Tips for crafting a good meta description
When you write a meta description, it should be a summary of the general information offered on the page. Many people see this and read it when they run a search, so it can help demonstrate to them that your page has the information they are looking for. An effective meta description makes it more likely that they will click that link and navigate to your website. There are many different ways to get someone to stay on the page, but the meta description is one of your main tools for getting them to visit that page in the first place.
A higher CTR (click-through rate) can help you in terms of your algorithmic ranking. If Google sees that many people tend to click on your site, for instance, you move up the rankings because this is an indicator that your site is valuable to the reader. Google will try to get it in front of more people. In this sense, even if the specific keywords used in your meta description do not impact your ranking, drafting one that gets people to click your link can still help. Below are a few key questions to ask, along with tips to get the most out of your meta description.
How long should it be?
It is important to focus on brevity, quickly summarizing your page. There is no specific number of characters that you have to use. That said, it should usually be between 120 and 156 characters. If it is too long, it will not fit, and readers will not see it anyway. It will automatically be cut off.
Should you include keywords?
You do not need to include too many keywords in your meta description, especially since it is relatively short. But it is good to identify your main focus keyword and use this if possible.
Is a call to action useful?
If you have space, a short call to action—such as “Learn more!”—can be beneficial. Remember, you are trying to get people to click the link. If you give them a sentence or two that piques their interest and tell them to click that link to learn even more, they are more likely to do it.
What should it say?
Exactly what you write is naturally up to you, but you just want to be sure that it matches the rest of the content the reader is going to find on that page. In other words, do not just write one meta description and continue using it over and over for all of your different web pages that are part of the site. Each page should have its own description based on the unique information found there.
Call now to work with Content Customs
At Content Customs, we can help you draft meta descriptions, on-site content, social media content, blog posts and much more. Get in touch with us today to start working with us and optimizing your site for future success.
