When it comes to boosting organic traffic on your site, meta descriptions are a great tool to utilize. These snippets of information help expound on your site page during Google search results. While meta descriptions don’t affect SEO ranking, they do entice users to view your site page over someone else’s. Therefore it’s important to know how to effectively write a good description. There are a few tips you should follow that will help. Here’s how to write the perfect meta description.
Understanding A Meta Description
For those unfamiliar, a meta description is a brief snippet that provides more context to whichever page it’s attached to. It appears under the title tag of your page and is an opportunity to entice readers to your site by explaining what you have to offer. They are not long, as they only allow up to 155 characters on a desktop or 120 characters on a mobile device. However, they should be informative and beneficial to the user.
Why They Matter
In short, the better your description, the more site traffic you’ll have. Think of it like a movie trailer for your page. It should build interest while showing what you have to offer. It’s important to note though, Google will sometimes bypass the description you wrote and rather insert a portion of text from the actual site page. Although Google only shows your meta description around 37% of the time, this is enough to make it well worth your attention. What’s more, even if your description isn’t listed, Google will still crawl the content, which can be beneficial. To clarify:
Impressions = higher meta description visibility
More meta descriptions = higher CTR
Higher CTR = more leads converted to customers + higher SEO ranking
Given how beneficial these descriptions can be, it’s important to know how to write them effectively.
How To Write The Perfect Meta Description
Writing a meta description is relatively easy once you know what to do. Here are a few tips.
- Be consistent
Look at your title tag and let that determine what your description is about. If your title tag is about dog grooming, don’t write a meta description about cat food.
- Think like the searcher
Think about search intent. Not just the keywords someone would use, but what they’re actually looking for. Include that information in your meta description to convince readers your page is exactly what they’re looking for.
- Don’t be passive
Write your description in active voice. This will connect better with the searcher and call them to action. Passive voice tends to be dull and uninviting.
- Condense it down
Be short and concise. Your description is not an article or blog post. It should be short and to the point. Only list the most important information, as that’s what will grab the attention of the searcher.
While meta descriptions may seem insignificant, they are a mighty tool when it comes to boosting traffic for your site. Utilize these processes to help increase your site visibility.
We Can Help!
Effect Web Agency partners with businesses to help them achieve the maximum results from their digital marketing efforts. Contact Effect today for your free web consultation.
