Meta descriptions are an essential part of a website’s SEO because they are rich snippets of search engine results pages.
We will discuss some tips for writing a perfect meta description that will help increase your website’s traffic.
What Is a Meta Description?
A meta description appears underneath the page title in Google’s search results. It is a short description of a web page typically used by Google and other search engines to provide context for the searcher.
A well-written meta description can help entice users to click through to your site, which can ultimately lead to more traffic and conversions.
Including a meta description on your web page can be a great way to improve your CTR and help your site rank higher in the SERPs.
Why Is Meta Description Important?
A meta description is essential because it is one of the elements that Google can use to determine whether or not your website is relevant to a user’s web search.
Write meta descriptions that are relevant to the user’s search to help persuade the user to click through to your website.
However, if your meta description is irrelevant, it could result in the user clicking on a different website that is more relevant to their search.
While it’s up to Google to show a meta description in Google search results, including one can give your website a competitive edge because a well-written meta description can help persuade someone to click on your listing over another.
For businesses that want to establish a strong digital presence in their local market, a meta description can help drive local traffic to their website. By including locality-specific keywords and phrases, businesses can make their website appear more relevant to local search users. This results in improved visibility and higher click-through rates, enhancing local SEO performance.
Why Won’t Google Use My Meta Description?
Google’s algorithm rewrites 70% of all search results, which is not considered arbitrary. The algorithm considers the relationship between the search query and the web page content and other factors such as character length and the presence of long-tail keywords.
There are several reasons why Google might not use your provided meta description and rewrite it for better relevance or other purposes. Some possible reasons include:
- Irrelevance: The original description may not describe the page content, making it irrelevant to the user’s search intent.
- Presence across multiple pages: If the same description is present across multiple pages, it may not be considered unique or descriptive enough for each page.
- Search query mismatch: The original description may not match the user’s search intent, but other content on the page does.
- Character length: The existing meta description length may exceed the recommended character limit for a search engine snippet, around 155-160 characters.
- Long-tail keywords: Google may generate its snippet for long-tail keywords, as they are more common and require different descriptions.
Best Practices for Writing Meta Descriptions
It’s so important to write meta descriptions that are strong and compelling and accurately reflect what your website is all about.
Here are best practices to keep in mind:
1. Keep it under 160 characters
Google typically truncates meta descriptions that are longer than a 160-character count. Users will only see a meta description length of 160 characters, which could cut off your message or leave out important information.
Additionally, shorter meta descriptions are more accessible for users to read and digest. Users are likely to click on a result with short, concise meta descriptions that tell them what they can expect from the page.
Finally, shorter meta descriptions look better in the organic search results. With so many search results on the page, you want your result to stand out and look appealing to search engine users.
2. Ensure That It’s Relevant To The Page’s Content.
A meta description summarizes a webpage’s content. It should be relevant and accurate to the page’s topic to help users decide whether or not to click through to the site.
If the meta description is irrelevant to the webpage’s content, users may feel misled and be less likely to trust the site in the future.
3. Don’t Be Afraid To Be Emotional
Your meta description should reflect the tone of your website. If you’re selling a product or service, it’s essential to be sincere and convincing.
Their emotions often influence a user’s decision to click on a page. If they see a title or meta description that appeals to them emotionally, they are more likely to click on it.
Don’t be afraid to be creative and use emotion to appeal to users. After all, you want people to click through to your website or blog because they’re interested in what you have to say.
4. Include a Unique Selling Point
Meta descriptions give searchers a brief overview of what your page is about. As such, it’s crucial to include your unique selling point (USP) in your meta description.
Your unique selling point sets you apart from your competition and helps you stand out from the rest and attract potential customers.
It’s essential to include it in your meta description so that searchers know what they can expect from your page.
5. Make It Special And Unique
When writing a meta description, it’s important to make a different and unique description from pages on your website to stand out in the Google search results and attract more clicks.
It’s essential to make a special and unique meta description to reflect your webpage’s content accurately.
6. Communicate Urgency
When you’re writing a meta description, it’s essential to communicate a sense of urgency. You want people to click through your website immediately, so they can learn more about what you offer.
Communicating urgency in a meta description is essential because it can help persuade people to click on your result over other results. If you can convince people that your result is what they need and that they need it now, you’re more likely to get clicks.
Of course, you don’t want to go overboard with the urgency. If your search result isn’t relevant to the person’s search, they’re not going to click on it no matter how urgent you make it sound. And if you make it too urgent, people may think you’re trying to scam them. So find a balance and use urgency judiciously.
Use language that encourages people to take action, and make sure your message is clear and concise.
7. Include Your Keyword
One of the best practices for writing a meta description is to include a keyword. Doing so can help improve your click-through rate from the search engine results page.
When a user sees that your meta description includes a relevant keyword, they will be more likely to click on your result, knowing that it is likely to be relevant to their search queries.
In addition, including keyword research can also help to improve your SEO. It is because Google and search engines use keywords to help determine the relevancy of a website or page to a user’s search term.
