Let’s say you’re trying to boost your SEO with some simple tweaks. One thing you will likely do is use a tool like Yoast to add keywords and improve your meta descriptions. Writing meta descriptions is a great way to help drive traffic and conversions to your website, and this week, we will explain how.
What is a meta description?
To put it simply, a meta description is a small description under a link in search engines to describe the page. It must be summarised in 155 to 160 characters. Unlike the page title, they are not a ranking factor. However, they are used to entice users to your page.
Let’s say you’re searching for a “local printing company”. The search page is quite complex, but let’s ignore any ads or images and just focus on the organic search results. On Google, the title tag will be in blue and are the title of the web page. Below this is the meta description.
Dissecting a home page meta description
Good descriptions give the reader a brief overview of what the website is about. It also gives them a reason to click the title tag. You only have a few words to do this, so what you write must be punchy and enticing.
When to write a meta description
Now, we’re not saying every single page should have a catchy meta description. Google will automatically create a description by pulling content from the page. However, some pages are worth optimising. We suggest focusing on the best pages that you think will bring organic traffic from search engines.
Using meta descriptions for sales
In a sense, meta descriptions are there to make a promise to searchers. That promise is that your page is the page they are looking for. Your main focus here is the customer. This means that the descriptions for your pages should focus on how the customer would be affected by what you have to offer, whether it be a product or a service. The landing page must then demonstrate that your brand matches the customer’s needs.
Repetition is key
Due to the short character count, you do not have a lot of time to make a positive impression with your audience. So, once you have found the message you would like to convey for your overall brand, make sure each word you choose conveys this message.
Create, manage, optimise
We hope you found this article helpful and that you feel more confident with how you can make your meta descriptions for your website. Of course, if you feel like this is something you simply don’t have time for and would prefer to spend more time on simply providing a service for your customers, then look no further. Search and More is here to create, manage and optimise your SEO strategy to ensure you increase traffic and boost sales. Get in touch to find out more.
