What is Meta Description?
ELI5 — The Simple Version
Think of when you're at a library, looking at lots of books. Each book has a little note from the author, giving you a quick idea of what the story is about. That's like a meta description! It's a short summary of what a webpage is about, similar to the blurb on a book cover. When you search online, search engines show these summaries, helping you pick which link to click. Why is this important? Just like a good book summary can make you choose one book over another, a well-written meta description can make people click on your webpage instead of someone else's. It's your chance to say, 'Hey, this is exactly what you're looking for!' So, having a great meta description can help get more people to visit your website.
Technical Deep Dive
Definition
A meta description is an HTML attribute that provides a brief summary of a web page. It appears in search engine results pages (SERPs) to inform users about the content of the page and can influence the click-through rate (CTR) from organic search to landing pages.
How It Works
- 1.Written as a concise paragraph, typically between 150-160 characters.
- 2.Placed within the HTML code of a web page, specifically in the
section. - 3.Search engines display this text in search results, beneath the page title and URL.
- 4.Influences user behavior by providing relevant and compelling information about the web page content.
Key Characteristics
- Character Limit: Between 150-160 characters to avoid truncation.
- Relevance: Must accurately summarize the content of the page.
- Call to Action: Often includes persuasive language to encourage clicks.
Comparison
| Feature | Meta Description | Title Tag |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Describes page content for SERPs | Names the page for browsers/SERPs |
| Length | 150-160 characters | 50-60 characters |
| Influence on CTR | Direct impact on user clicks | Direct impact on user clicks |
| Displayed in SERPs | Yes | Yes |
Real-World Example
A case study by Portent demonstrated that pages with optimized meta descriptions experienced a 5.8% increase in organic traffic. They utilized A/B testing with tools like Google Optimize to refine descriptions based on user engagement metrics.
Best Practices
- Keep it concise and within 150-160 characters.
- Use active voice and include a call to action.
- Ensure it aligns with the content of the page.
- Include relevant keywords naturally.
- Regularly update and test using tools such as Optimizely or VWO.
Common Misconceptions
- Meta descriptions affect search rankings. While they don't directly affect rankings, they impact CTR, which can influence SEO indirectly.
- All meta descriptions are displayed in search results. Sometimes, search engines generate their own snippets based on the search query.
- Longer descriptions are better. Descriptions longer than 160 characters may be truncated, reducing their effectiveness.