Improve Conversions and Traffic to Your Site with Well-Crafted Meta Descriptions
In today’s highly competitive digital marketing landscape, it pays to maximize the usage of every tool at your disposal to stand out from the competition and drive interest in your business’s products and services. Although many SMBs devote significant time and energy to site optimization through hosting high-quality content, researching keywords, building links and more, they often miss the vital component of crafting effective meta descriptions. Meta descriptions not only offer consumers a bite-sized glimpse of the content of your pages but, if written well, can drive traffic to your website and boost conversions.
What Is a Meta Description?
In simple terms, a meta description is the brief synopsis of a webpage which appears in a search engine results page. It consists of around 160-270 total characters, or approximately 20-40 words, which summarize the content, service or product a prospective customer should expect to find if they follow the link to your page. When you share content via social media platforms, the same concept applies. Individuals in your network see a small sample of the article you shared and then decide, often based on the short description they see, if they wish to follow the link and read the article or simply keep scrolling.
Elements of an Effective Meta Description
Crafting a useful meta description which summarizes your webpage content, gains users’ attention and, ultimately, inspires them to action, is deceptively difficult to master. Well-written meta descriptions should quickly detail what your business offers and why a potential customer should choose you over a competitor. At a minimum, a meta description should include some or all of the following elements:
- Information which quickly answers potential customers’ questions
- Call to action phrases such as “click here” or “learn more”
- Well-researched and targeted keywords which describe your content
- Emotional appeals to prospective customers’ curiosity
- A snapshot of the unique benefits you offer and the value you provide
Advantages Effective Meta Descriptions Offer Your SMB
Effective meta descriptions are a critical component of a holistic SEO strategy incorporating hosting well-written and engaging content on your website, optimizing your social media profile and judiciously managing your SMB’s online reputation. When done right, well-written meta descriptions can lead to a host of unique benefits including:
- Increasing click-through conversion rates
- Boosting SEO rankings
- Generating more traffic for your website
Ultimately, it is important to remember that your customers often do not have an abundance of time when scanning search engine results pages to locate a product or service they require. Your SMB’s meta descriptions may even be the first encounter a potential new client has with your company. Taking the time to craft an effective and thorough meta description, while not a simple task, is crucial to driving a positive first impression of your company. If done correctly, it could even lead to a massive boost in traffic and lucrative new growth opportunities.
