Semalt: All You Need To Know About A Proper Meta Description Tag

Meta descriptions are an essential way of showcasing everything you wish your audience to see. It is the highest level of your page on search results. You cannot do without a good meta data description as it plays a role in determining the CTR rate. In fact, if you write it in a compelling way then your traffic will get a big boost.

To succeed, you should follow the guidelines provided by Max Bell, the Customer Success Manager of Semalt.

Step 1: start with a good action verb

Did you know that by using a powerful action verb you can inspire the audience to do something? All it takes is a simple trick - the action verb - like "Discover", " Become", "Identify" or "Learn". You'd be surprised by how this gets people out there moving to your groove.

Step 2: give the audience an idea of what your content will be like

If your audience can be lead to understand how the content is outlined plus of course how they stand to benefit by clicking on your content, then your click through rate will definitely shoot up. Rather than focus of key word stuffing, try to make your meta description as persuasive as possible. Don't get mixed up though. While it's important to make the meta description a persuasive one, do not forget to sprinkle in some keywords. The idea here is this - find a balance between persuasion and keyword optimization.

Step 3: ensure that the meta description is less than 155-characters long

If they'd let you, you can rant on and on about who you are as a brand, products/ services and so on. However, you cannot and should not go beyond the 155 characters. What happens when you write a lengthy meta description talking about yourself as the best one. Some people can argue that this isn't the worst thing that can happen, but come to think of it, there is need to put head or tail of meta descriptions, right?

Step 4: do not forget to include the keyword in the meta description

Do you remember we mentioned something about keyword stuffing? Well, now we get at it. Your primary keyword must be included in the meta description. Just ensure that it reads smoothly. Don't bother about repeating it many times, Google will display it in bold as long as you insert it (the keyword) tastefully. Follow the guidelines, and everything naturally falls in place.

Step 5: try to finish your meta description with a call-to-action

"Discover More On", " Get Started" or "Learn More" will create a push for the audience to get glued to your content. Unleash your creativity by tinkering with other call-to-action verbs.

As we wrap up on the do's and dont's of meta descriptions, note that you should find a team to come up with fresh ideas. If need be, share what you've learned from the Semalt expert's tips. This way you can make your meta descriptions work to your advantage. Forget what you thought of making it to the first page of a search result - it starts with your meta description.