Writing a Good Meta Description
Yeah. Yeah. I already know what you’re saying.
“Why are you talking about meta tags? They don’t affect a website’s search rankings. They aren’t really important at all.”
While they don’t have an impact on where your site ranks in the search engines, meta tags (particularly description) are still important. Remember, this is what searchers see when they’re looking for your products and services. This is your first introduction to a potential buyer, and it’s your chance to convince them to come visit your website.
So, how can you write a meta description that attracts your target audience and gets people to click?
- Use keywords, but don’t focus on that—Again, placing the keywords in your meta description isn’t important for SEO purposes. Your website will rank the same whether the terms are in the description or not. However, there still is an important reason to use keywords in your description when possible.
The keywords let the searcher know that you have what they’re looking for. For example, if they Googled “Red Trek mountain bikes” and you have “Red Trek mountain bikes” in your description, it tells the searcher they need to go to your website to find what they need.
Having said that, this doesn’t mean you should stuff your meta descriptions full of keywords. It’s all about using them naturally. If you force the keywords in there, the copy will be difficult to read, and searchers won’t click.
- Use strong words—With 10 organic search results and a few paid search results on the page, why should searchers click your website over all the others? They need motivation. You need to use strong, motivating words that get people excited enough to click on your website.
Some good words to use include “discover”, “get”, “receive”, “today”, “free”, etc.
- Be clear in your description—The main purpose of the meta description is to, well, describe what your page is about. You want to attract qualified traffic that won’t bounce at absurdly high rates.
To do this, your description needs to be as accurate as possible. Don’t use gimmicks to get people to come to your website. Don’t use jargon. Don’t try to be clever. Be clear and concise. And give people a good reason to come to your website.
Take a look at your meta descriptions. Do they give searchers a reason to click on your link?
June 26th, 2010 at 3:58 am
A good meta description along with good title keywords are main elements of SEO which should be taken proper care.
Thanks for the article.
June 28th, 2010 at 12:12 am
Great tips. Thanks for sharing.
June 29th, 2010 at 7:19 am
Good Meta Description always plays an important role in optimizing the Site. We must take care and always use the Strong words in the Meta Description.
September 19th, 2010 at 10:29 pm
Helpful & concise post. Thanks!