A meta description is an HTML tag used to summarise the content of a web page. This description is displayed underneath the title and URL of the web page as it appears in the search engine results page. The ideal meta description character limit is 150-160.

What is the purpose of meta description?

As mentioned above, the meta description provides a brief summary of a web page. Meta descriptions help in generating Click Through Rates (CTR) – which refers to how many people have clicked the link after seeing it. It helps Google determine if the page is a good result. If more people click on the link, Google considers it to be a good result and may improve the SEO ranking accordingly.

What is the meta description character limit?

The optimal meta description character limit is between 150-160. Keeping it under 160 characters ensures that the reader can see the entire text of the results page. Longer paragraphs get truncated.

What is the optimal format of meta descriptions?

Meta descriptions should contain relevant information related to the search query. The meta description should be written in a compelling way, using keywords that the page is targeting.

 

Here we share with you useful insights on writing compelling meta descriptions:

– Never use double quotation marks:

  • Google cuts off the meta description with double quotation marks. It is better to use single quotation marks, if required.
  • Do not use special characters: Just double quotation marks, avoid using punctuation characters such as exclamation mark, at symbol, question mark, etc. Non-alphanumeric characters in meta descriptions. Google trunctuates meta description with special characters.

– Include a CTA in the meta descriptions:

  • CTA refers to Call-to-Action.
  • Using a CTA in the meta description is a great way to compel the users to click on your link.
  • Using phrases such as — ‘Click Here’, ‘Shop Now’ or ‘Learn Now’ can compel users to click on your website. You can use CTAs to offer an email sign up, sell your product or direct users to your social media pages.
  • CTAs help the users to understand what your content is about and they can expect what they will be offered if they click the link.

– Focus or add value to your meta description:

  • Add words to increase the value of your meta description.
  • Describing the value of your offer to attract people to click.
  • Treat meta description as a way to advertise your product or service.
  • When the reader reads the meta description, they should easily understand what your offer is. This helps them decide on whether it is worth their time.
  • Use words, such as ‘see’, ‘check’, ‘learn’ ‘watch’, ‘best’, ‘new’, ‘trendy’ or ‘limited deal’.

– Give an unique and interesting touch to your meta description:

  • Grab your reader’s attention by using unique and interesting approaches.
  • Use relevant phrases that a searcher will want to click.

– Avoid using duplicate meta description tags:

  • Do not use the same meta description on each page.
  • Just like title tags, meta descriptions on each page need to be unique.

– Use your focus keyword:

  • Use your primary keyword in the meta description text.
  • If the search term matches with the keyword, Google will highlight your page in the search results.

 

Need help with your SEO strategy?

SEO is all about details and writing meta descriptions requires good writing skills as well as knowledge of how search engines work. As a leading an award-winning digital marketing agency, we can help you come with up an effective SEO strategy that is tailored to the needs of your business. We will help you capture users’ attention on SERPs (search engine results pages) with well-optimised meta descriptions.