The question of how long should meta descriptions be is controversial, but it can significantly impact the quality of your search engine results. SEO experts use tools like RankRanger to trace the best parameters for desktop search results. A meta description that’s too long may be perceived by search engines as spam, reducing its overall rating.
What Is Meta Description?
A meta description is a small yet critical piece of your website’s content. It helps search engines understand your article and entices users to click through. The best meta descriptions contain the right information and appeal to the reader. When done well, they can increase your website’s page ranking and click-through rate (CTR).
Make Sure to Provide a Catchy Description
It’s essential to keep your meta description unique and catchy. Your meta description should be the equivalent of an elevator pitch, giving the reader a clear idea of what you’re offering and why they should click through. Make sure your meta description is relevant to your content and is written for different search engines, operating systems, and devices. It should also be short yet memorable. Here’s an example of a good meta description:
Your meta description is a short, two-line description that appears in search results when a user types a keyword into a search engine. Though not optimized for SEO, your meta description will still attract viewers and boost your click-through rate. It’s important to remember that a meta description is only one element of your website’s SEO process.
Don’t Forget to Include Keywords
The meta description must include a keyword or keyphrase. It tells search engines what content and page to suggest. Try to use exact keywords in your meta description. But don’t use too many keywords or phrases. Instead, consider your meta description a marketing piece for your readers. This way, your meta description will be readable and appealing to the reader.
Attract Customers
A meta description should encourage website visitors to take action. It can be done by using microscopy, buttons, and other elements. If you’re trying to sell an Apple iPad, use a description that encourages the visitor to buy it online or visit the Apple store. This way, you’ll increase sales and build customer trust.
It Boosts Your SEO
While meta descriptions may not appear on a search engine results page, they increase the chances of people clicking on your website and spending more time browsing it. They can also help boost your SEO efforts by including keywords in your meta description. Impact of the meta description on search engine results,
Creating a great meta description can increase the chances of getting visitors from search engines, boosting your website’s search engine rankings, and potentially outranking your competitors. Ultimately, this can translate to more traffic and sales for your website. However, it is essential to note that optimizing the meta description for search engine results can be a bit of a trial-and-error process.
Functionality
Your meta description can have a variety of functions, including capturing readers’ attention and enticing them to click on the link. It appears below your page title and should include one or two of your main keywords. It is essential since searchers increasingly use mobile devices to browse the internet.
Your meta description can make or break your SEO efforts. You must select words that clearly describe the value of your product or service. You should also include a call to action if possible. You can test different lengths, phrasing, and keyword placement to see which works best for you.
While your meta description is often displayed in search engine results, it may not be displayed in every case. Search engines may ignore or edit it if it does not fit the search query. If your meta description is not optimized, Google may use any text on your page as a description. If your meta description is relevant to the search term, this is a good thing, as you can control your content.
SERP
Meta descriptions take up a good percentage of your SERP. Make sure to use this valuable real estate. If your meta description is not unique, it may not appeal to the user, and they will move on to another SERP entry. Creating a unique meta description will avoid this problem.
Your meta description may not directly affect your search engine ranking, but it can increase the click-through rate of your content. When you include the right keywords in your meta description, you will have a higher chance of capturing the attention of searchers. Furthermore, your meta description should contain targeted keywords to stand out among the rest of the results.
Guidelines for writing meta descriptions
Meta descriptions are essential in attracting potential visitors to your website. They should be clear, exciting, and actionable so that readers are motivated to click through. For example, Bonobos’ meta description is action-oriented and addresses the reader directly. When written well, the call to action will compel readers to visit your site or click the search engine results page link. The meta description should clearly state what your product or service offers, and it should be clear what the user can expect after they click through.
As a rule of thumb, meta descriptions should be between 150 and 160 characters. The meta description tag should be unique for each page. Google recommends using a site-level meta description on your home page and a page-level meta description on all other pages. If your meta description is longer, it may confuse the search engine and dilute the SEO effect.
Key Phrase
A good meta description should incorporate a key phrase. For example, if you sell a branded product, you can put the brand name in the page’s title to catch people’s attention. People are more likely to click a brand name they recognize, so it’s essential to include the brand name when creating your meta description. It’s also wise to incorporate your location. It helps to target specific consumers and generate traffic.
While meta descriptions may not provide any SEO benefit, they can help generate more clicks and increase your site’s visibility. For example, a well-written meta description can increase click-throughs when your website ranks for a related search term. Google emphasizes keywords in the SERPs to stand out as relevant to the query.
Meta descriptions are a part of advertisements and page summaries. They should be informative, readable, and accurate. Ensure they summarize the page’s content, avoiding repetitive keywords or inaccuracies. Finally, meta descriptions should be informative and not promise information unavailable on the page.
Meta Descriptions Are Essential for a Variety of Reasons
First, they give readers an overview of the content on the page. In addition, a good meta description will improve your SERP position, which can help your website get higher search engine rankings. Ideally, your meta description should be between 120 and 156 characters long. If your description is longer than this, you may miss out on a significant opportunity to be more descriptive.
It Increases Your Click-Through Rate
Second, a good meta description will increase the click-through rate. Although it is not part of the search engine’s algorithm, an appealing meta description will encourage more viewers to click on your link and view the rest of your content. It will increase your organic traffic and improve your SEO. So, when writing your meta description, try to include the following tips:
Write At Least 155 to 160 Characters
Google doesn’t have a minimum meta description length, but you should aim to write as much as possible in 155 characters. Otherwise, you will be wasting valuable space. While Google does not have a definite minimum meta description length, it has published snippets as long as 300 characters in some cases.
The maximum meta description length for desktop search results is 160 characters, but the width varies depending on the platform used to view your site. For mobile devices, however, there are no specific rules. Therefore, you should stick to the maximum meta description length recommended for the desktop. The same is true for Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo.
The Description Should Also Include Why They Should Visit Your Site
Your meta description should tell the viewer why they should click on your site; it should be persuasive and appealing to your buyer persona. It should include the target keywords of your webpage. Make sure you don’t overuse keywords. Search engines look at the context, not keyword density alone. For example, you should mention the benefits of your product or service.
The Longer the Descriptions, The Higher Your Rank In Google’s Algorithm
Meta descriptions are essential for SEO. If your meta description is long enough, it will help you rank better in Google’s algorithm. Google updates its search algorithm frequently. It changes about 500-600 times a year. Therefore, the optimal length varies from site to site
