What Is Meta Description? How To Write The Right Meta Description?
What Is Meta Description: Meta Description is one of the most important elements of a blog. It plays a crucial role in getting clicks on your article from Google’s search result page. Technically speaking, it is an HTML tag that looks like this:
<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn the best tricks and tips to write Meta Descriptions.\"/>
What Is Meta Description
In laymen terms, Meta Description is basically the search snippet that is shown under the title of the articles on Google’s result page. It elaborates on the title or headline of the article and gives more information about what a particular article deals with.
Optimizing the Meta Description is of utmost importance as your goal is not just to get your article rank in the first page of Google’s search result but also to get people click on it.
Why Is Meta Description Important?
Google’s algorithm do not use Meta Description as a ranking factor. This means, it doesn’t play any direct role in the ranking of your article. The Meta Description just gives an overview of the article and that’s it.
But there seems to be an indirect contribution that Meta Description makes towards getting your article ranked or, to be precise, to improve the rank of an article.
How Does Meta Description Help In Improving Rank Of An Article?
Google considers Click Through Rate, CTR in short, as a ranking factor. This means the more number of clicks your article gets, the more relevant and important it is according to Google. So, it moves the article up, thereby improving the rank.
Now since Meta Description provides a glimpse of what the article is about, elaborating on the title of the post, the better it is, the more chance of people clicking on the article, which means higher CTR and improved rank. It is for this reason writing the perfect Meta Description and optimizing it is very important.
How To Write The Right Meta Description?
As writing and optimizing the Meta Description is very important, here are a few tips to write great Meta Description:
1. Keep It Between 128-158 Characters
Google keeps on changing the character limit for search snippets. For example, it was increased last year but then Google brought it down again in May 2018. In any case, keeping it short and to-the-point will serve the purpose better as it will grab people’s attention better. There is no right number but it’s good to keep it between 128 to 158 characters.
2. Keep The Focus Keyword In The Beginning
Including the focus keyword or primary keyword (preferably, a secondary keyword as well) in the Meta Description increases the chance of Google considering the text as the search snippet. It will even highlight the keyword. Remember, Google doesn’t necessarily show the Meta Description in the snippet. We will come to this later. Also, keeping the focus keyword in the beginning makes it easier for readers to notice it.
3. Give Relevant Information
As mentioned in the previous point, Google doesn’t always show the Meta Description in the search snippet. If Google thinks that it doesn’t contain the relevant information, it will pick up something else from the article which is more informative. It is, therefore, important that you write the Meta Description wisely. For example, if your blog post is about a product, include a couple of features of the product that people would be interested in.
4. Include A Call To Action (CTA)
Since the idea behind Meta Descriptions is to elaborate on the title of the blog and get people click on the article, including a CTA is very important. Using phrases like ‘Find Out’, ‘Learn More’, etc. can help. You can also create a sense of urgency. Basically, use words that has a positive impact on the decision-making process of the readers.
5. Use Active Voice
Because ‘Passive’ is ‘Dull’, in the truest sense of the word.
6. Keep It Unique & Original
Copying Meta Descriptions from other articles, yours or from other site, which are already ranking is not going to help at all. If anything, Google will ignore it. Keep the Meta Description unique for each article you write. And make it interesting. At the same time, do not over-promise. You want your readers to come back to your site, don’t you?
Writing the perfect Meta Description is about a lot of practice. So, write multiple copies of the Meta Description for a given article. Keep in mind and try to apply the tips to write the right Meta Description listed above. Eventually, you will improve.
I hope you have understood what is Meta Description. Drop your query in the comment section and I will help you out.