While meta descriptions are not the most important element in determining your website’s rank on search engine result pages (SERP), they are indispensable if you want online surfers to actually click on your link.
What is a meta description, you ask. A meta description is a brief and concise description of your business found below the title of the search result. Although meta descriptions are not the most important element in increasing your website’s ranking, optimizing your meta descriptions can help you land more visitors and improve your overall ranking on search engines.
Here are four common mistakes you should avoid.
1) Not Having Meta Descriptions
If you expect web surfers to select your website from a list of related organic search results without providing them with a compelling reason to click on your link, you’ve got it all wrong. Meta descriptions are important in differentiating yourself from your competitors. Well-written descriptions provide surfers with valuable information needed to make their decision.
2) Using the Same Description Throughout Your Site
Another common mistake is using the same description throughout. While your business does not change, each page of your website should have a unique description relevant to that particular page. This is especially important if your pages feature different services or products.
3) Not Including Keywords
Your meta descriptions should contain your most important keywords. Additionally, these keywords should be directly related to the content on the particular page. This allows online searchers to select the website or search result most aligned with their particular interests.
4) Stuffing Descriptions with Keywords
A common practice by novice SEOs is to stuff meta descriptions with keywords. Theoretically it makes sense to promote your keywords on search results, however, stuffing your descriptions with keywords provides no value to those searching for your services or products on search engines.
5) Not Being Relevant to the Associated Page
Almost too often, SEO consultants create meta descriptions that are powerful yet completely unrelated to the associated page on a website. These types of descriptions can be very misleading since they may lead searchers to your website only to realize that the content they were looking for is not there.
6) Lengthy Descriptions
Search engines limit the size of meta descriptions to approximately 160 characters. While you can certainly write a longer description, only 160 characters will be visible to searchers. Keeping your meta descriptions within the recommended range translates into focused and powerful descriptions.
7) Having No Calls-to-Action
Your meta description is your first attempt at promoting your business. For best results, use some sort of call-to-action in your description. This may be a phone number or an incentive to click on your link.
Increasing the rank of your website online is a requirement for success in today’s internet-driven world. Using meta descriptions effectively can help you increase the ranking of your website naturally on search engines, thus providing your business with better online visibility.
Meta data is an essential element in SEO. Get the best results by writing unique and effective meta descriptions and help your website rank higher on search engines.
Need help increasing the natural rank of your website on search engines? ClickxPosure has years of experience helping businesses increase their online ranking through SEO services. Contact ClickxPosure at 1-888-909-RANK to receive your free SEO report card.
