Writing meta descriptions to boost SEO marketing

Writing meta descriptions to boost SEO marketing

There’s more to SEO marketing than choosing the right keywords. You should never underestimate the importance of meta descriptions. Those 150 characters are an essential part of optimizing your pages for Google. While the actual text in meta descriptions doesn’t factor into Google’s ranking algorithms, it’s still important because it helps to convince people to click on your search results. The more clicks you get in this way, the better your organic click-through-rate (CTR) will be – and this could lead to indirect improvements in your rankings.

So what is the secret to a good meta description? Here is a step-by-step guide. 

Be careful with the tone

The tone of the description must be straightforward and conversation while still being in line with your brand voice. This may seem like a delicate balancing act, but there’s no need to overthink it. The important thing is to encapsulate the essence of the page content in a simple and attractive way.

Include your primary keyword

This is a fun challenge for a copywriter: to include the primary keyword and a natural way that makes sense to the description. It’s vital to include the keyword in your description, as well as your meta title.

Include a call to action

Finish off your description with a tangible call to action for the reader. “Find out more…” or “Learn more here,” for example. A basic description of the content might be enough to attract a click but often, readers need that definite nudge.

Write in active voice

Passive voice has its place, but it should be a no-no in most marketing writing, especially in a meta-description, which is meant to be short, sharp and direct. So always stick to active voice.

Make sure the description matches the content

Don’t try to trick the reader into clicking with a description that doesn’t actually fit the content. Let your description be an accurate reflection of your page’s content. 

Remember that Google might cut you short

Although the maximum length for meta descriptions is 150 characters, only the first 120 characters usually get displayed in the search results. This means you need to be sure to get your main message across before that cut-off. 

Give each page a unique meta description

Don’t copy and paste one meta description across various pages. Each and every one of your pages must have its own meta description.

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