Meta descriptions are vital for search optimization. If accomplished accurately, they’re going to encourage customers to click on by way of from search outcomes pages.
The purpose is to offer a abstract of the webpage.
Google’s guideline states,
“A page’s meta description tag gives Google and other search engines a summary of what the page is about.”
Meta descriptions don’t immediately affect search rankings.
But they play a job in serving to potential web site guests perceive what a web page is about, which may present a optimistic influence on search referrals.
Here, you will learn to create superior meta descriptions that assist search engines like google perceive your web page’s content material and encourage searchers to click on by way of and go to your web site.
Table of Contents
What Is A Meta Description?
The meta description is an HTML tag (technically, it is referred to as an HTML aspect) that gives search engines like google and searchers a abstract of what a webpage is about.
It is displayed on search engine outcomes pages (SERPs) beneath the title of the web page. The URL, title, and meta description collectively kind what is known as a search snippet.
Meta Description Example
According to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the worldwide group accountable for defining HTML requirements, the meta description has three qualities.
The three qualities of a sound meta description are:
- Users can kind no matter textual content they need, with none restriction, so long as it describes what the webpage is about.
- The abstract have to be applicable to be used by a search engine.
- There can solely be one meta description per webpage.
Google Rewrites Meta Descriptions
The search snippet can comprise both the meta description from a webpage or it could possibly be textual content that Google selects from the seen a part of the webpage itself.
Google’s guidelines state that they are going to solely use the meta description whether it is correct.
“Google will sometimes use the tag from a page to generate a snippet in search results, if we think it gives users a more accurate description than would be possible purely from the on-page content.”
Depending on the accuracy of the meta description, Google might rewrite a meta description in your webpage that’s completely totally different from the meta description on the webpage.
This is nothing new. Google automated this course of a few years in the past.
A examine from 2020 discovered that Google rewrites meta descriptions 70% of the time.
If that is true, may it’s that publishers aren’t creating correct meta descriptions?
One factor that’s past dispute is that you will need to perceive the proper approach to write a meta description.
Meta Descriptions vs. SERP Snippets
Some folks mistakenly use the phrases “meta description” and “search snippet” interchangeably.
But meta descriptions and search snippets are two various things.
The meta description is an HTML tag that you just management. You can create and optimize your personal meta descriptions.
Search snippets are the descriptions Google reveals in your webpages.
Why Are Meta Descriptions Important For website positioning?
Meta descriptions should not used as rating components.
So, how ought to they be used in the present day, why are they vital?
Meta descriptions may also help drive clicks, site visitors, potential conversions, and income by convincing customers that the webpage comprises the knowledge they’re on the lookout for.
Google’s guidance for meta descriptions best practices advises utilizing the meta description tag to summarize the webpage content material.
But it additionally suggests utilizing it to influence customers that the content material is what they’re on the lookout for.
“They are like a pitch that convince the user that the page is exactly what they’re looking for.”
The purpose of website positioning is to rank the positioning on the high of the search outcomes.
What makes the meta description vital to website positioning is that it turns that high rating right into a win by persuading the consumer to click on to the webpage.
What Is The Recommended Or Ideal Meta Description Length?
It has been thought of a regular website positioning greatest apply for years to maintain meta descriptions at round 160-165 characters most (or 156-160 characters, relying on who you discuss to).
The reasoning behind that is that this optimization helps to keep away from the truncation of the meta description within the search outcomes.
But Google makes use of the meta description to raised perceive the webpage, and there’s no restrict to how lengthy the meta description will be, though Google suggests now not than a brief paragraph.
This is what Google recommends,
“A page’s meta description tag gives Google and other search engines a summary of what the page is about. …a page’s meta description tag might be a sentence or two or even a short paragraph.”
SEOs advocate protecting the meta description inside a set restrict based mostly on how a lot of the meta description Google can present on a search outcomes web page.
Google says to be concise and write as a lot as a paragraph.
The W3C HTML standards state that there is no such thing as a restrict aside from it’s a “free-form string,” which suggests no guidelines on how a lot textual content is used.
If one is to adapt to what Google recommends, then the perfect size of a meta description could possibly be mentioned to be so long as that you must summarize the webpage precisely however now not than a brief paragraph.
Ultimately, use your personal judgment.
7 Writing Tips And Best Practices For Meta Descriptions
1. Research Your Competitors
Regardless of your trade, SERP analysis will allow you to see what works in your opponents with out getting them rewritten – which can encourage you to write down higher meta descriptions.
Researching which meta descriptions are efficiently proven within the search outcomes and which of them are rewritten by Google might allow you to higher perceive the precise approach to do it.
To do SERP analysis successfully:
Step 1: Research The SERPs For Your Targeted Keyword
It’s simpler mentioned than accomplished, I do know. It will be time-consuming to manually undergo each search consequence and determine what, precisely, is your competitors’s kryptonite.
The cause why we have been wanting on the competitors is that often, the competitors implements strategies which might be at present working.
