A meta description appears alongside your page title and website on the search engine results page, you must create a unique meta description that will help your website stand out.
Your business needs marketing. You write your product description, optimise your images and master all aspects for effective SEO.
However, for eCommerce SEO, some aspects of SEO can cause problems. This article explains what meta description is and how to use them effectively to boost your SEO strategy.
What exactly is a meta description tag?
Meta descriptions are tags which are HTML codes that summarise the content. This text snippet of around 160 characters may appear on your page in search engines. Search engines display the keyword in the Meta description.
The meta description does not affect SEO ranking, but it is part of effective online search engine optimisation and can be used in search engine optimisation campaigns.
The text will appear on the page code’metaName=” description” contents= followed by the written description. Meta descriptions describe your product in front of search engines.
How many characters should a meta description be?
The meta description is preferably 160 characters long and includes spaces and contains a concise yet persuasive description of the content of the page.
Why are Meta descriptions important?
Meta Descriptions are crucial, as meta tags (including meta descriptions) use Google’s algorithms to find pages that are best positioned for a given keyword or phrase. When using meta description properly the meta tag is available to use.
Pages that have meta descriptions get an 8% increase in clicks compared with those without meta descriptions. Google has recommended that you write a meta description for your website.
Do meta descriptions affect SEO?
Whilst they don’t have a direct effect on SEO results, they do indirectly. This is because whilst they don’t affect the ranking of a page when being indexed they do affect search engine positions because of the click-through rate.
Let’s say your website is ranking in position 8 for a high volume keyword and when it’s searched users are checking the first page and yours is the one that stands out, this will improve the click-through rate and can give you a better than the results above.
This will tell Google, that your users are finding your website more worthy than the others and your search engine position will increase.
How can I write a compelling meta description that boosts my rankings?
Meta descriptions can help improve organic search rankings on Google. It’s ok if everything’s good! A great description should encourage users to go to their site and find the information.
You must also have keywords which will increase the SEO. Let’s see the best way to use the meta description tool to get the best results on the Internet.
Make your Meta description unique and interesting
The meta description provides a detailed summary of what content appears on a webpage and thus is very important in getting the reader’s attention. Try different methods of capturing the attention of your audience, including using variations of keywords and asking questions.
Try using eye-catching words or phrases to attract users such as “shocking,” “hilarious”, or “life-changing”.
Just ensure to never give too much promise. In the example above they employ very active voices, providing a significant push for the reader. You are informed about what you should expect, but there is no unnecessary detail.
Does Google rewrite meta descriptions?
Even if you write a meta description, did you know that Google can often rewrite them? This happens because when there’s a search for a keyword, the algorithm wants to serve up the best results and might think that using text on the page for example will serve up search intent.
If you notice Google is rewriting your meta descriptions, perhaps you need to reassess it and see how you can fine-tune it more to match the content on the page.
A/B Test Your Meta Descriptions for the best results
Meta descriptions are incredibly effective at using different words, CTAs and keywords. This helps to increase engagement on your site without changing it. The Meta descriptions you create are tested by adding two Meta descriptions to the page.
One description can use a variation of keywords, phrases and CTAs. This second meta description may represent your current Meta or a different offer or a specific keyword. Run the meta for several weeks and check Google Analytics. Using this information will help in creating a better meta description.
Different types of meta-description pages
Homepage
Your home page needs to have a meta description that stands out and tells a little bit about the story of your business. The rough limit is around 155 characters, meaning meta descriptions should be short, snappy and to the point.
The description gives a quick overview of the content of the webpage as well as compelling reasons for clicking the tag. Many searchers will never realise it happened because they’ve already made an important choice. They simply follow this link, satisfying their curiosity.
Service pages
Meta descriptions for service pages should focus on the problem that the service is offering. For example for us, if we have a page on SEO services, we need to create a description that is irresistible and makes the user want to click through to our page rather than our competitors.
Category pages
Meta descriptions should be on your page for categorised pages, collections, meta descriptions, etc. These pages are meant to help customers group similar goods. Collections are displayed for broad high-volume keywords such as “woman’s shoes” or “men’s sandals” and should be optimised accordingly.
