In technical terms, a meta description is an HTML element that summarises and describes the contents of a particular web page so that users and search engines can find what they are looking for. In layman’s terms, a meta description is the body of text that you see when you search something on Google and look directly beneath the link to the websites that appear in the search results. Meta descriptions are designed to quickly summarise a page while encouraging the user to click on the link, similar to how blurbs function on books. Users can decide near-instantaneously whether or not they have found the page they are looking for by reading a meta description, so it is essential to write them well to convey key information that exists on the page. Furthermore, meta descriptions should be written by a trained copywriter if you aim to maximise clicks because copywriters are trained to persuade people through writing. If your meta description contains direct-response copywriting, which is a type of writing that seeks to provoke an immediate response, then your website will inevitably receive a lot more visits as a result.
Most importantly, however, is the role meta descriptions play in SEO. An SEO meta description is one that has been optimised for discoverability on search engines, typically through the writer’s adherence to a few rules. One of which is to keep the description between 135 – 160 characters. This ensures the meta description has the best chance of being read in full because different devices are used to browse the web and they have different sized screens, so this character range is considered to be the most effective. Keywords are also a key part of a properly optimised meta description because it is through the keywords that Google knows to display your website’s link. By which I mean, search engines will know to display your website if the meta description closely matches what the user has searched. For example, if you type into Google “Best DIY store”, you will be presented with relevant websites that sell DIY equipment. If you look at the meta description of these websites, you will notice that the words that match the words you have typed are highlighted in bold. This is how the search engine’s algorithm has been able to answer the user’s query and provide a solution to their problem, benefiting the business in the process.
Otelli are experts at writing meta descriptions that combine all of these crucial aspects and more, to create a meta description that will be displayed more often, read more often and clicked more often.
If you would like us to help you with SEO meta descriptions, you can reach out by filling in our ‘Say Hello’ form or calling us directly. One of our skilled and cheerful team members will have a provisional call to understand your industry, budget, and goals. We’ll then work out a roadmap that includes a free trial and then start gaining your business some lovely new customers.
