If you are integrating SEO into your business, you might probably hear before Meta Description. But do you know how it works? Meta Description is a short snippet of text that summarizes the content of a particular webpage and it is displayed just below the clickable link on the SERPs.
It is essential to invest effort in writing a good Meta Description as it provides a direct summary about your page content and may indirectly increase your webpage’s Click-Through Rate (CTR) if it is able to attract the interest of web user.
1. Well-Researched Keywords Work Best
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is not possible without the presence of keywords – the most important feature in SEO and your number one tool to level-up your game in the digital world. Every time a user search for a particular products or services on the internet, there’s always a keyword a user would use. You should include your targeted keywords or phrases to the Meta Description to help users know that your webpage answers their query. For example, if users search for ‘how to change car tyre’, they will feel compelled to click on your link if your Meta Description contain the same keywords that they have searched for.
2. Make It Appealing And Engaging To Users
Just like making a headline or a title for you article, Meta Description should be appealing, engaging and interesting enough to lure the users to click on your link. An effective Meta Description is a summary of what the content is all about and here are some of the best ways to make an effective Meta Description.
- Use active voice, which constructs sentences in a way that it flows naturally and is easy to understand
- Get rid of fluff by being straightforward and specific with your message
- Use a conversational tone. Write as if you’re talking to your friend or someone you know
3. Avoid Non-Alphanumeric Characters
Search engines work better if they can read your keywords properly that consists of letters and numbers only. Non-alphanumeric characters should be avoided in your Meta Descriptions as search engines like Google will be having a hard time to read these characters. These include ampersands, dashes, mathematical signs, etc.
4. Rich Snippet Makes It Convenient
Rich snippets, a.k.a rich results, are additional information that you want your potential customers to know, such as the product pricing, your business reviews, star ratings, FAQs or anything that works as immediate information for the users.
5. Call-To-Action
The best way to attract users to visit your website is provide them a call-to-action and it should be effective.
- Create a strong command verb that clearly tells the readers what they need to do. It should be concise and impactful
- Use words or phrases that evoke one’s emotion. For example, ‘plan your perfect family vacation’. It should be appealing, engaging, and informative
- Fill the void for that missing piece of what users need
6. Be Original And Creative
Create a Meta Description that is unique and distinguishable from one another. Duplicated Meta Descriptions will result to penalties imposed by Google. Do not forget that it should match the page content.
Bonus Tip
It is still on a hot debate on the number of characters in writing a Meta Description. With the ever-changing Google algorithm, it is hard to follow a standardized limit for Meta Description. Instead of focusing on the number of characters, you should give more weight to user experience. As long as your Meta Description gives an accurate description of your webpage, you need not worry whether it is less or more than 160 characters.
Creating Meta Description is just as important in generating an effective keyword. It requires creativity, uniqueness to attract more organic traffic and increase your CTR.
