How To Write A Good Meta Description & Get More Clicks On Your Website

The meta description is an essential part of your website because it’s what people see when searching for something on Google and other search engines. It is also one of the first things visitors will notice about your site.

Meta descriptions are a great way to increase traffic to your website. They can help you rank better in search results and get more clicks from potential customers.

But how do you write a practical meta description?

In this article, I will show you some tips and tricks on how to write a good meta description that gets clicks on your website.

What is Meta Description?

A meta description is a piece of HTML that gives a summary of a web page. A meta description tag is a part of the search snippet on a search engine results page (SERP). It is meant to give the user an idea of what is on the page and its relation to their search query.

Those words that match the search term are bolded in the text. The goal is to get the searcher to click through to your site.

The meta description is usually displayed below the title tag of a web page. The meta description is used by search engine robots like Google and Bing to display snippets of text describing the content found on a particular webpage.

They let Google know what your web page will be about, which is why they are essential. If Google can read and understand your meta description, they will have a better chance of putting your page at the top of search results.

What Is The Best Length For Meta Descriptions?

You can’t find the right length of text. It depends on what you want to say. To get the point across, you should use enough space and keep it short and quick. However, if you look at the search results in Google, you’ll mostly see snippets that are 120 to 156 characters long, like in the example shown above.

Because we can’t always change Google’s results, we can’t do everything we want. Sometimes it shows the meta description, and other times it just takes a few sentences from your text and adds them to the page. The best thing to do is to keep it short. It’s so that if Google does show the meta description you’ve written, it won’t be cut short.

Meta description length also depends upon the pixel density of the user screen. We recommend to user Potent’s SERP Snippet Preview, which will assist you in writing a meta description with an optimal length. 

how to write a good meta description

Is Meta Description A Ranking Signal?

No, because it is not an SEO ranking factor.

Google says that meta descriptions should NOT be used as ranking signals. It is also crucial to remember that the quality of the meta description will also impact the click-through rates, so it is vital to use this element wisely.

Things To Know Before Writing A Perfect Meta Description

Before we start writing our meta description, let’s go over some basic rules for meta descriptions:

1) Use keywords to describe your product or service. This helps both users and search engines.

2) Keep it under 160 characters. You don’t need to worry about the character limit. But make sure you include your keyword(s) within those 160 characters.

3) Try to avoid using too many exclamation marks. They may appear natural when talking about your products or services, but they increase the chances of being filtered out by Google.

4) Make sure that your meta description contains only relevant information. Don’t write something generic. Instead, try to focus on one specific aspect of your business.

5) Be careful with the order of the words. Start with the most important ones first (like your brand name), then move on to the main benefits of your product/service, and finally end with the price.

6) Make sure that you don’t repeat yourself. If you already wrote a similar meta description for another page, you shouldn’t use it again.

7) Always test different variations of your meta description. There is no such thing as “one size fits all”.

8) Finally, check how well your meta description performs. If it doesn’t perform well, then you might consider changing it.

9) Now that you know the basics of creating compelling meta descriptions, let’s dive into the process.

Now Let’s Write a Quality Meta Description That Improves Your Website CTR

You can use meta descriptions as a great way to engage users on the search engine results page and improve your organic traffic.

Here are some tips on how to write meta descriptions that drive clicks to your website. Below are four tips that will help you create more captivating meta descriptions.

Keyword Focused Description

If you’re selling a product or service, you want to make sure that you create a keyword-focused meta description. In other words, you want to target people looking for what you sell. So, before you begin writing your meta description, think about what terms people would type in a search bar. Then, add these keywords to your meta description. 

According to the company, if the search term matches a portion of the content in the meta description, Google will be more likely to utilize it and highlight it in the search results. In this way, the link to your website will appear much more enticing. Google will occasionally emphasize synonyms in its results. Check out the below example of a keyword-focused meta description:

Add Action Driving Text

When writing your meta description, you should always include action-driven text. For instance, if you were selling an eCommerce site, you could say “Shop now!” or “Buy now!”. These phrases get attention because they tell users exactly what they can do on your website.

The problem with these phrases is that they sound like sales pitches. This isn’t good for SEO. When someone sees a term like “shop now!”, they’ll assume that you’re trying to push them towards buying something right away. You don’t want to give off that impression.

Instead, you can use phrases like “Find out more” or “Learn more”. These phrases aren’t as direct, but they still convey the same message. They encourage visitors to click through to learn more about your business.

Use Call To Actions

Another tip when writing your meta description is to use a call to action. People love clicking buttons! It’s one of the reasons why social media sites have become so popular. The reason why we love clicking buttons? Because we know that doing so will lead us somewhere new.

So, when writing your meta description, try to incorporate calls to action. For instance, you could say, “Click here to find out more.” Or “Visit our homepage to see our latest offers.”

These phrases are short enough to fit within a meta description without being too long. But, they also provide value to your readers by giving them the information they need.

Make It Content Focused

This is a highly significant point. If you add a description of your site’s content in the meta description, Google will trust your site more. Also, inaccurate meta descriptions will almost certainly result in lost customers, which will decrease the trust that consumers have in your site. Said, it’s a horrible idea for a variety of reasons. That is why the meta description must correspond to the content on the page.

For instance, if you’re selling shoes, you probably wouldn’t write a meta description that says “Shoes for men” since that doesn’t match up with the content on the page at all. Instead, you’d write something like “Men’s Shoes from $10.99”.

It would be best to focus on the keywords you want to rank for. So, if you’re looking to rank for the keyword “shoe”, then you shouldn’t put any other words in your meta description.

You should also avoid using keywords that are too generic. Generic terms describe a broad category of products. For example, if you sell shoes, you should not use the word “shoes” in your meta description. Instead, it would be best if you used phrases like “men’s shoes” or “women’s shoes”.

Ready To Write Good Meta Descriptions?

As part of your onsite SEO, meta descriptions are essential elements. You should make sure that each meta description is unique and descriptive of their page.

Regardless of whether you have a blog or a product page, you should include meta descriptions on every page of your site.

Our on-page SEO services cover all the aspects mentioned above and draft meta descriptions for your website accordingly. Call us to know more about how we can help you increase your CTR!