A meta description is an HTML element that explains and summarises the contents of your website for users and search engines. While meta data isn’t as vital for SEO results as it once was, the meta description is still important for on-page SEO.
This article will teach you:
What “meta description” is, how to read it on your website, and how it affects visitors.
Why are they crucial for you and your SEO rankings?
What Exactly?
A meta description is a meta tag attribute that helps explain your page. This bit of text may show in search engine results under your title, however search engines may select a snippet of text from the page’s main body material instead.
It may be found on any web page by right-clicking it and selecting “view source” or “view page source”:
When you look at the page’s code, you’ll probably notice element that looks something like this:
name=”description” meta content=”Meta descriptions may have an unexpectedly huge influence on your search marketing efforts; learn how…” />.
name=”robots” meta /> content=”index,follow”
This information serves several objectives, one of which is to act as the text snippet on the SERP when searchers do a search query for which your page ranks. It should provide search engine users with a concise summary of what they will discover if they click through to your site.
So, a Google search for “meta keywords” may provide the following SERP listing:
What is the ideal length for a meta description?
Google just increased the usual meta description length. Previously, they should be no more than 160 characters long.
Google will display up to 275 characters on the SERP beginning in 2017. As a result, you should optimise it to be as lengthy as 275 characters.
Why Are they Important?
Meta description tags may make or break your search engine optimization attempts. It has one key value:
It serves as “natural ad text.”
This implies that if your ad ranks for a term, Google and other search engines will frequently display it as a summary of the page.
As a result, it is just as crucial as the ad content.
A intriguing meta description has the potential to increase the number of people who click on your organic search results. This implies that more visitors who view your page in the search results will click through and visit your website. Even if your rating remains unchanged, this equals extra traffic for you!
How Can I Improve it?
The recommended principles for producing effective meta descriptions are similar to those for writing effective ad copy:
use researched, focused keywords in it.
Always use them that are hyper-relevant to the content on each page; never use the same meta description throughout your whole site.
Benefits and urgency should be communicated.
Motivate consumers to click by demonstrating value and appealing to their emotions.
