SEO for Beginners: What Is a Meta Description?

The world of optimizing your content for search engines can be pretty overwhelming for the uninitiated. From picking the right keywords to using the correct tags, there are certainly a lot of moving parts when it comes to SEO.

One term you’re likely to come across early on in your education is “meta description.” But what exactly is a meta description, and how do you go about writing one? In this article, DLinkers answer those questions and more.

What Is a Meta Description?

If you’ve ever searched for something on Google (of course you have), you’ve probably noticed that beneath each result is a brief description of what you’ll find if you click through. That description is what’s known as a “meta description.”

Meta descriptions are HTML attributes that provide concise summaries of webpages. They are around 155-160 characters long and appear under the title tag on search engine results pages (SERPs).

They give searchers an idea of what your page is about, and can impact whether or not they click through to visit your site.

Why are meta descriptions important to your SEO?

While meta descriptions don’t directly impact your ranking on SERPs, they are indirectly responsible for boosting your SEO. How so? Well, as we just mentioned, meta descriptions are what show up beneath your title tag on SERPs.

And what’s the first thing people see when they search? The title tag, of course. So, if your title and meta description is compelling, you’re more likely to get clicks.

The more clicks you get, the better your click-through rate (CTR). And a high CTR is a ranking factor for SEO. Even Google recommends using meta descriptions, saying they are “useful in helping improve the click-through rate to your site.”

That said, sometimes Google doesn’t use your meta description. If your meta description is missing or irrelevant, Google will pull something else from your page to use as the description.

So, make sure that every meta description is interesting and reflective of the content of your page. After all, a good meta description can make the difference between a searcher clicking on your website and moving on to another result.

How to write a good meta description: 7 Steps

Step 1: Find out what your audience is searching for

The first step in writing a good meta description is understanding what your audience is actually searching for. The best way to do this is by using keyword research tools like SEMrush, Google Keyword Planner, and BuzzSumo.

With SEMrush, you can enter a seed keyword to see what related phrases people are searching for (local SEO). For example, if we enter the keyword “mountain boots” into SEMrush, we get a list of related keywords like “best mountain boots,” “mountain boots for men,” and “waterproof mountain boots.”

This is valuable information because it lets you know what phrases you should be targeting with your meta descriptions (what is keyword difficulty).

Step 2: Think about the benefit to your audience.

Think about it from your audience’s perspective: what’s in it for them? Why should they click on your result over any of the others?

Your meta description is your chance to sell your page, so make sure you’re giving searchers a compelling reason to visit your site.

Benefit-driven meta descriptions are more likely to result in clicks because they let searchers know what they can expect to find on your page.

Step 3: Use keywords and phrases (sparingly)

From the research you did in step 1, you should have a good idea of what keywords and phrases your audience is using to search.

Make sure to use those keywords and phrases in your meta description, but don’t go overboard. You want to sound natural, not like you’re stuffing keywords in there for the sake of it. Highlight one or two of the most important keywords or phrases, and use them sparingly throughout your meta description.

For example, if we’re targeting the keyword “best mountain boots,” we might say something like, “Need a pair of tough, waterproof boots for your next hike? Check out our selection of the best mountain boots on the market.”

This example uses the keyword “best mountain boots” sparingly, while still making it clear to searchers what they can expect to find on the page.

Step 4: Keep it under 155 characters

A meta description should be around 155 characters long. That’s not a lot of space, so you need to make every word count.

Making it short and sweet is especially important because searchers will often see your meta description as a preview of what’s on your page.

If it’s too long, Google will cut it off, and searchers will only see the beginning of your meta description. So, make sure you’re getting your point across in as few words as possible. Here’s a general guide on what you should include in a meta description:

• The main keyword or phrase for the page
• A compelling benefit that speaks to what the searcher is looking for
• A call to action (optional)

With those three things in mind, you should be able to write a meta description that’s both informative and persuasive.

Step 5: Take inspiration from your competitors.

If you’re having trouble coming up with a good meta description, take a look at what your competitors are doing.

Use a tool like SEMrush to find out what keywords they’re ranking for, and then check out the meta descriptions for those keywords. You can also use BuzzSumo to see what content is performing well for a particular topic or keyword.

Both of these tools will give you some good ideas about what’s working for other people in your niche, which you can then use to improve your meta descriptions.

You can also check out meta descriptions simply by doing a Google search. Just enter your keyword and there you’ll find the meta descriptions for each of the results. 

Know more about this topic by checking out How to Uncover Content Marketing Techniques from Competition. 

Step 6: Make sure the meta description matches what’s on the page.

If your meta description promises one thing but your page delivers something else, searchers are going to be disappointed, and they’re not likely to click on your result. When that happens, it not only hurts your click-through rate but also hurts your SEO.

So, take a look at your page and make sure that the meta description you’ve written accurately reflects what’s on the page. If it doesn’t, make some changes until it does.

Read more: SEO Best Practices: What’s Changing? An Expert Explains. 

Step 7: Create a formula, but tailor it to each page.

Creating a formula for your meta descriptions is a good way to make sure that they’re all well-written and effective. But, you also need to make sure that you’re tailoring each meta description to the specific page it’s on.

A good formula would be something like this:

Main keyword or phrase + benefit that speaks to the searcher + call to action

For example, if we’re targeting the keyword “best mountain boots,” our meta description might look something like this:

Going back to our meta description example: “Need a pair of tough, waterproof boots for your next hike? Check out our selection of the best mountain boots on the market. Plus, we offer free shipping on all orders over $100.”

As you can see, this meta description hits all the key points we talked about earlier. It includes the keyword, it promises a benefit that speaks to what the searcher is looking for, and it has a call to action.

That said, you don’t want to use the same meta description for every page on your site. Remember, each page is targeting a different keyword, so you need to make sure that your meta descriptions are unique to each page.

Adapt your formula to each page, and make sure that you’re including the keyword for that specific page in the meta description. Doing that will help you create meta descriptions that are both effective and unique!

Read More: How Can Personalization Help In Content Optimization. 

FAQs

Q: What is the best way to write a meta description?

A: The best way to write a meta description is to include the main keyword or phrase for the page, a compelling benefit that speaks to what the searcher is looking for, and a call to action. You should also make sure that each meta description is unique to the specific page it’s on.

Q: Do meta descriptions need to be unique?

A: Yes, meta descriptions should be unique to each page on your site. This is because each page is targeting a different keyword, so you need to make sure that your meta descriptions are relevant to the keyword for that page.

Q: What’s the character limit for meta descriptions?

A: The character limit for meta descriptions is 160 characters. However, you don’t want to use all 160 characters just because you can. 

Instead, aim for around 155 characters so that your meta description doesn’t get cut off in Google’s search results.

Conclusion

The key to writing good meta descriptions is to make them both informative and persuasive. Include the keyword you’re targeting, a benefit that speaks to what the searcher is looking for, and a call to action, and you should be able to write a meta description that’s both effective and clickable!