Meta Descriptions: What They Are and How to Write Them 

You’ve probably seen a meta description before and not even realized it. A meta description is the short paragraph of text that appears below a website’s URL in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Meta descriptions are not visible on the website itself; they only appear in the SERPs. 

While meta descriptions don’t directly impact your website’s search engine rankings, they are important because they can influence whether or not someone clicks through to your website. A well-written meta description can be the difference between a searcher finding what they’re looking for on your website or moving on to a competitor’s site. 

In this blog post, we’ll discuss what meta descriptions are, how to write them, and why they’re important. By the end of this post, you’ll have a better understanding of how to optimize your own website’s meta descriptions. 

What are Meta Descriptions? 

As we mentioned before, a meta description is the short paragraph of text that appears below a website’s URL in the SERPs. Meta descriptions give searchers a brief overview of what they can expect to find on your website. 

Meta descriptions are meant to be an accurate representation of your website’s content. However, because there is a character limit (more on that later), you may not be able to include everything from your page in the meta description. As such, it’s important to be strategic about what you include in your meta description so that you can entice searchers to click through to your website. 

How to Write Meta Descriptions 

Now that you know what meta descriptions are, let’s talk about how to write them. Here are some tips: 

Keep it under 155 characters

Google typically displays the first 155 characters of a meta description in the SERPs. As such, you want to make sure that your most important information is included within this character limit.

Use natural language

Write your meta descriptions as if you’re talking to someone directly. This will help ensure that your descriptions are easy to read and understand. Avoid using jargon or technical terms whenever possible. 

Include keywords

When relevant, include one or two of your target keywords in your meta description so that searchers know that your website is relevant to their needs/ interests. However, don’t stuff your keywords into the description just for the sake of including them—this will only serve to irritate searchers and make them less likely to click through to your site.  

Focus on value

Remember, the goal of your meta description is to encourage searchers to visit your website. As such, you want to make sure that you’re providing value in your description by letting searchers know what they can expect to find on your site (e.g., helpful information, product discounts, etc.). If you can do this effectively, you’ll be more likely to see an increase in click-through rates (CTRs). 

Make each page unique

Just as each page on your website should have unique title tags and H1s, each page should also have its own unique meta description—don’t try to cram multiple pages into one meta description! Not only is this bad for SEO, but it will also lead to lower CTRs as searchers will be less likely to click through if they feel like they’re being misled about what they’ll find on your site. 

Why are meta descriptions important?

As we mentioned before, meta descriptions are important because they can influence whether or not someone clicks through to your website. A well-written meta description can be the difference between a searcher finding what they’re looking for on your website or moving on to a competitor’s site. 

In addition to helping improve CTRs, meta descriptions can also impact your website’s SEO. Google uses click-through rates as a ranking factor, so if your meta descriptions are effective, it could result in higher rankings in the SERPs. 

Overall, meta descriptions are an important part of on-page optimization and should not be overlooked. By following the tips we’ve outlined in this post, you can write meta descriptions that will help improve your CTRs and, as a result, your website’s traffic and SEO. 

Meta Description Examples

To give you a better idea of what a good meta description looks like, we’ve compiled a few examples:

Meta Descriptions in the Search Results

The meta description in displayed below the breadcrumb and title in the search SERPs.

Meta Descriptions in Social Sharing

When posting a link to social sharing websites like Facebook or Twitter, the page’s meta description is pulled and displayed. If no meta description is found, it will usually create one by default by using the first text found on the page. This can lead to a poor user experience, so we always recommend double checking your meta descriptions have been added before sharing pages.

Meta Description HTML code example

<head>
<meta name="description" content="Looking for SEO Rochester NY? We offer a wide range of SEO services to help businesses in Rochester NY reach their full potential.">
</head>

Your meta description can be checked by viewing the source code of your page. It’s typically found just under the title tag, within the <head> section of your pages HTML markup.

Frequently Asked Question about Meta Descriptions

Why won’t Google use my meta description?

If you’ve added a meta description to your page and it’s not appearing in the search results, there are a few potential reasons:

While there are a few potential reasons why your meta description might not be appearing in the search results, the most common reason is that you’re simply not using relevant, keyword rich meta descriptions. If you make sure your meta descriptions are relevant and optimized for your target keywords, you should have no problem getting them to appear in the search results.

Do meta descriptions affect search rankings?

Meta descriptions don’t directly affect your website’s search rankings. However, as we mentioned before, they can impact your click-through rates, which are a ranking factor for Google. So while meta descriptions don’t directly affect your rankings, they can indirectly impact them by helping you get more clicks from the search results.

Can you use ampersand in meta description?

You can use ampersand (&) in your meta descriptions, but we recommend avoiding it if possible. The reason for this is that some browsers and devices will automatically convert the ampersand into its HTML entity (&), which can lead to your meta description being cut off prematurely.

If you do choose to use an ampersand in your meta description, we recommend placing it at the end of the description to avoid any potential issues.

Do meta descriptions need to be unique?

Meta descriptions don’t technically need to be unique, but we highly recommend that you make them unique for each page on your website. The reason for this is that Google may choose to ignore your meta description altogether if it’s not unique.

Additionally, even if Google does choose to use your meta description, having the same description across multiple pages can lead to a poor user experience. If a searcher clicks on your listing and sees the same meta description they just saw for another listing, they’re likely to click back to the search results and pick a different listing.

For these reasons, we recommend taking the time to write unique meta descriptions for each page on your website. It may seem like a lot of work, but it’s worth it in the long run.

How many characters should my meta description be?

Google typically displays the first 155-160 characters of a meta description in the search results. However, we recommend keeping your meta descriptions to around 155 characters to avoid getting truncated.

While it’s technically possible to have a meta description that’s longer than 160 characters, Google is likely to truncate it in the search results. This can lead to a poor user experience, as the searcher won’t be able to see the full description before clicking on your listing.

For this reason, we recommend keeping your meta descriptions to around 155 characters. This will give you enough room to include your target keywords and a compelling call-to-action, without having to worry about getting truncated.

How long does it take for Google to change meta description?

Google doesn’t typically make changes to meta descriptions immediately. However, if you make a change to your meta description and resubmit your sitemap, Google will usually pick up the new description within a few days.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that Google will use your new meta description in the search results. However, if you make sure your meta descriptions are relevant and optimized for your target keywords, you should have no problem getting them to appear in the search results.

Conclusion 

Meta descriptions may seem like a small thing, but they can actually have a big impact on how successful your website is in attracting visitors from organic search traffic. By following the tips outlined above, you can write effective meta descriptions that will help increase CTRs and drive more traffic (and potential customers!) to your site.

For more information, check out this resource provided by Google.