
A meta description is a brief summary that describes the content on a web page displayed in the search results. The main objective of a meta description is to get more clicks from the search engine results page and enhance SEO efforts. Therefore, in this blog post, we are going to discuss how to write an effective meta description.
Include Keywords
A meta description is not a ranking signal, but Google highlights the search terms by making them bold. Including keywords in your snippet will make your web page more relevant to the searcher’s query, and will help you attain more clicks.
Make It Simple & Clear
Avoid keyword stuffing in your meta descriptions. It doesn’t help you in any way. In fact, keyword stuffing makes your website look like a spammy website. Ensure that your meta description consists of simple, clear and easy to read content.
A Snippet Is An Ad
Yes, a snippet acts like an advertisement for your webpage. So, it is absolutely fundamental to make your meta descriptions more compelling. Make sure that your meta description is relevant to the content to your webpage and matches it.
Don’t Duplicate
Just like title tags, a meta description should also be unique. Using same meta description for all your web pages can be risky for your online presence. Google may penalize you for mass duplication of the meta description. So, write a unique meta description for all your web pages.
Encourage Audience To Take Action
Your meta description should be more than just a description. Your audience should know what they have to do. Therefore, use action-oriented language and encourage your visitors to take the desired action. Make use of verbs such as “Grab.”
Keep Length In Mind
Google has been varying the length of meta descriptions. Keep your content length within the character limit. If your description crosses the character limit, then Google will chop the end off. You may lose some important keywords. So, better use vital keywords at the beginning itself.
Offer Excitement
Tell the searchers what they are going to get after clicking on your link. Write a meta description that offers a solution or a benefit to searchers. Make sure the expectation created in search engine results page matches the offer on the website. Failing to match the expectation may result in increased bounce rate.
Use Rich Snippets
Rich snippets attract more clicks. To improve the appeal of your meta description, you can add a few important elements to your snippet. For example consumer rating, star rating, product or service description, timings, etc. This will add value to your visitors and influence the buying decision in SERP itself.