What is a meta description?
The meta description is small snippet of HTML code that provides the summary of a web page. Search engines display the meta description in search results, helping websites gain more visibility and clicks.
How long should a Meta Description be?
For this article, we will use Google as a reference, as it is the most common search engine. Google generally truncates snippets to ~155–160 characters. It’s best to try and keep your Meta Description around that length, filling it with as many keywords and phrases as possible. When creating a Meta Description, your main goal should be to provide value and attract clicks.
How should the Meta Description be formatted?
Meta descriptions are essentially the perfect way to advertise your content. They should be thoughtfully crafted to provide information and encourage searchers to click and learn more about your product or service. Think about what a user is asking and make sure that your meta description can potentially answer their question.
Do Meta Descriptions raise my Google Ranking??
No. (view the article here) However, do not let that stop you from adding them. While they may not be used to earn a better position, they do impact a page’s click through rate which DOES enhance ranking on Google.
For that reason, among others, it’s important to put some effort into meta descriptions.
Meta Description DO’s and DON’Ts
- Use unique meta descriptions. No duplicates.
- Don’t include double quotation marks. Google will cut off the description at the quotation mark.
- Be sure that you don’t “spam” the keywords and phrases.
If you’re struggling with your meta description optimization, give us a call! We can help by running a free report of your site and formulating a plan. SEO doesn’t have to be scary, especially when the professionals are in control
