08 SEO Meta Descriptions
This is the companion to last week’s overview of titles.
Generally we write descriptions for humans. I kind of consider them click bait. It’s a chance to encourage people to click on your search result.
If you don’t overthink them, they aren’t too bad to write. In short, explain what benefit the reader will get by going to your web page and include a call to action whenever possible.
Just like your SEO titles, be clear over clever. We have limited space, so keep it short – roughly the size of a Tweet. We’ve got about 150 characters to work with.
To make your updates, it’s just like the SEO titles we talked about last week.
How to add meta descriptions to your website.
If your website is on WordPress, I highly recommend the Yoast plugin. It’s free and gives you a preview of your title and meta description.
If you use Wix or Squarespace, I’ve included links with instructions on where to update your meta titles.
Where to start when it comes to meta descriptions.
Like I emphasized last week, websites are iterative. So this week, hop into your website and poke around your homepage and your primary products and services pages and maybe a blog post or two. Take a look at your meta descriptions and see if you can make them more clear.
If you get writer’s block, pretend someone asked “why should I look at this web page?” If you write down your super-short answer, that is probably a solid description. Remember, it’s all about your reader.
Want some advanced tips for writing meta descriptions?
Check out Content Marketing Institute: https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/articles/meta-description-tips