5 Tips for Writing Better Meta Descriptions
Written by: Eric Brantner on February 2, 2011 – 1:48 pm
I know what you’re thinking—“It’s 2011 and this guy is writing about meta descriptions?” You better believe I am. Yes, I’m fully aware that Google doesn’t use meta description as a ranking factor, but that doesn’t mean that it’s totally unimportant.
Remember, searchers still see the description meta tag whenever they’re looking for your products and services. So it’s important that your descriptions catch their attention and draw them in.
Here are 5 tips for writing better meta descriptions.
- Think of it as ad copy—Your search listing is competing against about 14 other listings (including PPC ads) for a click. It’s your job to stand out from the crowd and earn that click. That’s why you need to think of your meta description as a mini-ad. You have to give people a reason to click your link. Don’t just have some boring, generic description. Focus on a benefit and get them to take action.
- Include a call to action—Speaking of taking action, I’ve started experimenting with using calls to action in my meta descriptions. Here’s a basic example of what I mean “Personal injury lawyer John Doe has helped thousands of clients get big settlements. Call (800) 123-4567 today for a free consultation.” By including the phone number, people don’t even have to click through to your website to take action. That’s especially important these days because many mobile phones as well as computers with Skype automatically make phone numbers clickable for instant dialing.
- Use keywords to draw attention—No, including keywords in your meta description isn’t going to help you rank better, but it can be useful for grabbing the attention of searchers. That’s because the search engines usually bold the keywords in your description that the searcher entered. This makes your description stand out.
- Keep it at the right length—Try to keep your meta descriptions around 150 characters with spaces. Any longer than that, and you risk having your message cut off. If you Tweet, this shouldn’t be a problem for you.
- Use unique descriptions on each page—Don’t use a single generic description for all of your pages. Make sure each page has its own unique, compelling description that speaks directly to the searcher’s needs.
What tips would you add for writing better meta descriptions? Leave a comment below.
February 3rd, 2011 at 8:01 am
The meta description is still important because google displays the description in their search results if no other more relevant information is available for the requested keyword.
March 8th, 2011 at 8:18 am
"Think Of It As Ad Copy" – great advice. So many people just try stuff their keywords in as best possible, and forget that the meta description is the key to enticing the visitor to their site.
October 14th, 2012 at 2:46 am
Often, on a small network system, there are many mobile units and one main base station. This would be typical for police or taxi services for example. To help direct messages to the correct recipients and avoid irrelevant traffic on the network's being a distraction to other units, a variety of means have been devised to create addressing systems.
November 15th, 2012 at 10:10 am
I think meta tags are promotional help that help webmasters improve the visits in their perspective webpages. In a business area for example, it is like a unified business IP phone system that organizes the delivery and dissemination of messages from the CEO to the employees.
January 8th, 2013 at 12:45 pm
This is best advisable for any incorporation that is either starting or even a huge one. This might help them with their online marketing strategies.