Meta description plays a crucial role in search engine optimization (SEO)  of a page. A compelling meta description helps to captivate people to visit your website. Here is a comprehensive guide to meta description!

What is Meta Description? 

A meta description is an HTML tag that provides a summary of your content on a web page. It appears right below the page title and URL in the search engine result pages (SERPs). Whenever you search a term on Google, the SERPs show you top-ranking pages related to your search. Below the title, you can notice a summary of the content. It is known as the meta description. 

The main objective of the meta description is to inform the user what your content is about. Similarly, it helps the search engines to understand what your page is about. It helps your pages to rank higher in search results when the relevant topic is searched. A good meta description should also persuade people to visit your page. It should also convey a clear and easy-to-understand message. 

You have to note that the search engine does not directly use meta description for ranking. However, it still plays a crucial role in influencing people to visit your website. It can indirectly impact your page’s ranking. 

A carefully crafted meta description leads to people clicking on your web page. This high click-through rate (CTR) signals the search engines that your web page has valuable information and is relevant. It helps to boost your search result ranking. Therefore, it is best to implement good meta description practices. This guide to meta description will help you to implement those practices.

Read here how to create a winning Local SEO content strategy!

Best Practices to Write Meta Description 

Our guide to meta description explores the best practices of writing it. In a well-crafted and effective meta description, there are several factors you should consider. Here is the list of the factors for best practices to write a meta description: 

1. Keep the Meta Description to 155 characters

The meta description is a summary of your content. There is no right length for writing the summary. It depends on your content and what message you wish to convey. But it is best to write a short and catchy snippet of what your content is about. We recommend you write your meta description up to 155 characters. 

Most of the snippets range from 120 to 156 characters. Similarly, Google allows you to make your description as long as you need. But in SERPs, the description displays only around 155 characters. Sometimes Google automatically takes a snippet from your content and displays it as a meta description. But either way, keep your meta description short. 

2. Use your target keyword

Your meta description should contain the primary keyword of your content. The keyword should match a part of the text in your content. It helps the search engine to understand your web page content. Similarly, it also contributes to higher search ranking for relevant queries. So whenever people search for certain keywords, your web page ranks among the top search results. 

It encourages people to click on your web page. The click-through rate (CTR) lets the search engine understand that your web page is relevant. Sometimes, Google can also highlight synonyms. Highlighting your results also makes your content more noticeable.  

3. Use active voice 

The next best practice for meta description is to use active voice. While writing the meta description, you have to consider what motivates people to click on your web page. In other words, you have to understand the search intent of searchers. Thus, write a meta description that is catchy but provides the exact information that people are searching for. 

For the best result, write the message in an active voice. Likewise, it should address the people. An enticing message that is directed towards the people will get you clicks. So craft a message that makes people want to click. You can use search intent analysis to help you write a good and attractive meta description. 

4. Include a call-to-action

The call-to-action (CTA) tells people what action they should take next. These include: 

• Learn more
• Click here
• Find out more
• Shop online
• Try for free etc

You should use these in your meta description to get prompt clicks. These call-to-action texts create a sense of curiosity in the people. So they click on them to see what the web page is about. In other words, it can be referred to as your sales text. 

5. Include important information

The meta description should include important information. In the case of the product page, the description should include information about the product, its features, specifications, and benefits. It should provide a clear idea of what the product is about. This way you can convince the people searching for specific products.

A meta description should provide a clear overview of the product and its features. It should contain the product name, model number, price, features, and benefits. Similarly, it should also include the product availability and shipping options. All the information helps to make your meta description more relevant and enticing to the searchers

6. Match the description with your content

While the meta description can attract people to your web page, it should provide relevant information. Tricking people to click on your page can get you in trouble. Search engines like Google will figure the trick out and you can even get penalized. It can also affect your website’s credibility. 

The misleading meta description will also increase the bounce rate. A higher bounce rate indicates that people quickly leave your website without exploring more. Therefore, it is a bad look for your website. So you should be careful and not mislead your visitors. Your meta description should match with your content. 

7. Ensure the description is unique

When writing the meta description that matches your content, you should also ensure your description is unique. Identical and generic description makes your page look boring. It does not add any value. It can even hamper the user experience. So instead of writing duplicate meta descriptions, it is best to leave the section blank.

If you leave the meta description section blank, Google will automatically take a snippet containing keywords from your content. However, it is always best to write a well-crafted and unique meta description. It is best to attract people to your website and to rank higher in the SERPs. 

Conclusion

Understanding how to write a well-crafted meta description is the key to attracting people to your webpage. It does not have to be complex. You need to convey a clear summary of your content. For this, implement all the factors we have mentioned above. They are the factors that contribute to the best practices for writing a meta description.

We hope you find our comprehensive guide to meta description useful. Apply these factors to your content for better results. Slowly but surely you will see positive results.