What you need to know about meta descriptions
- Well-written meta descriptions can improve CTR
- Use a SERP preview tool to make sure they're the optimal length
- Start with a CTA (learn, find, save, etc) to encourage click through
- Include targeted search terms because they'll be bolded on the SERP
Search engine results pages typically display the meta description below the page title, so it’s another opportunity to advertise a page’s content to potential visitors. The gray text in the screenshot below shows what the meta description for Momentic’s homepage looks like on a Google search results page:
A well-written meta description can improve a page’s click-through rate from search results, so don’t skip this element when optimizing your web pages.
How to write meta descriptions for good SEO
- Write a unique meta description for each web page.
- Write meta descriptions in a conversational tone that explains the page content accurately.
- Write a concise, descriptive explanation of a page’s content that is around 160-165 characters (including spaces).1 As with the page title, we recommend using a SERP Preview Tool when creating meta descriptions. A short meta description misses out on the opportunity to take best advantage of available space on a SERP and entice the user to click on the result. A meta description that is too long gets truncated with an ellipsis (…). It’s a good rule of thumb to include the most important information early on in the meta description to ensure it is shown in SERPs.
- Anticipate what visitors will search for (targeted keywords) and include these terms in the meta description.
- The search terms people use in their search query (or very close synonyms) will appear in bold in the meta description. This can draw users’ eyes to your result.
- Include a call to action (e.g., “Learn more about...”) to encourage click-throughs. The CTA is best at the beginning of the meta description if possible.
When a page lacks a meta description, search engines often pull other text from the page to fill the spot. When you don’t have a meta description, you lose the ability to control the message that your target market sees.
<div class="post-note-cute">Depending on the exact search query, Google will often pull body text from the page and display as the meta description location on the results page. But it’s still worth optimizing your meta descriptions instead of leaving them up to chance.</div>
1 - As with the page title, we recommend using a SERP Preview Tool when creating meta descriptions. A short meta description misses out on the opportunity to take best advantage of available space on a SERP and entice the user to click on the result. A meta description that is too long gets truncated with an ellipsis (…). It’s a good rule of thumb to include the most important information early on in the meta description to ensure it is shown in SERPs.
