Meta Descriptions & SEO: Yes, They Matter (Kinda)
Is the dress blue and black or white and gold? Were Ross and Rachel on a break? Are meta descriptions and SEO connected?
Some questions seem to have been conceived just to spark a debate!
When it comes to the last one, though, the most widely-accepted answer appears to be... no, meta descriptions don’t make a difference for SEO because they’re not a ranking factor.
Well, I beg to differ: while not in a direct way, meta descriptions and SEO do go together.
Hear me out, because it’s gonna help you generate more traffic for your business website!
What is a meta description?
A meta description is an HTML tag including a snippet that’s meant to summarise the content of a specific page.
When a page shows up on Google’s SERP (Search Engine Results Page), it usually includes this meta description right below the title.
Lots of website platforms (such as Squarespace and Shopify) or WordPress plugins like Yoast SEO have a function for writing meta descriptions without having to mess with the actual HTML codes.
Phew.
Technically, what you see on Google is not always the meta description
There’s a reason why I said that this meta description usually shows up on the SERP.
In some cases, Google might decide to pull a different snippet of text from the body copy of the actual page. It’s unpredictable like that.
So, if we want to be precise, the meta description itself is not necessarily what you see when you look at Google’s results, but it can be.
In most cases? It is.
Still with me?
Good.
Let’s look at meta descriptions and SEO to see what their actual connection is.
Do meta descriptions affect SEO?
Technically, meta descriptions do not affect SEO because they’re not a direct ranking factor for Google, but they do so indirectly.
When you include your chosen keyword in your meta description and someone googles it, it will show up in bold on their end. This gives your result a higher chance of catching that person’s eye compared to those that do not include that keyword.
Because it grabs their attention, it’s more likely that they’ll want to click on your page, which basically sends Google a message that yours is the coolest kid on the block for that specific result.
So, following this logic, meta descriptions do affect SEO in their own way.
An example of how meta descriptions and SEO go together
Let’s say that, for example, a blog post was optimised for the keyword ‘succulent care tips’.
If it’s also added to the meta description, it won’t help it rank any higher, BUT here’s what it’ll look like in the SERP:
If you’ve just searched ‘succulent care tips’ and got these two results, which one would your eyes be drawn to?
The meta description example with your exact query standing out in bold characters, right?
That’s why you should always include your keyword in the SEO meta description tag.
Writing a meta description for SEO and your audience
Right, now that you understand the unusual link between meta descriptions and SEO, lemme show you how to write them properly.
Aim for the correct meta description length
Have you ever noticed how some meta descriptions end abruptly with an ellipsis?
That’s because there’s a meta description character limit that you must always keep in mind when writing them.
So, your meta description should be between 70 and 160 characters: that’s long enough to describe the content of your page but not so long that it gets cropped by Google.
However, in reality, the ideal meta description length is about pixels rather than characters.
If you’d rather be safe than sorry, you can check your meta description length with a specific tool.
Describe the content of your page and add a CTA
Sure, the aim of your meta description is to describe the content of your page, but it’s also to convince your readers to click on that result rather than any of your competitors’.
So, tease the content that they can expect to find, leave them wanting more, and include an unmissable call to action.
Check out this good meta description example:
It establishes an immediate connection with the reader, mentioning something that they’re extremely likely to relate to since they’ve searched that particular query.
After stating the problem, this meta description offers a solution: the user will be able to overcome their pain point if they read that article that teaches them how to create a morning routine that makes them wake up ‘energetic, productive and happy.’
Include your keyword
Now that you know that meta descriptions and SEO are connected, don’t forget to include your main keyword in there, too.
As you’ve seen in those meta description examples, it will show up in bold.
So, what is a good meta description for SEO?
Overall, a good meta description for SEO:
ranges between 70 and 160 characters
describes or teases the content of the page
ends with an attention-grabbing call to action
includes the target keyword
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