When you’re creating or adding to your website, there are many steps you need to take before publishing. One of them is creating a meta description for each page of your site, including blog pages. A meta description is a short blurb of text that summarizes the information provided on a page. When users look for information on the internet via search engines, such as Google, these descriptions appear below the blue link on results pages. The purpose of meta descriptions is to help a user decide whether or not they want to click the link to read the information on your website. The more traffic you drive to your site, the higher you rank on search engine results. Therefore, it’s essential to provide high-quality meta descriptions to boost your exposure. To help you stand out, here are some best practices on how to craft the perfect meta description.
Keep a Meta Description Short
Depending on how long and how detailed a webpage is, you might struggle to sum up all that information. It’s best to keep in mind that, as of March 2019, Google only displays between 130 to 155 characters of a meta description in its results. If your text is longer than that, it likely will not be posted. Also, keep in mind that the number of characters that show up in results fluctuates depending on the device a user is using, with a desktop computer only showing around 160 characters and a mobile device displaying about 140 characters.
Include a Call-to-Action
The overall goal of a meta description is for the user to click on the link above it and go to your website for more information. To help achieve this goal, make sure to include a call-to-action in every meta description. Effective calls-to-action include: “Click here,” “Learn more,” and “Read more here”. These calls-to-action will help guide a user to your site for more information.
Make it Unique
If you have more than one page on your site relating to the same topic and want to use the same meta description for both pages—don’t. To stand out from the hundreds or thousands of search engine results, each page needs its own unique meta description. Using repetitive meta descriptions also can cause duplicate content issues for your website. Make each page stand out by giving them one or two unique keywords.
Implementing the right meta descriptions on your site will help you stand out from the crowd on search engine results. Need help with meta descriptions or other SEO components? Contact the Evolved Office team today to learn more about our services for Business Solutions Providers.