Want an easy way to get people to click through to your website? Then include a meta description.
Although they aren’t a ranking factor, meta descriptions are essential to your SEO.
I mean, it’s the first impression searchers get of your website. A well-written meta description can be all it takes to capture a searcher’s interest in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
However, it can’t just be any old content.
If you want people to take that extra step and click through to your site, it’s got to be click-worthy, like the example below:
So, let’s talk about how to write meta descriptions that get clicks.
Ready? Great! Let’s start with an explanation.
What Are Meta Descriptions?
Meta descriptions are 160-character snippets summarizing a web page’s content. Search engines display these snippets in search results to let visitors know what a page is about before they click on it.
Meta descriptions help users decide whether to click on your website in a search result.
Here’s a meta description example from my site
It gets right to the point and gives searchers a reason to click. That’s precisely what you want your meta description to do.
How Search Engines Use Meta Descriptions
The best examples of meta descriptions and how search engines use them come from search engines themselves. For starters, let’s look at Google’s meta description.
<meta name=“description” content=“Search the world’s information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.”>
It’s exactly 159 characters, including spaces.
Although they aren’t a ranking factor, meta descriptions and SEO go hand in hand because they help searchers find your site in the search engines (more about that later).
Search engines use meta descriptions as snippets of text that help them understand what your page is about, which in turn helps them rank your site for relevant queries.
Why Are Meta Descriptions Important?
Meta descriptions are important because the Google algorithm, which helps determine what pages should rank well for certain keywords, focuses on meta tags (including meta descriptions). This means that having meta data that is optimized and relevant to the content that you are putting out can have a direct positive effect on your rankings.
If you’re using meta descriptions properly, you
can add a meta tag that isn’t in your content. This could be the difference between ranking on page 4 for “best shoes” or page
Additionally, meta descriptions help:
Increase click-through rates, boosting conversions and sales.
Improve indexing to rank higher on SERPs.
Make it easier for visitors to find the content they’re looking for without scanning page titles or meta tags.
Meta descriptions can also appear on social media when sharing a link.