How To Write A Meta Description
The meta description of a web-page is a simple, yet overlooked part of search engine optimisation. The meta description is a short excerpt pulled from the text of a particular web-page and presented underneath the links of a search result’s page. Google has come and outrightly said that a meta description is not factored into their search engine’s algorithm. However, a fine-tuned meta description can increase your website’s click-through rate (CTR), which Google’s algorithm does count when churning through the internet’s pages to show their searchers the best and most accurate links. So the meta description is one of the best ways to advertise your business.
At around 155 characters is length, the text limit is just long enough to include a couple of sentences which would entice would-be customers to click on a link and discover your website. So how does one go about writing a perfect meta description? Well at tprmedia, we work day-in-day-out to achieve the best results. So we’ve written this nifty guide on how to write a meta description. The word ‘perfect’ does not mean a one-size-fits-all solution. The perfection depends on the context. What industry your business is in, your niche audience, and what you would like your customers to do once they have laid their eyes on your snazzy web-page, all factors into the written copy. These however are some nifty tips.
Succinctness
155 characters is not much to work with when writing a message to spruik your webpage. In fact, just these two sentences you’re reading are 153 in total. You have to summarise the webpage’s contents in a brief and clear manner. Write this as simple as possible. In this finite amount of keystrokes, try to include words which are also featured on the webpage. Google chooses meta descriptions which matches the contents of the page to its link. The search engine will highlight this focus word (and related words) in its search results, making the meta description stand out even more! So, If you are writing a meta description for an online shape page which sells ‘gumballs’, try to include the word in your meta description. For this search both ‘bubble gum’ and ‘chewing gum’ these mean similar things, and Google will lend a helping hand and highlight both.
Active Voice
This might be beyond people who haven’t studied writing, but there are two styles of writing which shape a sentence: passive and active. This voice is related to whatever is the subject of the sentence. Passive voice is used to describe sentences in which the subject of the sentence is being acted upon. For instance:
“The bus was caught by Sally.”
In this sentence, the bus is the subject of the sentence. Its an object in which something was done to it. The bus is passive.
However, if we made the sentence active, it would become:
“Sally caught the bus.”
In this case, Sally is the subject, and she is doing something to the bus—catching it! Now this makes Sally active and the sentence more lively to read. This little English lesson is useful for content writing in general. When possible, try and use active voice!
Call-To-Action
Now this is another tool in a marketer’s tool belt. A call-to-action is quite self-explanatory. Tell the searchers who come across your meta description to do something. This could be written as ‘find out more’, ‘enquire today’, or ‘sign-up for free’. These are imperatives because they request an command or action. Now, these are not useful without a properly written argument as to why they have an imperative. You need to write a sentence beforehand which explains why they should be clicking on the link to purchase an item, or sign-up to a newsletter. A call-to-action is the cherry on top. A phrase which leads your customer through the next step of their customer journey.
These three tips and tricks are a small part of a well-crafted meta description. If it’s your first time, don’t dwell on each page’s meta description for too long. Spend a few to five minutes on each one of your most popular five pages and write two or three sentences. These are web-pages which have the most visitors already. As you write more meta descriptions, you should become more faster and faster. Our in-house SEO experts can write them clear, precisely and enticingly at top speed.
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