How to write clickable meta descriptions
We all know on-page content is important for SEO but there’s another element of content that’s a bit behind the scenes: meta data.
Meta data is essentially text that helps the search engines catalog your content and index it appropriately. It’s content for the search engines and your website visitors that tells them exactly what this particular page of your website is about.
Your meta data is comprised of two basic parts: your title and description.
The title is obvious in that it should tell the user what the page is about, and often includes a pipe and then who the page is by, like Visit Denver in the example above.
Now, your meta description is what should encourage the searcher to click.
What is your meta description?
Your meta description is your chance to summarize and sell your website’s content. It’s a snippet of text, about 140-160 characters that tells the user what’s on the page. It’s also an opportunity to add the right keywords for your page’s content.
The search engines will bold the searcher’s keywords if they’re within the meta description. So the example above, I searched for haunted Denver, which is why those words are in bold in the meta description – showing me that this page probably has the information I’m looking for.
So, not only does this help the searcher know they should click your link, but it helps your page rank for that specific keyword phrase as it’s built into your meta data. This signals to the search engines that your page is relevant for that keyword or keyword phrase.
While you shouldn’t go overboard and stuff your meta description with the right keyword, having that keyword there can improve your click-through rate, which is an important ranking factor for the search engines! A nice little boost to your SEO without much effort.
Now that you can see why meta descriptions are important, let’s talk about how to craft them to get clicks.
Best practices for writing meta descriptions
Ready to update your website’s meta descriptions or write ones for new pages? Follow these tips!
- Think of your meta description like a two-sentence summary. What is your page about and why should someone click on your link? Can you offer a unique selling prop or solve a customer problem? Can you trigger an emotional reaction within your summary to compel people to click your link?
- Add a call-to-action at the end, even if it’s as simple as continue reading, read the blog now, or learn more!
- Include your page’s keyword phrase! I’ve already mentioned this but it’s worth talking about twice. Your meta description should have the primary keyword somewhere in it.
- Have unique descriptions for each page of your website. Everyone frowns at duplicate content so make sure you’re not creating duplicate meta descriptions across your website – even if your content is similar. I’ve seen so many meta descriptions that are copied and pasted across different pages of the website, so the description doesn’t match the page and does not encourage me to click.
- Leave out sales information, unless the page is about sales. A common tactic I’ve seen in meta descriptions is for brands to use the call-to-action part to contact sales, even if it’s content that’s for audiences that aren’t ready to convert. Save your salesy CTAs for sales-related pages and not in all of your meta descriptions.
Writing good meta descriptions can feel tedious at times and some feel they’re not worth the effort, but I disagree. A good meta description can be just the thing your website needs to improve its SEO.
Did I miss any tips for writing clickable meta descriptions? Share your favorite in the comments below!
