Enter the Metaverse: Meta Descriptions & Meta Titles

We’re not talking about the Facebook empire; we’re talking about the important SEO subject of meta titles and meta descriptions.

These short passages of text are vitally important to search success, so why do so many people skip over them?

A Brief Introduction to Meta Descriptions and Meta Titles

Meta descriptions and meta titles are important components of a website’s on-page SEO.

If you don’t know exactly what they are, they are snippets of text that appear in search engine results pages (SERPs) and give users a brief idea of what a webpage is about.

Both meta descriptions and meta titles should include relevant keywords and keyword phrases to improve a website’s ranking in search results. Here’s everything you need to know about meta descriptions and meta titles for SEO.

What are Meta Descriptions?

A meta description is a summary of the content on a webpage that appears in SERPs. It is usually limited to a maximum of 155-160 characters and should accurately and succinctly describe what the webpage is about.

Meta descriptions should also contain relevant keywords and keyword phrases that match the content on the webpage, as this helps search engines understand what the page is about and can improve the webpage’s ranking in search results.

We can’t stress how important meta descriptions are, the meta description is the second most important on-page SEO element, after the meta title.

If a webpage has a well-written, relevant meta description, it can improve click-through rates from search results, which can in turn improve the webpage’s ranking.

What are Meta Titles?

A meta title, or title tag, is a brief, concise title that appears at the top of the browser window and in SERPs.

The meta title should accurately describe the content on the webpage and should be limited to 50-60 characters to ensure that it is displayed in full in search results.

This next bit is something that you really need to take note of – The meta title is the most important on-page SEO element, as it tells both users and search engines what the page is about.

The meta title should include relevant keywords and keyword phrases, as this can improve the webpage’s ranking in search results.

It is also important to avoid duplicating meta titles across different pages on a website, as this can confuse search engines and result in lower rankings.

So, Why are Meta Descriptions and Meta Titles Important for SEO?

Great meta descriptions and meta titles are important for SEO because they help search engines understand what a webpage is about. When a search engine crawls a website, it uses meta descriptions and meta titles to determine what the page is about and how relevant it is to a particular search query.

By including relevant keywords and keyword phrases in meta descriptions and meta titles, website owners can improve their webpage’s ranking in search results for those keywords and phrases.

Additionally, well-written meta descriptions and meta titles can improve click-through rates from search results, which can also improve a webpage’s ranking alongside reducing a page’s bounce rate.

Ask yourself this simple question ‘How many times have I thought what I was seeing in a search result would lead to a relevant article, product or service only to be disappointed on clicking through and clicking away again?’ We know the answer will be ‘a lot’.

So, now image the meta title and meta description you were seeing were relevant to the content clicked through to – you’ll be happy, you’ll stay, you’ll probably look at more content, products, or services. The website reduces it’s bounce rate, increases it’s time on site, it may even get a sale or enquiry. Add to all this that the search engines are seeing a good match and the website will gain a few points from the visit in search rankings.

If you didn’t understand how important meta descriptions and meta titles were before now, you’re probably getting the idea.

What Should be Included in Meta Descriptions and Meta Titles?

Meta descriptions and meta titles should accurately describe the content on a webpage and include relevant keywords and keyword phrases. It’s important to avoid keyword stuffing or using irrelevant keywords, as this can result in lower rankings. Additionally, meta descriptions and meta titles should be written for users, not just search engines. They should be clear, concise, and compelling to entice users to click through to the webpage.

The length of meta descriptions and meta titles is also important.

Meta descriptions should be limited to a maximum of 155-160 characters, while meta titles should be limited to 50-60 characters. This ensures that the entire description or title is displayed in search results, which can improve click-through rates.

Sometimes Google Rewrites Meta Descriptions

For those that don’t like some search engines, they aren’t going to like this, but sometimes Google may rewrite your meta descriptions. Why does it do this?

Google may rewrite meta descriptions in some cases to provide more relevant and informative summaries of the content on the page. For example, if the original meta description is too short, too long, or doesn’t contain enough relevant information, Google may choose to rewrite it to better reflect the content of the page.

Additionally, if a search query is not explicitly answered by the original meta description, Google may choose to rewrite it to better match the user’s query. This can help to provide a more relevant and informative search result for the user.

While Google may rewrite meta descriptions, it’s also important to note that website owners can still influence the content of the meta description by writing clear and concise descriptions that accurately reflect the content of the page. By providing well-written meta descriptions, website owners can increase the likelihood that their descriptions will be used in the search results pages, and potentially drive more traffic to their site.

Let’s Conclude and Recap

Meta descriptions and meta titles are important components of a website’s on-page SEO.

By including relevant keywords and keyword phrases and ensuring that descriptions and titles are clear, concise, and compelling, website owners can improve their webpage’s ranking in search results and attract more traffic to their site.

Need Some Help?

Now you have an insight into how your meta descriptions and meta titles should be constructed and what they should contain, your keyword and keyword phrase choice may now be what’s holding you back – is it time to review?