SEO 101: The Meta Description Tag

Daniel — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:23:24 +0000

While the meta tag description does not directly affect the search rankings, it is still a crucial element of on-page SEO.

Why?

The meta description tag can be a deciding difference between a user clicking through to your site … or moving on to your competitors.

So what exactly is the meta description?

Short paragraph (max 150-160 characters) that appears below the link title in the search results page.
Let’s searchers know what kind of content to expect after clicking your link from the search results page.
Employed using the following tag – in the section of the page.

Best practices for writing a meta description:

Proper keyword usage – Use variations of the Web page’s primary keywords. Incorporating a call to action and using enticing or engaging language will increase likelihood of a user clicking through. Search engines will also bold search terms if present in the meta description tag.
Write for humans, not search bots – Don’t keyword stuff, keep the writing natural and compelling, same as you would with search ad copy, a blog post, etc.
Be descriptive.
Write unique meta descriptions for EVERY page. Do not duplicate other meta descriptions or page titles, and mix up variations of keyword terms.

Here is a screenshot of a meta description from a search query using “apple.”

Most important “best practice” for meta descriptions – Remember to stay human!

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