Meta Description, What is it?
This is a description of a webpage as it appears in the search engine results page (SERP). It is located directly underneath the blue clickable link of a search result. A website can have many pages but the meta description must be different for each one. The home page will be different than a products page.
As you can see in this search result for Union Pacific each page has a unique meta description. When updating meta descriptions for your website remember that each page is different. Each meta description must accurately describe the page it is referencing. This helps viewers to determine what page they want to visit. Also try not to use non-alphanumeric symbols such as quotation marks. When Google sees, a quotation mark it will cut off the meta description at the symbol. So, try to avoid using them. If a quotation mark must be used you can use a “HTML entity” to prevent the description from getting cut off. This is also a fantastic location to add some high volume/value keywords.
Create a Compelling Meta Description
Because the description is the one of first things a visitor will see it is important to make it an attention getter. There is not a lot room so you have to make the most of it. Some strategies to think about are adding a call to action,
use of power words such as Fantastic or Spectacular can be an attention getter. Actual numbers seem to draw people in as well so feel free use numbers (e.g., 107, 324 etc.) This is also an opportunity to try out some high-volume keywords, a Portland SEO Consultant can help with this. Google will bold the keyword in the meta description if it is part of the search query making it easier for the viewer to see. It is important to remember that the snippet can be any length but should be kept within 155 characters because it will be truncated after that. You can also look at what your competitors are doing to get some new ideas. When adding keywords to the meta description remember to use them in a natural way that will make sense to the reader (avoid over stuffing). A website has more than one page so you can experiment with different strategies and see what works best for you.
A Quick Recap
By monitoring your web page’s traffic, you can determine the effectiveness of your meta descriptions. If one strategy does not work then try another. Every web site is different and something that works for one may not work for another. This means that if you stay open minded and adaptable you will find the one that works for you. Remember to make the description relevant and natural, avoid spammy descriptions. Creating a readable and compelling description will help to increase your click through rate. The meta description is not a ranking factor but it can increase your traffic which can improve your ranking. By keeping in mind the goal is to enhance the users experience, (not stuffing in a lot of keywords) so keep it real and watch your ranking improve.