Meta description
Senior SEO-specialist
How do you increase the click-through rate (CTR) of a landing page? One solution is to optimize the meta description. What is this and how does it impact SEO? We discuss it in this term.
What is a meta description?
The meta description, also often called the “meta description,” is the piece of text that appears below the meta title in search results. Google uses this piece of text to provide a description of the company to the searcher. It includes two lines on the search results page. The meta description gives you room to convince the searcher of the value of your business.
The impact of a meta description on SEO
The meta description of a page does not directly affect the SEO of a page or website.
However, a page’s meta description does have an indirect impact on SEO. Google measures the quality of search results by the click-through rate, or Click Through Rate. A good meta description increases CTR. When your CTR is higher than the competition, Google values it.
It is important not to stuff the meta description with a keyword. The text should be legible and flow naturally. It should not deter searchers. When Google thinks it contains too many keywords, Google is less likely to show your website in search results.
My advice
The length is the subject of much speculation by SEO specialists. Google measures the length of a meta description in pixels. This is because characters (in any language) are of different lengths. Typically, Google shows a meta description up to a limit of 155 characters. Some meta descriptions are shown up to 160 characters. When Google finds the meta description too long, Google truncates the text.
We recommend staying under 155 characters to avoid truncating the meta description. It does not look professional and it detracts from the purpose of the meta description: enticing the searcher to click.
Mention the key USPs of the page in question or your company. Make sure the landing page or website stands out among all the other meta descriptions. Seize this opportunity to generate more visitors!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a meta description?
A meta description is a piece of text about 157 characters long (otherwise it will be truncated by Google) within the search results page. This piece of text should be a description of what is happening on the page in question.
What is the impact of Meta Description on SEO?
Indirectly, the meta description affects SEO. Good text provides a higher click-through rate (CTR). Google measures this percentage and takes it into account in their ranking in search results.
