Have you ever Googled a bar or a restaurant to see what’s near you and what they have to offer? Then you know that under each name there is typically a description of the bar or restaurant. This lets you know if it’s a full service bar, whether or not there is music, if the venue offers food, etc.
The little blurb under the bar’s name in the search results is similar to the meta description of a page on the internet. The meta description lets searchers know what information they will find when they click on the link.
What is a Meta Description
As described earlier, the meta description gives the reader a summary of the page linked to. The meta description will appear in search results, usually directly below the page title. An incomplete or missing meta description means that searchers will be less likely to click on your page.
How to Use It
Meta descriptions are written using short HTML code. The tag will look like this:
<meta name=”description” content=”This is a meta description of a page”>
If you use a plugin like Yoast SEO then you don’t have to worry about HTML coding. You can simply type the meta description in plain text in the appropriate box provided by the plugin.
Best Practices
There are several recommended practices to use to write the best meta descriptions for SEO:
- Make the meta description for each page on your site unique. The meta description should accurately describe the content of the page and should not be copied from another page.
- Insert your keywords in the meta description. For best results, place your keywords at the beginning of the meta description so they will not be cut out if the snippet is truncated by search engines.
- Use a minimum of 70 characters and a maximum of 130 characters in the meta description. This will help ensure that the snippet is keyword heavy and will not have the end truncated.
- Write with the reader in mind. While it may be challenging to limit your number of characters and work in keywords, strive to do that while maintaining a natural style of writing that reflects what people are searching for.
Sometimes your meta description will be the difference clicking your website vs your competitor’s. Stack the odds in your favor!
Need help with meta descriptions? WebWiskee’s DIY website builder will help to make sure you use them correctly. We’re making it easier than ever for you to take your shot and get your website found on Google! We think of it like this: WebWiskee gathers all the essential ingredients to build the perfect cocktail, but you’re doing the actual mixology. While you build your site, we’ll help guide you with best-practices when it comes to meta descriptions.