Thus, by including a keyword in your meta description, you are helping to signal to Google and other search engines that your page is relevant to that particular keyword or search terms of the user’s query.
Ultimately, keyword research can help to improve your ranking for that keyword, which can drive more traffic to your website.
8. Include CTA
The call-to-action (CTA) is a critical element of a meta description. It is what encourages users to click through to your website.
A call-to-action can be anything from ” learn more” to ” buy now.” Whatever you choose, make sure it is relevant to the page users will be directed to.
9. Avoid duplicate meta descriptions
Duplicate meta descriptions are a pitfall to avoid in your SEO strategy. A unique meta description for each page is crucial for improving your website’s visibility and organic search ranking. Google algorithms reward distinctiveness and relevance, and duplicate meta-descriptions convey repetitiveness and lack of originality. It often translates this as a sign of poor quality content, potentially resulting in lower search rankings.
Moreover, duplicate meta descriptions can negatively impact user experience. If several pages on your website carry the same meta description, users may have trouble discerning the relevance of each page to their search query. It can decrease click-through rates, as searchers may overlook your content in favour of other sites that seem more pertinent to their needs.
Tips for Different Pages
When crafting the perfect meta description, it’s crucial to understand that different pages demand different strategies.
Homepage
Your homepage is often a potential customer’s first interaction with your brand online. Use this opportunity to convey what your business does and its unique selling points. Include keywords that represent your business and resonate with your target audience.
Make it unique, but ensure it matches the content of the page. Also, use an active voice and include a call to action.
Blog Post
For blog posts, briefly summarise the article’s content in the meta description and answer the question people are searching for. Let readers know what they’ll learn and why it’s relevant to them. Using a question in the meta description can pique curiosity and induce clicks.
Product Page
Product pages need meta descriptions highlighting the product’s main features and benefits. Make it easy for potential customers to understand why they need your product. Clear, persuasive language can help close the sale.
Category Page
Meta descriptions for category pages should provide an overview of what the category encompasses. If you sell multiple products under a category, highlight your range and variety. Include key descriptors that potential customers might search for.
How Does A Good Meta Description Look Like?
A good meta description is a short, concise summary of what a webpage is about. It should be accurate, reflect the page’s content, and entice users to click through to the site.
The image above provides an exemplary instance of a well-crafted meta description. This meta description accurately summarises the webpage’s content in an informative and enticing way for potential site visitors, with it using “you” to add a personal touch.
Meta Description Tools
Several SEO tools can be used to check and optimize meta descriptions to improve search engine visibility and click-through rates. Some of these tools include:
- Ahrefs’ Meta Description Generator: This tool allows website owners, digital marketers, and SEO professionals to input relevant keywords and briefly describe the webpage’s content. It then generates concise and compelling meta descriptions that accurately represent the page, helping to improve the website’s ranking and click-through rates on search engine results.
- ScreamingFrog’s Spider: This tool provides pixel count data on a page-by-page basis and can generate a full list of a site’s titles and meta descriptions.
- Copy.ai‘s Meta Description Generator: This tool helps craft compelling meta descriptions that improve a website’s search engine rankings and click-through rates. Users can effortlessly create high-performing meta descriptions by entering the URL or target keyword.
- Jasper’s Meta Description Generator: Powered by AI, Jasper helps writers and content marketers create compelling meta descriptions that can attract clicks and improve SEO. It requires users to enter information about the page content and the target keyword.
- Frase.io‘s Meta Description Generator: This tool uses AI to generate meta descriptions based on the title and target keyword provided. It can generate unlimited meta descriptions from the inputted title and keyword, helping to describe the web page content in a few words.
How to check a page meta description using Detailed SEO?
Many SEO extensions are available, but we recommend the Detailed SEO extension. It is a comprehensive extension that will help you improve your website’s ranking in Google and other search engines and track your progress over time.
To check a meta description using the Detailed SEO extension, you need to do the following:
- Go to the Google Chrome store and search for “Detailed SEO Extension.”
- Install the extension by clicking “Add to Chrome”.
- After it is installed, pin it on the toolbar for easy access.
- Open your website and click on the icon.
- The extension will analyse the current page’s meta description and provide you with a report.
Conclusion
Meta descriptions are just one part of on-page SEO, but they’re an important part nonetheless. They are essential for improving a website’s search engine ranking and increasing click-through rates. Whether for a blog post, product page, or category page, a well-crafted meta description can accurately summarise the content and entice users to click through to the site.
With the help of tools such as Ahrefs’ Meta Description Generator, ScreamingFrog’s Spider, and Copy.ai’s Meta Description Generator, website owners and digital marketers can easily create compelling meta descriptions that improve their site’s visibility on search engine results.
Additionally, using SEO extensions like Detailed SEO can make it easier to audit multiple pages’ meta descriptions on a website. With these tips and tools, you can ensure that your website has attention-grabbing and accurate meta descriptions that can help attract more organic traffic.
