How to Write an Effective Meta Description
Meta descriptions are an integral part of your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts. The path to getting more clicks for your website is all about integrating the right SEO techniques, and one of them is an effective meta description.
This short but concise website summary is your visitor’s quick introduction to your website content. You can use it to give them a sneak peek and keep them interested. That means a compelling meta description is something that you craft yourself and not automatically generated by a content-sharing system.
So, you need to take matters into your hands when you’re creating a compelling meta description. Plus, you don’t have to worry about how to do it! We’ve compiled a short checklist for optimizing the effectiveness of your meta descriptions:
Original
Your meta description shouldn’t be something you lifted directly from your content. Using one to two-sentence content that’s already in your article won’t help you optimize your meta description’s effectiveness. So, you need to write one from scratch, make it informative, engaging and has the user in mind.
User-Oriented
Always write meta descriptions from the perspective of the potential user. People don’t usually like being marketed to, so stop telling them how great your product or service is. Write your meta description with the primary objective of showing people how your brand, product, or service can be beneficial to them.
Active Voice
Passive voice can be uninteresting, which means your readers will leave you even before you can get them clicking your website link. To prevent that, always use the active voice when writing meta descriptions. Stir excitement and friendliness in the tone to avoid dull content. Also, the active voice is more effective in motivating users to take action.
Keywords
Your meta description also needs keywords that search engines can spot and match with relevant searches. However, it must be highly significant to your content, so choose wisely. You may use the exact keywords for the title, content, and meta tags; the important thing is that it’s the most relevant keyword among your use.
Character Count
Your meta description must be limited from 150 to 160 characters, or else your efforts will be in vain. You want to hook your reader and get them to click, not bore them with a long meta description. In addition, if it’s not concise, the text will get cut off in the search engine results, and you might end up losing potential readers.
Value
Don’t forget to put a dash of your unique value proposition to engage the readers. Your meta description must state what your site offers that others don’t. Explain and give the specifics of why you are the best at what you do and why you’re worthy of people’s attention.
Conclusion
When you know the power that meta descriptions have in optimizing your SEO efforts, you will invest more time writing effective ones. Hooking the reader from the get-go must be one of your primary goals–it’s what gets them to visit your site. Hopefully, these tactics will up your SEO game and drive traffic to your site. Keep them intrigued!
LionRank helps clients optimize their sites with the best SEO practices, including the creation of compelling meta descriptions. We are a marketing app that provides SEO tools and services for small businesses. Our app is simple, affordable, effective, and easy so that beginners can navigate with ease.
We also offer social media monitoring, local marketing, and reputation management. Learn more about our SEO services and get in touch with us today!