The meta description: short content and eye-catcher in one
The meta description is embedded in the first part of the html-code of your webpage (<meta name=”description” content=”This is the meta description in a few sentences” />). It is in fact a short description of the content of the webpage in question, but you can also get creative with it.
In the search results, two rows below the title that composes the link to the relevant webpage, Google places bits of webpage content that hold words used in the entered search. But when the meta description reflects words from the entered search, Google will use the meta description.
- Use the most important keywords in the meta description text so that they appear in the search.
- Try to turn the meta description into a call-to-action. This provides the reader with an immediate and strong message, even before he/she accesses the actual webpage.
- Do not make a meta description too long, Google allows a maximum of two rows – or around 150 characters.
If you follow these three tips, you kill two birds with one stone:
- Write a meta description that, as a result of the presence of keywords, Google considers to be sufficiently relevant to be used in the list of search results.
- Demonstrate to internet users that use Google to search with keywords, that your web page is relevant and communicate a strong message.What should be mentioned within the meta description compared to other web pages that have top scores in Google for a specific keyword? What words does Google define as synonyms and related words in respect to the keyword?
For answers to these questions, specifically for your webpage, perform a – free – keyword analysis via our tool SEO Page Optimizer
Next blog post: headers on your webpage