A meta description is an HTML meta tag containing a summary of the content of a page and is usually around 155 characters long.
A meta description is an important part of a site because it serves to encourage someone who is doing a search on a search engine to click on a link to your site.
Meta descriptions do not have a direct benefit to ranking on search engine algorithms. However, there is an indirect benefit that you can get, namely increasing click-through-rate (CTR).
The more people click on your link, the more search engines will consider your link and site to be a good search result and is highly sought after. This means that recommendations for your site will also automatically increase.
With these benefits, optimizing the meta description is very important for the development of your site.
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Tips on How to Write a Meta Description That Brings Traffic
Writing a meta description cannot be arbitrary, because if it is not written optimally it will be in vain and will have no effect on increasing your site traffic.
In order to write a good meta description so as to be able to bring traffic easily, you will need to pay attention to the following tips.
1. Do not exceed 155 characters
Actually, there is really no limit to how long the meta description you can write because it all depends on what kind of message you want to convey.
However, don't make it too long, because generally, Google search results will only show a summary of 120 to 156 characters.
Here's an example of a short description of no more than 156 characters:
The best skincare products for acne-prone skin, including natural ingredients you can use from your kitchen.
Make sure the writing contains the message you want to convey, but at the same time try to keep it short and interesting. Users really can not control what will be displayed by Google search results.
By making a short and interesting meta description, Google can show the entire description text without being truncated.
2. Using active sentences
A meta description is an invitation for readers to enter the site. So, make sure your description uses active sentences and is clearly inviting.
Using too many flowery sentences can sometimes confuse readers because they don't know what they are getting from your page.
Use descriptive sentences that are active, motivating, and directly engage the reader. So readers will know right away what they're getting when they click the link to your page.
The following is an example of a meta description with active sentences:
Having a charming home is no longer just a dream. Build your dream home with the following simple decorating tips.
3. Include call-to-action
A good meta description is one that includes a call-to-action (CTA) for readers. You can add some call-to-action words like Try it now, Find out more, and more.
Here's an example:
Our travel agents are able to provide you with a pleasant and hassle-free vacation experience to various exotic places in Nigeria. Try it right now!
4. Include target keywords
When a keyword when doing a search matches part of the text in the meta description, then Google will tend to use it and show it in search results.
As a result, these links look more inviting and relevant. Sometimes Google also shows the synonym results.
5. Try to align with the content on the page
Never try to outsmart search engines by using meta descriptions as a trick to get visitors to click on the link. Google will soon notice and may even penalize your site.
Apart from risking penalties, descriptions that don't align with the overall content of the content will actually increase the bounce rate. A high bounce rate means that visitors don't stay on your site for long.
This is why when completing the meta title tag or meta title or meta description, it must be in accordance with the content.
6. Make it unique
Keep your meta description different on each page of your site. The reason is, the same description will hamper the experience of your site visitors.
Even if the page titles are different, all other pages will look the same when all descriptions are the same.
If you haven't had time to complete all the SEO meta tags, it's better to just leave them blank. Thus Google will take a snippet of the content that contains keywords.
Conclusion
Completing meta tags is an important part of SEO meta tag optimization and plays an important role in improving the On-Page SEO performance of your website. This is one of the tricks that can make your website reach the front page of the Google search engine.