A meta description is a short summary of a web page’s content displayed in search engine results, which can impact click-through rates.
What is a meta description?
It’s an HTML attribute that summarizes a web page’s content. The meta description appears in search engine results pages (SERPs) and can help improve click-through rates. Meta descriptions are typically limited to 160 characters, and should accurately reflect the content of the page. Search engines may choose to ignore a meta description if they consider it irrelevant or not useful. Writing effective meta descriptions requires understanding of SEO best practices.
Why are meta descriptions important?
Meta descriptions give potential readers a brief summary of what the blog post is about.
- They can help to improve click-through rates, as search engines often display the meta description in SERPs.
- Social media sites may also use them when sharing content, giving it more exposure.
- Using keywords and phrases in the meta description that match the content of the blog post will help search engines to understand it better.
- Having a unique and well-written meta description can also boost the credibility of the blog post.
Although Google will frequently re-write the meta description to better suit the SERP, it’s still worth the effort to write one that’s well-thought out.
Why does a content strategist need to know about meta descriptions?
A content strategist needs to understand the importance of meta descriptions in order to effectively optimize webpages for search engine performance. Meta descriptions provide a concise overview of a webpage, enabling search engines to easily determine the relevance of a page. Content strategists must be able to craft and use meta descriptions that are both effective and concise. Search engine algorithms consider meta descriptions when indexing the contents of a webpage. Properly crafted, targeted meta descriptions can significantly improve the visibility of a website on search engine result pages.