7 Reasons to Write a Great Meta Description? Plus, have every chance of beating the pro's in a very busy market that you can own
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Table of contents
What is a Meta Description and what does it do
A meta description is an HTML tag used to describe the content of a web page. This description will show up below the title and URL of your page as it appears in the search engine results. In order to remain visible within Google, your meta description should be kept somewhere between 140-160 characters.
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However, and importantly, it is the final piece of the Jigsaw that gets your article, page or post read before all the others on the page.
On any search page, a few paid adverts reside, and about 8-10 correct match free sites. However which one can be read and which one is ignored.
Sometimes Authority may be the answer, other times the headline however it always comes down to the meta description that best meets your need. I did a quick search and a general term and picked out two results, these ranked next to each other and one has Authority.
You can see here that Adam Enfroy has done a good job indicated by the number of visits.
That is estimated monthly visits to that site.
Right below this was a site that really should know better;
Shopify carries a bundle of authority, uses numbers in the header yet cops no Visits, and gets caned by Adam Lefroy, why is this so?
In this case, Adam offers a choice however he also provides an easy solution and an explanation will surely follow. It is also newby friendly so everyone can be involved
Shopify should be ashamed at being so heavily trounced on a subject they should be good at.
The difference is subtle the results extreme
Remember these were found on the same page of a search, next to each other and one worked. I am sure you would be devastated to see your post rank so badly so let's look at what you can do about it.
Start at the beginning.
Where do you start to build your search results
Your Keyword is the start of all internet searches and if it is wrong then you will never get to page one of that term.
It is always a fine balance between traffic and competition so using a search tool like Jaaxy puts you in front of the crowd. You will understand how your term will rank and if you have any chance of success.
My search was for best affiliate programs and the page had;
- Four paid for advertisements
- One Snippet
- Nine free entries
- Three videos
Therefore a very busy site and one that gets a lot of traffic.
At this point, I need to apologize to Shopify. They had the first video listed and it had hit 181,400 views so that was their concentration. Still, their meta was lousy so we move on.
If you get your Keyword right you still have a lot of work to do.
Headlines matter.
Your headline
In the above examples, they both have 10 words so they are stretching it right out to a good length. Remember the Keyword is really “affiliate programs ” however they try much harder to fully answer a keyword search.
| They use numbers to draw attention | Although very different numbers |
| Odd numbers are preferred | 99% of the time |
| Then they use capitals | In all major words |
This is the current trend and seems to tie in with what Google likes to see. I would have thought a number like 139 was stretching things to the extreme but who am I to argue with results.
I use a headline tool provided by Monster insights that ranks your words according to what they believe works. This really gets you thinking of the best ways to explain what you want to portray
I had two choices of headlines and started with the How to Write before checking my work. You need to take every possible opportunity to win this race so in the middle of writing this, I made the change.
This is a high-stakes game, the difference between 15,638 visits and zero is significant and made with just minor differences in approach.
That is why you use every professional tool available to help give you that small leverage.
Help comes from the available tools
Using a Jaaxy Keyword tool
I put my Keyword selections back into Jaaxy with some interesting results.
You can see how a single word will skew the results from possible with little competition to impossible with massive competition like 200.
The standard matrix is over 50 ave traffic for traffic and under 50 QSR for competition but other conditions also apply.
Doing a Google search will unearth different traffic figures and gather other reasons for my choice.
Your ranking is important therefore get there and the followers will come.
7 Reasons to Write a Great Meta Description and stand out from the crowd
Why the Meta Description matters so much
I have shown above where there are sixteen different alternatives on page one of a search term to chose from. Will it be yours?
The best place to be is in the first three free terms on the page.
This is where the readers hang out looking for a quick fix.
They browse the headers that all look much the same and then it is eyes down to see what is on offer.
This is your Meta description so fulfill what they are looking for. Make a promise, add excitement even tease with intrigue.
What do I lay out my campaign in? I and seventeen thousand others just had to know.
I don't really like MailChimp however they know their stuff ( without numbers?)
Always have a plan
Write a Meta description to stand out
The field is fiercely competitive and if you aren't in there throwing punches you won't get followers. Be different, be loud make promises fulfill a need, and at least create some excitement.
In your initial research look at the competitors and see why they stand out? What have they done that you can do better?
Keep it simple but effective.
The image below is on page one of the search term used above and ranks in the top four.
They have a good headline, certainly some Authority behind the brand yet low results because they confused even me.
Two organizations are on the same page and one gets seventeen thousand views and the other a hand full, Why?
The only influencing factor is the meta description.
There are probably a couple of other things in play. Many may have picked on Mail Chimp because they were looking for a carrier however other sites did much better.
My reading is that the Campian Monitor went too technical in its description.
Keep it simple
Conclusion
- Understanding your Meta description
- The difference between good and bad wording
- Setting up your structure
- Creating a winning headline
- Using a Keyword Tool
- Reasons why your Meta is so important
- Standing out from the crowd.
Your Meta description is a prescription to subscription.
Treat it with respect and make sure you are 1% better than everyone else on the page.
7 Reasons to Write a Great Meta Description by Peter Hanley
It is always good to remember these things, so that you know that we are not wrong somewhere when writing. Even though I went through this in training, it happens to be forgotten and I am glad to come across texts like this to make sure I am not wrong somewhere.
Thanks, Bojana
The little things can make a difference and this is one of those.
Glad you got something out of it.
Peter H