How to Write Meta Descriptions?

Are you looking for a way to give your website more visibility and attract more customers? Writing compelling meta descriptions is a powerful strategy that does just that. Meta descriptions are the short snippets of text that appear under your webpage's title in search engine results. They provide potential visitors with information about what page content will display when they click through. Crafting the right message with these tags can immensely impact your website traffic – read on to discover how to write great meta descriptions!

Meta Descriptions - A Brief Overview

The Meta description on a web page act as an advertising copy for users. It is visible in the SERP, making it a significant part of search marketing. This makes Meta description an essential element to drive traffic to the website.

A Meta description must be written intelligently, containing target keywords, product description, CTA, and product specifications. Most importantly, it should sound natural and non-spammy. Search engines like google often bold the focus keywords. It attracts users' attention and persuades them to click on the link.

Ways to Write the Best Meta Description

Here we have discussed about how to write best meta description.

Keep it Within the Character Limit

If you check most Meta descriptions in google, the snippets are within 120-156 characters. However, this is optional in exceptional cases. The goal here is to convey the message clearly to the users. That's why it doesn't matter if you write a shorter description. Google will truncate anything longer than 155 characters. It's better to keep the characters within the above-mentioned length.

Note − Unfortunately, you cannot control what Google displays on the search results. It may display exactly the descriptions you have written. Sometimes it will only show some of the words of your copy. 

Use Active Voice

Active voice allows for conveying meaning in fewer words compared to passive ones. This allows you to include more information in your Meta descriptions. This increases the chances of clicks, thereby increasing traffic.

Be Direct

Suppose you are inviting users to visit your page through the Meta description. Then you should think about the motivation factor of your target users. Make sure to write a solid and crisp description stating the point clearly. Give your users a glimpse of what they will get visiting the page.

For example − if the topic is "how to write meta descriptions."

Write

Keep character limits within 155, use active voice, include a call-to-action, etc.

Avoid Writing Like

Know how to write meta descriptions. Top points to write the best meta descriptions to drive traffic. Click to know more… and so on.

The first description is appropriate as it informs what is inside the page. In short, it gives a glimpse of the information users are seeking.

Include a call-to-action

The call-to-action is a clever way to persuade users to click the link. It should be mentioned at the end of the description.

For example, if you are selling a product, end your description with "learn more or get it now."

If it's a software or app, write "try it for free" or "click to know more," etc.

Use Focus Keyword

If the search keyword matches a word you entered in your meta description, google will highlight it in the search results. This increases visibility, encouraging users to click on the link. Google has sophisticated algorithms that even highlights synonym. For instance, if someone searches "Oscar" and you have "academy awards" in the description, google will highlight it as well.

Write Specifications

Writing specifications is quite crucial while writing for technical or electronic products. For a smartphone, you can include specs like its RAM, display, storage, camera quality, price, etc. If the user is specifically looking for a certain feature, they will click the link. This way, you don't have to convince users by writing flowery sentences.

The Description Must Match the Page's Content

Google can easily find out if you are trying to trick visitors by writing false descriptions. This will lead to penalization. Besides, misleading descriptions also increase the bounce rate. This lowers people's trust in your site. A higher bounce rate will further reduce your rank in SERP.

Do Not Copy

If your meta description matches other pages, it will affect the user experience. This is because you are not giving any special to your visitors. If the descriptions of the two websites are the same, the page will also appear the same.

It's better to leave the description section blank instead of using a duplicate meta. Google will automatically pick a snippet from the page based on the keywords from the query. The best practice is to write a unique Meta description for every page.

Don't Use Double Quotations

Google considers double quotations a signal to truncate the descriptions. Meaning anything you write within double quotes, google will truncate it. As a result, the texts will not appear in the SERP snippet. To prevent this, it's better to include only alphanumeric characters in your meta descriptions. Instead, you can use HTML entities.

FAQs

Do Meta Descriptions Affect SEO?

No, meta descriptions do not affect your SEO directly. However, it can affect your bounce rate. If you have a lower bounce rate, your site ranking will increase.

Since 2009, Google does not include meta descriptions or meta keywords in its algorithm for web searches. However, the meta description can affect the click-through rate (CTR) of your website. If more people click on a certain page, the ranks will increase.

In a way, these short descriptions are a way to advertise your content to users. It does not have a direct impact on search rankings. However, it has an immediate effect on users' behavior. This is why it is crucial to put some effort while writing them.

Does Meta Descriptions Affect Your Social Media Shares?

Social media sites like Facebook use the Meta descriptions tags of a page when you share it on the platform. FB will use the first text written on the page without a Meta tag. If your first text is irrelevant to the core content, people may not click on it. That's why writing meta tags for your blogs or articles is crucial if you intend to share them on social media.

Why my Meta Description is not in the SERP Snippet?

Search engines sometimes can display different meta descriptions in the SERP snippet than the one you have written. It's actually hard to know when that happens. However, it occurs when google thinks your meta descriptions are inadequate for the user's query. In such circumstances, google can pick some relevant texts from the same page as the meta description.

Conclusion

Writing a great meta description will draw readers to your website, increasing the visibility and reach of your content. It’s important to keep in mind that meta descriptions should be unique for each page on your website and include relevant keywords so that users can easily find what they are looking for. Take some time to think through and craft the perfect meta description; it could make all the difference when it comes to driving visitors to your website. Plus, you’ll feel satisfied knowing that your hard work has paid off. With a well written meta description, you can help ensure that more internet users see and read the content that you've worked hard to create - an important step in increasing awareness of your brand or company!