January 13, 2023

If you’re looking to get more visitors from search engines, meta descriptions are the way to go! A meta description is a summary of your web page content that appears on search engine results pages (SERPs) – it’s not visible on the page itself.

In this article, we’ll teach you how to write meta descriptions that’ll help you get more attention from your target public.

1. What are meta descriptions?

A meta description is a short piece of text that appears in the search results of a search engine, such as Google. It is intended to give users a brief summary of the content of a webpage and to help them decide whether or not to click on a particular search result.

Meta descriptions are HTML attributes that are added to the head section of a webpage. They are not visible to users when they visit the webpage, but they are used by search engines to understand the content of the page and to determine its relevance to a particular search query.

Meta descriptions are important for search engine optimization (SEO) because they can help to increase the visibility of a webpage in the search results. A well-written meta description can attract more clicks and drive more traffic to a website.

While meta descriptions aren’t required for search engines to be able to index your page, they can help you stand out.

2. How to write meta descriptions?

It’s super important to stay on top of Google’s algorithm changes and learn how to write effective meta descriptions. They’re a huge part of on-page SEO – basically, this snippet of text helps Google understand what your page is all about and match it to what people are searching for. So, it’s an essential piece of the puzzle!

How to write a meta description on WordPress?

To write meta descriptions on WordPress, you can follow these steps:

  1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard and go to the page or post that you want to add a meta description to.
  2. Scroll down to the “Yoast SEO” section, which is typically located at the bottom of the page or post editor.
  3. Click on the “Edit snippet” button to expand the Yoast SEO section.
  4. In the “SEO Title” field, enter the title of your page or post. This will be used as the main title in the search results.
  5. In the “Meta Description” field, enter a brief summary of the content of your page or post. This will be used as the meta description in the search results.
  6. Click the “Save Changes” button to save your changes.

How to write a meta description on Webflow?

To add a meta description to a Webflow page, you can follow these steps:

  1. Log in to your Webflow account and go to the page that you want to add a meta description to.
  2. Click on the “SEO” tab in the page editor.
  3. In the “Meta Description” field, enter a brief summary of the content of your page. This will be used as the meta description in the search results.
  4. Click the “Save” button to save your changes.

3. How to optimize meta descriptions?

When it comes to SEO, the title and content of your website are essential. Meta descriptions are a great way to help search engines understand what your website is all about. They can help boost your click-through rate. Pretty neat, huh?

Use a targeted keyword in the first sentence

If you want to make your meta descriptions stand out, start by targeting a specific keyword right away. That way, you can create a brief yet impactful description that will help you boost your click-through rate and get your website to the top of the search results.

Determine what is the main idea of your post

Since users won’t be able to see your content before clicking, they have to rely on the meta descriptions and titles to decide if they’re interested. If you can effectively summarize your content in the meta description and title, you’ll have a better chance of catching their interest. If you are writing a post where the main idea is unclear, don’t worry. It’s just as important to write a descriptive meta description and title as it is a clear post.

Write meta descriptions in a sentence format

Meta descriptions are really important – they’re not the same as titles and they shouldn’t be written like full sentences. They’re more like a quick summary of what’s on the page, and they should be written in a way that makes people want to keep reading. If you have a lot of text on your page, you can always use a meta description generator to help you create an SEO-friendly one.

Make sure that the description is not too long

Meta descriptions are a quick and easy way to make sure your content is seen! But there are some requirements such as the length that needs to be respected. Although there are no hard rules to determine how long meta descriptions need to be, Google recommends that they shouldn’t be longer than 160 characters. This is because if the meta description is too long, search engines may cut off some of the description.

4. What are the best practices for meta descriptions?

Meta descriptions are super important – they’re usually the first thing people see when they open up a search result. So, it’s a great chance to get people to click on your website! Here are some best practices about meta descriptions.

Use the keyword early in the text

It’s important to keep in mind that the meta description is just one factor that search engines use to determine the relevance and ranking of a webpage. It’s a good idea to include relevant keywords in your meta description to help improve the visibility of your page or post in the search results. However, you should avoid keyword stuffing, as this can have a negative impact on your SEO.

Meta descriptions should be 155 to 160 characters or less

Meta descriptions are super important for your content, since they’re what people will see in search engine results. Keep your meta descriptions clear and concise, and make sure they’re relevant to the content. That way, people will be more likely to click through to your website!

Make them short and click-worthy

When it comes to meta descriptions, less is more! Keep them short and make them catchy. Doing this will help you get more clicks and keep your users engaged. Include some action words and make sure they’re interesting enough to get people to click through to your website. When they do, they should know exactly what your page is about. When writing meta descriptions, make sure they’re easy to read and understand. Don’t forget to proofread them before you hit publish!

Conclusion

Meta descriptions are super important for your SEO ranking and your website’s image. Writing a good one can be tricky, but it’s worth it! The main goal of a meta description is to grab your readers’ attention and make them curious to visit your web page.

Remember, a meta description is the first thing people see on your web page, and Google and other search engines will show a small version of it next to your website in search results.

Now you’re good to go!

About the Author Camille Dufossez

SEO manager @MarkCopy

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