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Anybody who is using SEO to improve their business needs to know how to write a great meta description. But why? Well, one of the first things a potential customer will see before clicking on your website. For those who don’t know what a meta description is, they have come to the right place, as SEO agency Digital Funnel is here to help you understand. Before giving you some expert tips on writing one, let’s explain what it is first.

What is a meta description?

A meta description, which is an HTML meta tag, is a roughly 155-character overview of the information on your webpage. It is the text snippet that shows up in search engine results pages beneath the title of your page.

When the meta description also contains the keywords, search engines display it in search results. While meta descriptions, unlike page titles, do not affect SEO rankings, they do encourage people to click through to a page and are an important component of efficient on-page SEO.

How do you write a great meta description?

Although these are short and only contain around 155 characters, there are a few rules to follow to get it right.

Keep it at a max of 155 characters

There isn’t an ideal length; it all depends on the point you’re trying to make. Keep it brief and crisp while still giving the message you intend to give. However, if you look through Google’s search results, you’ll typically find snippets of between 120 and 156 characters.

Use active voice

You must consider your users’ and the reasons they came to your page. Make sure your description isn’t tedious, challenging, or overly vague. People should be aware of what to expect from your page.

Have a CTA

People will be persuaded to go through to your page if there is a call to action in your meta description. They help readers understand what you have to offer and what to expect after they click. Pay attention to the various reasons why customers may be searching for eCommerce stores.

The following are good examples:

  • Call now!
  • Shop now!
  • Explore the collection.

Use the keyword

Google will be more likely to use and promote it in the search results if the keyword matches a section of the meta description. This will further enhance the appeal of the connection to your website. Google will sometimes highlight synonyms. For example, if the keyword for the webpage is ‘SEO Dublin’ then include this in the meta description. 

Make sure the meta matches the content of your page

If you try to deceive users into clicking on your result by using the meta descriptions, Google will find out. If you do that, you could even face punishment. However, in addition to that, inaccurate descriptions will probably also raise your bounce rate. Therefore, individuals will have less faith in your business. For that reason alone, it is a horrible idea. For this reason, you need the meta description to match the page’s content.

Make it unique

The user experience on Google will suffer if your meta description is the same as those for other pages. All of your pages will look the same even if their titles may differ since they all have the same descriptions.

You’d be better off keeping it blank than producing repeated meta descriptions. Google will choose a snippet from the page that contains the query’s keyword. The ideal strategy is to create a distinctive meta description for each page you wish to rank.

Get extra clicks to your website.

Now that you know how to write a great meta description, use it to your advantage to increase the clicks to your website. Keep it at a max of 155 characters, use the active voice, have a call to action, use your focused keyword, make it unique and ensure it matches the information on your webpage. Follow these tips to increase your CTR and decrease your bounce rate.