Step 2: Research The SERPs For Your Competition And What They’re Doing
Here, you check out your competitors and work out precisely what they’re doing for his or her manufacturers.
Step 3: Put Them Together In A Spreadsheet, And Track Them
Using the SEO Quake Google Chrome extensionyou possibly can export Google SERPs to an Excel Spreadsheet fairly shortly and effectively.
This will allow you to hold a working tally of your competitors and observe them simply and effectively each month with out huge month-to-month prices.
2. Map Your Customer’s Journey
Identify your target market’s optimum shopping for journey and what occurs at every stage of the advertising funnel.
The advertising funnel can differ extensively relying in your goal market, so sharing a precise funnel to observe right here can be fruitless.
Target and tailor your meta descriptions in accordance with your findings however at all times make precisely summarizing the subject of the webpage the ultimate purpose.
3. Use Your Brand’s Unique Tone And Style
Every model ought to have a novel tone of voice that is in step with its model identification; that is how the model seems on-line to customers.
Each meta description needs to be uniquely crafted and tailor-made to how that tone of voice amplifies itself throughout the model’s ecosystem.
You would not use the identical tone of voice for a company legislation web site as you’ll for a daycare web site, would you?
So, why would you employ a tone of voice that is precisely the identical from web page to web page?
The important good thing about tone of voice is that it reaches totally different individuals concentrating on sure key phrases.
By concentrating on people with consumer intent and mixing key phrases with this analysis, it’s doable to succeed in your target market with a degree of sophistication and optimization that actually resonates.
4. Include Keywords Your Audience Actually Searches For
Google maintains that they do not use key phrases within the meta description for rating functions. But if you carry out SERP analysis, what’s it that you just see? Highlighted key phrases within the meta description.
This is one thing that may draw your reader to essentially the most related consequence that may fulfill their question.
If your meta description satisfies their intent higher than some other consequence that seems, you will win the clicking.
5. Take Advantage Of Trending Social Headlines
As a social media connoisseur, you are probably on the up and up in your trade relating to figuring out precisely what’s trending and what is not a passing muster in your viewers.
Following influencer accounts and trade companies ought to already be part of your technique.
Taking it a step additional, assess which subjects are at present trending in your house and see what meta descriptions seem for the highest-ranking outcomes.
Google Trends, BuzzSumo, and Trending Topics on Twitter are all good locations to verify and see what is perhaps trending that is related to your trade.
6. Target A Specific Search Intent
Generalized meta descriptions and hole phrases equivalent to “best widgets” and different sales-speak can flip off potential clients.
It is vital to encourage confidence that your result’s one thing that may fulfill their consumer intent for the question.
You need to discuss what your readers are actually after, not making an attempt to influence them into your personal gross sales funnel.
7. Refresh Your Meta Descriptions For Older Content
Refreshing stale content material on a web site is usually a boon for the positioning and is a good way to get new traction for older pages.
Also, by refreshing your meta descriptions, it’s doable to get extra traction from social media consequently.
You can re-share and seize extra visibility from older posts in case you carry out a scientific refresh of all your meta descriptions.
Examples Of Great Meta Descriptions
So, what does an excellent meta description seem like?
Here are a couple of examples:
“Pain and suffering are very real to the victim in a personal injury case. Learn more about how to reduce discomfort from our personal injury attorneys in this latest blog post.”
“By considering clearly about your wants, it’s doable to search out a pc that may allow you to do all of the belongings you at present love, and extra. Our technicians clarify.”
“What are you looking for in a widget? Our widget technicians can help you find the best one for your needs. These are the things you should look out for in widgets.”

Not each meta description kind will work nicely for every trade. This is the place testing, assessing your outcomes, and making modifications based mostly on these outcomes are available.
Tailor your meta description to the web site and right down to the web page that’s designed in your customers.
Optimizing Meta Descriptions
The fundamentals of a meta description that Google recommends are to summarize what the content material is about, be concise however use as a lot textual content as is suitable, and do not use it only for key phrases (key phrase stuffing).
It’s additionally really helpful that the meta description is engaging to a possible web site customer.
While the normal website positioning apply makes use of the meta description for key phrases and a name to motion, that is not the very best apply in accordance with Google and the W3C.
The greatest apply for meta descriptions is to summarize the subject of the webpage in a means that potential web site guests are assured that their solutions are only one click on away.
Featured Image: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal
window.addEventListener( 'load', function() { setTimeout(function(){ striggerEvent( 'load2' ); }, 2000); });
window.addEventListener( 'load2', function() {
if( sopp != 'yes' && addtl_consent != '1~' && !ss_u ){
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');
if( typeof sopp !== "undefined" && sopp === 'yes' ){ fbq('dataProcessingOptions', ['LDU'], 1, 1000); }else{ fbq('dataProcessingOptions', []); }
fbq('init', '1321385257908563');
fbq('track', 'PageView');
fbq('trackSingle', '1321385257908563', 'ViewContent', { content_name: 'optimize-meta-descriptions', content_category: 'on-page-seo' }); } });