think is the most relevant snippet to be used on SERP. It helps to think of a meta description as a suggestion for Google, or as a backup if Google doesn’t write one itself.
It’s essential to note that Google does not use the information provided by meta descriptions as a ranking factor for web pages. Surprising, right? However, just because they’re not used for ranking doesn’t mean they’re not important for the overall SEO of your website.
Why Are Meta Descriptions Important?
Meta descriptions may not be used for ranking, but they still manage to help your SEO efforts in several ways. One of the primary goals of SEO is to get people to find your website, engage with its content, and leave with a positive brand awareness. Meta descriptions achieve this because they:
Inform Users
Meta descriptions allow users to quickly learn what a web page is about before they even click the link. They’re meant to grab users’ attention and let them know that if they’re searching for specific information or services, they’re in the right place.
In many ways, it’s like a first impression—and you want it to be a good one. If you have a nonsensical meta description that’s riddled with typos, people will not think highly of your brand from the get-go.
Increase Clicks & Traffic
An accurate and informative meta description can increase the CTR and traffic to your website. In fact, according to a study conducted by Backlinko, pages with meta descriptions receive about 6% more clicks than those without, and using a question in the title tag increased clicks by 14%. If these percentages seem small, consider that 3% is a good CTR benchmark for SEO.
It means that out of 100 users, 3 clicked on your website. When you consider how many people are online every day, these are encouraging numbers!
Avoid Issues With Duplicate Content
Having unique and customized meta descriptions can help Google distinguish between pages with similar URLs or title tags. For example, if you have an e-commerce website and all your product pages are labeled as “products,” it will help to have different meta descriptions that more accurately describe exactly what each product is.
Otherwise, you run the risk of Google showing the wrong page on SERP if it can’t differentiate between them. Meta descriptions allow Google to index your pages accurately and then match them to appropriate search queries.
Create Opportunities to Display Keywords
As we mentioned, Google won’t factor in a keyword-rich meta description when ranking your webpage. However, it will often highlight keywords that a user searches for, allowing you to easily broadcast keywords that you want to rank for.
Check out our example below: if someone were to search for “seo services near me”, “SEO services” gets highlighted in the meta description of our SocialSurge services page. The bolded keywords capture users’ attention, allowing them to find what they’re looking for more quickly.
How to Write Impactful Meta Descriptions
Writing a good meta description should be approached a lot like writing ad copy. You want to always remember to:
- Be concise: Although you can make your meta description as long as you want, Google will only show up to 150 to 160 characters in the meta description. Anything over this will get cut off (as shown in the example below), so use this space accordingly, but don’t ramble if it’s not necessary.
- Make it engaging: You want your meta description to pop off the page! Lifeless, impersonal meta descriptions are more likely to be glazed over, while an active voice will draw people in.
- Include keywords: While you should avoid keyword stuffing, try to naturally include keywords that are relevant to what people will be searching for. As we already said, Google will highlight the keywords, and sometimes even highlight synonyms.
- Make it unique: As mentioned, duplicate meta descriptions should be avoided at all costs! Tailor each meta description to each page. Don’t try to pull any tricks, though. Google will find out if you’re being misleading or dishonest about the page content and penalize you for it.
- Include a call to action: If possible, you want to encourage users to take some sort of action, such as “learn more”, “get started”, or “shop now”. It creates a sense of urgency that can subtly push them in the right direction.
It’s Time to Optimize Your Meta Descriptions
Making sure your meta descriptions are concise, descriptive, and informational is an important part of growing your website’s SEO.
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