SEO is a vital part of every business’s digital strategy, and meta descriptions are an important piece of it. Research shows that 74.98% of top-ranking pages have a meta description, which shows how much they matter.
What is a meta description?
A meta description is the short summary that appears under the page title in search results. It gives people a quick preview of the page and influences whether they click. It also helps search engines understand what your page is about.
Why do you need meta descriptions?
They don’t directly affect rankings, but a good meta description can increase your click-through rate (CTR), which brings more traffic and can lead to better rankings over time. It also creates a strong first impression of your website.
How to write effective meta descriptions
- Include your main keyword:
- Start with keyword research to find the terms most relevant to your content. Including the main keyword helps search engines understand the topic, and words that match the search are shown in bold, which catches the eye.
- Describe the page:
- Summarise the most important content in 155–160 characters, so people know what they will find and are encouraged to click. An SEO plugin such as AIOSEO shows the length as you type, so you stay within the recommended limit.
- Add a call to action:
- Tell people what to do next: call, sign up or buy. Phrases such as “Learn more” or “Shop now” can lift CTR because they point users to a specific action.
- Make it unique and interesting:
- Big websites often generate their meta descriptions automatically, so make yours stand out. Ask yourself whether it would make you click. If it is not interesting and unique, people will scroll past.
Part of our e-shop optimisation service
At DonDigital, writing meta descriptions is part of our e-shop optimisation work. We analyse what your customers search for and write descriptions with clear calls to action, so you get the most out of SEO.
To learn more and improve your e-shop, visit our e-shop service page.
Want help growing your business? Talk to the DonDigital team about a website, an e-shop or ad campaigns.
