How to Write Meta Descriptions for SEO
What is a meta description, and how would you go about writing one? Why are they important?
What is a meta tag?
A meta tag is an HTML element that provides information about a webpage for search engines and people visiting the website. Two things must be placed as tags in the section of a html document. These are:
-Title tag
-Meta Description
What is a meta description?
Now we know what a meta tag is, let's explain what a meta description is. The meta description is a short paragraph which is found in the HTML section
of a webpage, which describes the content of the page. This description will be shown under your page's URL in search results, also known as a snippet.
This can also appear on various social platforms, such as when people share your website or articles.
Where do I add the meta description?
The meta description can be added to your site's HTML, in the
section. Here's an example:
Your CMS should give you full access to meta descriptions, and there are plenty of SEO plug-ins out there, for example, Yoast, where there's a specific
'meta description' section where you can input your description and a preview of how it will look in search engine results pages (SERPs)
Why is the meta description important?
The meta description is one of the key selling points of whether people click through to your website or not. The more enticing, clear and relevant the
description, the more likely someone will click through.
Finally, let's get to the point, how would you go about writing a good meta description?
-First, make sure you use your most important keywords for the webpage to show up. Often, search engines will highlight text in bold if it matches the
searcher's query in your snippet.
-Make sure your writing is readable and to the point. This is vital, as overfilling your description isn't good, as it will make the searcher assume your
results will lead to an unprofessional, spammy website.
-When writing your description, treat it as an advert for your webpage; make it interesting and as relevant to your services as possible. It is key that
the description MUST match the content on the page, but also make it as appealing as possible.
-Keep the length of your description around 130 - 160 characters long. Any longer and search engines will cut off the end of the description and make
sure the most important keywords are nearer the front.
-Do not duplicate descriptions - the same as title tags, the meta descriptions must be written differently for every page. Google is strict with duplication
and may penalise you for mass duplication.
Well there you go, now you know exactly how to write strong meta descriptions for your web pages, so what's stopping you?
If you need any help with anything SEO or web-related, don't hesitate to contact us here at Website Success.
Thank you for reading!
