May 10, 2019
Creating good meta descriptions for your web pages is essential. Doing so gives you an advantage in search engine results. While it’s true that Google does not use meta descriptions on their own when determining search engine rankings, click through rates are used. Good meta descriptions help to improve these click through rates.
This is why meta descriptions are an important aspect of SEO. So what do you need to do, to create good meta descriptions for your web pages?
What is a meta description?
Let’s start by looking at what a meta description actually is. In basic terms the description is a summary of what is included on the page. If keywords that are being search for are included in the meta description it will be shown on the search results page. When a meta description is displayed it can help to influence the decision of the person searching as to whether they click through to a website or not.
You can see why creating good meta descriptions is so important. They can greatly increase the amount of traffic to your website. This is why it’s essential to create well thought out and well-crafted meta descriptions for your web pages. There are several factors that you need to take into account when you are doing this.
1. Pay attention to the number of characters
In the last couple of years Google has increased the number of characters that it displays in the snippet on the search results page. However the number of characters displayed can change at any time. You need to ensure that the important information is displayed. Therefore it’s a good idea to stick to 155 characters when creating a meta description. It’s also worth noting that searchers should be able to get a good idea of what the page includes within the first 130 characters.
2. Provide an accurate overview of your website with the homepage meta description
The meta description for your homepage should provide an overview of what your website is about. Remember that you need to be precise while also being concise. Including the right information is important because it will help attract the right people to your site. You do not just want people to click through to your site you want them to find what they looking for when they get there. Making sure that this happens reduces your bounce rate and improves engagement with your website.
3. Make sure that the description is compelling
It’s important to remember that the meta description is your opportunity to attract people to your website. This is why you need to make sure that the words you include are enticing and compelling. Your aim is to get people to click through to your website so you need to provide them with a reason to do so.
4. Make meta descriptions specific
It’s often easier to create meta descriptions for product and services pages than it is to create a meta description for the homepage of your website. This is because you can be specific about the product or service that the page is about and you do not have to discuss the business as a whole. Being specific is important because you want the person who is searching for a product or service to know that your business is the right choice for them.
5. Talk about the benefits of a product or service
When you are creating meta descriptions for your product and services pages think about the benefits that the product or service can provide. This could be solving a problem for the searcher or making their life easier. Include this information in your meta description for the page.
6. Use language that promotes actions
Remember that the aim of your meta descriptions is to encourage the searcher to click through to that page of your website. In order to make this happen it’s useful to include words or phrases that act as a call to action. Doing so helps to increase the amount of traffic to your website. This is an important aim of your SEO.
7. Talk about your USP
The Internet is a vast marketplace so you are going to be facing competition when it comes to attracting people who are searching online. Think carefully about what makes your business different from the others. This is your unique selling point or ‘USP’. Make sure that you include details of this USP in your meta descriptions.
8. Use a unique meta description for each page
When it comes to creating meta descriptions for your website it’s important to remember that each meta description needs to be unique. If you do not make sure that this is the case you could find yourself being penalised in search engine rankings.
9. Do not stuff meta descriptions with keywords
Although you do need to include keywords in your meta descriptions, you should make sure that you do not stuff each description with a bunch of keywords. The meta description has to make sense on its own and not just be a lot of keywords thrown together. If you do stuff your descriptions with keywords your website could appear to be spammy and you could be penalised for this in search engine rankings.
Creating good meta descriptions can seem like a daunting process, especially when you are trying to run a business at the same time. Getting expert help with the process could be the solution. The team at Fibre Marketing is happy to help with creating meta descriptions for your website. Speak to us about your requirements and we will tell you about the help that we can provide.
