What is a Meta Description
A meta description is an HTML element that provides a brief summary of your webpage. The meta description is a meta tag located in the <head> section of an HTML document.
Where do Meta Descriptions Appear?
Meta descriptions are most notably found within search engine results pages (SERPs), below page titles.
The below screenshot depicts the meta description for my homepage within SERPs.
Additionally, you can also view the meta description by viewing a webpage source code. Again, my homepage has the below meta description.
The code for the meta description reads,
<meta name=”description” content=”Hi! I’m Edwin Romero. I’m based out of Chicago and specializingSEO consulting for Demandware. I have thorough experience in Demandware, SFCC, Magento and e-Commerce”>
Where,
- meta name=”description” denotes the “name” of the meta tag and,
- content=”…” denotes the content found within the meta description tag.
Is the Meta Description a Google Ranking Factor?
In September 2019, Google announced that both the meta description and meta keywords were no longer a ranking factor within its ranking algorithm.
Meta descriptions indirectly impact ranking performance as an optimized meta description can impact Click Through Rate (CTR), which can impact a site’s ability to rank.
Why are Meta Descriptions Important?
Although meta descriptions are not tied to ranking factors, they do impact the manner in which users click through to your website – that is, meta descriptions affect the Click Through Rate (CTR).
A meta description should be optimized to include relevant and eye-catching copy that encourages users to click to a website.
What if you Don’t Have a Meta Description?
If a meta description is omitted from a web page but search engines deem the web page relevant to rank within search results, search engines will pull from the most relevant HTML text to populate within the SERPs.
Keep in mind, this also occurs when meta descriptions do exist on page. Google will pull from other parts of the page if it deems it more relevant to a user’s search phrase.
It is still best practice to include a meta description so as to have a handle on a tailored message to searchers without search engines automatically pulling one.
Meta Description Best Practices
Watch out for Length
Generally speaking meta descriptions should be limited up to 160 – 165 characters. You may find that meta description length can vary depending on situations – search query, search user device, relevancy, etc. – but the end goal should continue to be around providing a descriptive summary of your webpage.
Be Descriptive
To ensure your meta description is a summary that is worth clicking for users, ensure that you use a mixture of keywords, adjectives, details, and calls to action. Each page should have a custom meta description.
Center Around Keyword Usage
Keyword research should be an integral part of your process. It should feed what content will be found on your targeted web page. The research you performed should also extend to your meta description. Use the targeted keyword found in your research but also any other similar phrases you may have identified.
Avoid Keyword Stuffing
Alongside your keyword research you may find there are numerous phrases you want to include in your meta description. It’s important to avoid keyword overuse for the sake of squeezing in additional phrases. If you’re using a meta description as a way to squeeze in keywords, and only prioritizing user experience after that, you’re doing something wrong.
Call-to-Action
A Call-to-Action (CTA) is the act of encouraging searchers to interact with the search result, i.e. clicking through to the page. Including a strong and subtle CTA within a met description, will continue to help drive performance to a webpage but should continue to remain relevant and provide value.
Focus on a Summary
Writing an optimized meta description is a balancing act. You want to provide as much detail as you can in 165 characters all the while providing a reason for users to click through, with. Focus on maintaining a detailed summary of your webpage but also following the best practices above.
