What are Meta Descriptions?
Meta descriptions are small summaries of your website page’s content that shows up below the page title and URL in search engines such as Google. They give people a quick idea of what the page is all about.
Meta descriptions don’t directly affect search rankings. Now you may be wondering what the point is in adding them to your website in the first place, then? Let’s look at why they are still important and best practices for writing great descriptions.
Why Are Meta Descriptions Important?
Boost Click-Through Rates
A meta description can be the decider between a user clicking your link or your competitors. The aim is to write a well-written description that provides enough information in an engaging way but doesn’t give too much away to appeal to the curiosity of search users.
When users keep clicking on your page in search results, it tells search engines that your page is relevant to what they’re looking for. If you have a higher click-through rate than your competitors, it might even help you get better rankings over time.
Improve User Experience
By providing an accurate summary of your page, users can use the meta description to determine the relevance of your page compared to what they searched for. This can then reduce the bounce rate (the rate at which users click away from your site) as they will have found the information they were originally looking for.
Improve Social Sharing
As a bonus, when a page is shared on social media the meta description is often shown as the preview text. Just like with search results, a great description can encourage more engagement and clicks.
Best Practices for Writing Meta Descriptions
- Keep It Short and Sweet: Google usually shows around 155-160 characters, so make sure your message fits within this limit.
- Use Keywords Wisely: Use relevant keywords naturally to match what users are looking for and make your page more visible.
- Write a Compelling Message: Use action-oriented language to encourage users to take the next step.
- Match the Page Content: Make sure your meta description accurately reflects what’s on the page to keep users trusting and believing in you.
- Avoid Duplicate Descriptions: Each page should have a unique meta description to avoid confusion and make sure your page is relevant to the search.
Example of an Effective Meta Description
Poor Example: “We sell shoes. Check out our website for more.”
Good Example: “Find the perfect pair of stylish and comfortable shoes at unbeatable prices. Shop now for exclusive discounts!”
Overall, you don’t want to overlook this small but powerful SEO trick as it can make a big difference in attracting new visitors to your site and can be the difference between you and your competition. You will find my SEO Boost package where I can check and update your descriptions for many pages on your site. Get in touch today to find out how this package can help your SEO efforts today. You can find more useful tips over on my YouTube Channel.
