As a Brooklyn digital marketing company, one of the biggest mistakes we see people make when optimizing their web pages is not creating an effective meta description, or not even writing one at all! When you are working your website, whether it is a blog post or a landing page, meta descriptions are very important to optimizing your web content and attracting new visitors. As an inbound marketing company in Brooklyn, writing meta descriptions are one of our many specialties. So here are our tips on how to write the perfect meta description to help support your digital marketing strategy.
What is a meta description?
A meta description is the short piece of text below a search result link on Google. The meta description can be optimized to help other people find your website. By inserting relevant keywords to your business, it can be very useful towards your SEO, and your click through rate. If you do not write a meta description, Google automatically uses the first 155 characters of your web page or blog post*. This is not recommended as people are much less likely to click on a link that does not specify what it leads to, and what the user can get out of clicking the link.
Give a reason to click on it
When you are writing a meta description, think of it as you are trying to sell someone on your web page with a tweet. Not so easy, is it? It takes some copywriting skill to be able to come up with a meta description that works. However, one of the best ways to make your meta description more effective is to give people a reason to click on it. Create a call to action within the meta description. For example, if you are a moving company, a great call to action to have in your meta description is “Call today to get a free estimate!”. It is simple and gives someone who is trying to hire a moving company a reason to follow your link. Be sure to check out our guide on the anatomy of an effective landing page.
Give a concise description
While writing a meta description, make sure that you are fitting it within 155 characters. You don’t have enough room to fit everything your visitor wants to see, but you can draw their interest with a short pitch in the meta description. Everything after 155 characters is cut off so there is no reason to write a long description. Keep it short and sweet, just like a tweet.
Make it relevant
One of the main reasons a meta description is important is because it can help double down on relevant keywords. For example, as a Brooklyn inbound marketing company, I would insert this term into the meta description, so if someone is looking up that search term, it would appear higher on Google, as it is a relevant search term. If you have an irrelevant meta description, in relation to your web page, Google can demote your page, and make it more difficult for users to find your website.
Intrigue people
A meta description is supposed to be concise and make an offer, but it should also intrigue people who read it. They should get a very small taste of what you are offering, and give them a good reason to continue to your website. If you have a blog that is supposed to answer a question, it is not a good idea to include the answer to your question in the meta description. You want to leave the user wanting more.
When writing a meta description, it is important to remain concise, intriguing and give the reader a good reason to click on your website. However, it can be difficult to achieve this balance without the help of a professional. Park Slope Softworks works diligently on creating the best possible meta description as a part of our inbound marketing services. To learn more about our services, be cure to give us a call to get a free consultation about your website!