Your category page meta description should bring people in through relevant details about this collection. They use easy actions like “Shopping online for…” and “Enjoy a wide choice and free shipping…” to encourage users to visit their sites.
Product pages
Writing a description for your product is easy as compared to writing one for a website because the products on the web don’t have to say much about you. Instead, he speaks about something tangible for customers.
How to write a good meta description?
If you’re wondering how to write meta descriptions and make them more effective, we’ve got you covered. The Search engines want you to have a certain meta-description length which will stand out in the search results.
The best thing about meta descriptions is there only short and easy to change if you get them wrong, so don’t be afraid to test them out.
Whilst there’s no 100% way to guarantee people will on your website, there are several things you can do to make it more attractive and appealing to your target audience.
A great meta description isn’t too difficult, make it easier with the following tips
1. Make it actionable
Consider meta descriptions as a welcome mat for your website. You need clear, engaging, and measurable descriptions that make the user want to click on the result and visit your website.
You could use the adjective “exceptionally beautiful” or “awesome”, but this could hinder the searcher from clicking.
Even if it seems like a good language, it should be useful for the website. The following description by Bonobos shows an excellent example.
It is brief and motivates readers and is addressed directly by them. If you click here you know you’re about to find an amazing shirt.
2. Avoid meta-description generators
It’s not clear if a meta-description generator can be used to create it or not; it’s an issue of opinion. A generator produces descriptions that appear dull or lack character.
But it works if you’re an enterprise that doesn’t have enough product knowledge or the resources required to create them.
If your website has very little search traffic, you would be better off coding your meta description manually. Meta descriptions must always have an individual touch.
3. Add a call to action
A call to action in a meta description can force someone to visit the site you created. It helps people see what you’re offering and the expectations you’ve received when clicking. For eCommerce shops, focus more on the reasons for their searches.
When looking to find a more general keyword such as women’s shoes, there’ll be many categories on these pages. Some people browse categories rather than buy a product page. Bring this intention into the conversation. A typical example e-commerce call for action is:
4. Consider the customer mindset
Identify the first thing to get people interested in your name to click on your tag. This requires two questions: The first question on the product page is simple to answer: your product is offered.
Those who sell it just make the second problem resolve itself. Meta descriptions of your homepage might be tricky. It is the most effective always to promote a business’s image as seen in Death Wish Coffee examples.
You give your entire business something that makes them want to purchase from you.
5. Use your target keyword
Find ways to add keywords to your meta descriptions to make your results stand out and make your pages easier to understand when being crawled and indexed, plus it’s useful for the user.
Make it sound natural and authentic and make it geared towards the user don’t just stuff a keyword in for the sake of it. For example, combining your target keywords in meta descriptions such as “buy women’s shoes, women’s tennis shoes or women’s shoes for sale here!” would be inappropriate.
6. Make it unique
Tell the reader what you are doing and tell them your unique offer. Often the struggle of writing meta descriptions is common but you need the patience to think hard about what your brand is about. It is like copywriting a good description.
Offer must be included as well as a unique selling point for a particular product.
7. Don’t use duplicate meta descriptions
Always avoid making duplicate meta descriptions. It can seem easier to just use the same ones over and over but it’ll provide less value. Using duplicate descriptions can cause crawling issues and indexing issues as they won’t be describing what that exact page is about and will confuse the search engines and your users.
Duplicate tags are especially common on eCommerce websites that have lots of products. Whilst it can be time-consuming or expensive to create unique meta descriptions, your SEO strategy will thank you for it in the long run.
8. Check what your competitors are doing
Check the search results to see what’s already ranking. Don’t just copy them but take inspiration from them and understand why their result stands out compared to the rest. Writing a great meta description isn’t difficult but it might involve a little trial and error to get it right.
9. Avoiding problems with the meta description
If you’re using a CMS, it’s easier to make changes. For example, WordPress has plugins like Yoast and Rank Math which make it simple to make great meta descriptions and improve your search results.
Sometimes, your website can have default SEO aspects which means that you can have multiple descriptions for one page. You only need to have one meta description
