A meta description is the snippet of text that shows up below the page title on a search engine results page. The meta description is good for two things: summarizing what that particular page is about, and “luring” or drawing in users to that page from a SERP. While search engines don’t necessarily rank you directly for your meta descriptions, their algorithms take click-through-rate into consideration. Therefore, if you have optimized meta descriptions in a way that makes people click on your site, you will end up helping the ranking of that particular page. Your webpage is also more likely to appear for search queries that contain similar words to your page title or meta description, meaning you should put some thought into what people might be searching that would lead them to that page. Below are some tips on what you should do to optimize each of your website page’s meta descriptions!
Meta Description Length
Meta descriptions can be up to 160 characters in length, which makes room for about a sentence or two. There’s no definitive character length you should always aim for, but you should be sure to put a concise description of the page in each meta description. You should also remember that meta descriptions are a good tool for drawing users to your site, so it’s not a bad idea to include a phrase like “learn more” or something similar in the description. As a general rule of thumb, you should attempt to have all of your website’s meta descriptions in the 150 – 160 character range.
Meta Description Content
Think of a meta description as an advertisement for that page on the SERP. Your meta description should always be descriptive and readable: don’t try to just jam as many keywords as possible in your meta description in the hopes of a better ranking. If you do this, your page will appear spammy to real users, and you run the risk of being penalized for keyword stuffing by Google. You should, however, notice that Google highlights keywords in meta descriptions that match search queries. Because of this, try to include keywords and phrases you’d like to rank for, but in a natural, human-like way. You should also be sure that each of your webpage’s meta descriptions are different, or you’ll once again run the risk of being penalized by Google for duplicate content.
Keywords In Your Meta Descriptions
As mentioned above, keywords in your meta descriptions are essential for both rankings and click-through-rate. Keywords (and phrases) are essentially your services and the words you’d like your website to be found for. For example, if your business is a pizza parlor, you should include keywords like “pizza”, “delivery”, “take-out”, and your city or town in your meta descriptions. This will attract people who are looking for these products or services. Be strategic and do keyword research using Google Search Console!
Call-To-Action
Including a call-to-action in your meta description may increase clicks on that page and conversions for your business. Some typical call-to-actions that we like to use include “call now”, “contact us”, “request a quote”, and “learn more”. Call-to-actions have been proven to be effective in leading to increased web traffic and conversions!
Contact Boston Web Marketing!
If you have any questions about meta descriptions or any other SEO tactics, don’t hesitate to contact Boston Web Marketing! Our SEO specialists help businesses in almost all industries achieve higher search results rankings! Call us today at (857) 526-0096 or fill out the contact form on our website, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!