The number one on-page SEO factor might be content. But great content and a high page ranking are meaningless if the meta description isn’t enticing enough to bring in the readers.
A meta description is a brief paragraph or snippet of text explaining the content of a webpage. While Google insists that meta descriptions are not a ranking signal, the more descriptive, attractive, and relevant this snippet, the more likely someone will head to your site.
Want to learn how to write a meta description for SEO success? Keep reading to find out!
Include Keywords
Meta descriptions might not have a direct influence on page rankings. But, as you can view here for more industry-specific examples, meta descriptions are one of the many SEO tools you can use to attract more people to your website.
For this reason, you should always include keywords in your SEO description. Your primary keyword is a must as search engines will often highlight the searcher’s query words in your snippet. And, if possible, try to include a relevant secondary keyword, especially if includes popular synonyms of the main keyword.
Prioritize Legibility
When crafting your meta description, remember that you’re trying to appeal to human readers. As such, your copy needs to read like a normal, human-written sentence. In contrast, a bad meta description example might read more like this:
“Looking for fruit smoothie recipes? For all the best fruit smoothie recipes, make sure to check out this list of delicious fruit smoothie recipes.”
This meta description makes it very clear that the content is about fruit smoothie recipes. But such a short paragraph stuffed with the same keywords screams “spammy website“, and is sure to turn potential readers off in droves.
Treat It Like an Ad
A meta description must match the page content it describes, but that’s no reason to settle for snooze-worthy snippet writing. Instead, treat the meta description like an ad for your webpage by making the page it’s describing sound as appealing as possible.
Be Succinct
Although Google has considered introducing a longer meta description character limit, the present SEO meta description length across all search engines is still between 135 and 160 characters. Go longer than 160 and some SERPs will chop the end off, so you’ll need to ensure that any important keywords are nearer the front.
Avoid Duplication
It can be easy to fall into the trap of submitting duplicate meta descriptions if your website has a bunch of similar products or pages. But duplicate meta descriptions are a big SEO no-no. Google may even penalize you for it so make sure that every meta description you write is unique.
How to Write a Meta Description for SEO
Now you know how to write a meta description for SEO, it should be a lot easier to entice more people to click through to your website.
And more clicks mean more readers, more shares, more backlinks, and even better SERP rankings than before!
Want more new updates and tips? Be sure to check out our other articles for all the latest on everything from politics to sports!