A meta description is a snippet of up to about 155 characters – a tag in HTML – which summaries a page’s content and is handy for SEO purposes.
Search engines show the meta description in search results mostly when the searched-for phrase is within the description, so optimizing the meta description is crucial for SEO.
With new algorithms in place it’s difficult to know exactly what should be included within a meta description so it’s then in turn difficult to know what will appear at the top of search engines. We take a look into what should be included in a meta description for pages and posts to rank higher for SEO purposes.
Why is the meta description important?
A meta descriptions can influence the decision of the searcher as to whether they want to click through onto your content from search results or not. The more descriptive, attractive and relevant the description, the more likely someone will be to click through, and you will see higher traffic rates on your company’s website because of this.
How to write a great meta description
Make sure your most important keywords for the webpage show up in the meta-description. Often search engines will highlight in bold where it finds the searchers query in your snippet, so this becomes helpful to your audience.
Another tip is to treat the meta description as if it is an advert for your webpage. Make it as compelling and as relevant as possible. The description MUST match the content on the page, but you should also make it as appealing as possible – try to ensure it reads as if written by a human not a computer.
Do not duplicate meta descriptions, as with title tags, the meta descriptions must be written differently for every page. Google may penalise you for mass duplicating your meta descriptions and this will mean your page will rank lower on search engines.
How to Include Meta Descriptions on Your Pages
If you are using a website builder such as WordPress or a self-hosted domain, you are in luck. Meta descriptions can be easily added to your content using simple (and free) plugins such as Yoast.
Alternatively, agencies such us at onefoursix can be of assistance when helping you build the perfect website.
If you want to know more about how SEO in Northampton can benefit your online business get in touch here today.
