What's a Meta Description and Why Does Your Site Need It?
A meta description is an element in HTML, a tag that offers website users a summary of what any online page is about, a short bit of text that describes your site’s content. It is displayed as part of the snippet that appears in search engine results. What is the page’s content? What can a user expect to find? A meta description plays an important role in search engine optimization (SEO), or how and why a search engine directs users to your web page. Search engines will display your webpage in search results when one of the keywords in your meta description is relevant to a user’s search query. A good description offers a clear overview as well as a good reason for users to click through.
Meta descriptions are also known as search descriptions. They include the SEO site description, which defines your homepage, as well as the SEO description/meta description which defines individual pages on your website.
If you don’t add meta descriptions to your web pages yourself, Google will generate them for you. This, however, loses you the opportunity to generate more traffic to your website by writing specific, compelling, and relevant information for your audience.
You will always understand your audience better than Google.
That’s the basic definition, but details matter in the process of putting together the right meta descriptions for your site. Ready to get started? Below are several meta description tips and guidelines to help get more attention from search engines and more visitors to your site.
Why Should I Bother Writing Meta Descriptions?
Here are a few of the many benefits of implementing meta descriptions in your regular website content and design.
Users will better be able to find your content when needed as meta descriptions will increase your visibility to search engines.
You will better understand the content you are providing when you must parse it down into short straightforward descriptions.
You gain extra control over how your website and content are presented to users searching for your expertise and information.
The chances of your site making an appearance in search will increase.
More search appearances means more traffic.
How Do I Create a Meta Description?
Pitch your content – What is your page about really? Meta descriptions are like your movie trailer— it’s important to be both clear and compelling.
Keep it short – While, technically, a meta description can be any length, 50 to 160 characters is the recommended length. You want to be descriptive, but you also want it to be visible in its entirety in a Google search.
Be coherent – A list of keywords is not your best bet. You want to write full sentences that tell your story in a concise and meaningful way.
Be attention-grabbing – It’s important to be clear about what your webpage offers, but it’s also important to be interesting. What does your brand feel like as well as sell?
Use targeted keywords – What word or words describes your content best? What words are users most likely to be searching to find you? Make sure you include them in your meta description.
Meta descriptions are key for all parts of your website. Every page should have its own unique meta description. You don’t want the descriptions for your pages to be too similar or they will not be helpful when they appear in search results. Let users know exactly where they are going to find the content they need. If you don’t feel like you have time to write descriptions for every single one of your web pages make sure you prioritize your most important content. Make sure there are unique descriptions for your home page, major content pages, and any information or posts that have been particularly popular.
Not all pages need the same style of meta description. If you host a blog full descriptive sentences may be less important than focusing on who the author is and when the post went live. This information may be key in enticing users to click through to your site.
Do You Already Use Meta Descriptions?
Are you looking to improve your meta descriptions? Here are just a few ideas to enhance the work you are already doing:
Quality over quantity. Make sure your description is descriptive rather than just lists.
Adjusts your keywords. Target the most important information for your consumers like hours of operation and your company focus.
Bring your data together. Where information like prices, hours, or names can be scattered across a webpage a meta description can bring it all together in a concise way.
Try using an active voice to motivate a user.
Make sure the description matches your content. Creativity is helpful, but users and search engines will know if you're using clickbait to try and trick visitors.
Do You Have to Put in the Time to Make Meta Descriptions a Part of Your Website?
When it comes to SEO the answer is, yes. Why is it important to work with professionals to enhance your SEO and ensure you are incorporating the necessary details into your content? There are many reasons.
It saves you time. SEO and meta descriptions are always evolving. Managing the research and upkeep with professionals allows business people time to focus on larger tasks.
It can save you money. SEO is an investment. Agencies already have the staff, experience, and software in place to keep your site functioning at its best.
It improves your efficiency. With a talented team behind you, the constant updates needed on every website can be made in a much faster and more precise manner.
Need help with your SEO and meta descriptions?
We can help with everything! Reach out to our experts here. We’d love to talk to you and figure out whether we’re a good fit for your brand and your needs.
