Practical tips to write good meta descriptions in your content

Hi how are you! I think I’ve already seen you around here. You are always looking for content and news to grow in your career and differentiate yourself in your work. Always wanting to learn a little more about digital marketing. How lucky we have your attention!

Although you are still a beginner and have many doubts about concepts, strategies and tools, I can assure you that, with perseverance, in a short time you will be mastering these techniques and teaching them to your teammates.

Today we are going to deal with an extremely subtle topic that will serve you mainly to generate  leads . After all, 64.7% of companies believe that the main objective  of content marketing  is to generate  leads . ( Content Trends, 2017 )

Let’s talk about: “meta description”, what is it? and how to make a meta description that attracts clicks? A very interesting topic that can help you increase the CTR (Click Through Rate) of your page.

What is a “meta description”?

It is a tag that makes it possible to find your website. It belongs to the family of metadata or “ meta tags ”. Meta, from the Greek  beyond  or  above , this means that meta information is information that is in the HTML (the hypertext) and whose function is to help locate other information.

The “meta description” is a self-definition, an expression of identity, it is what the web page describes of itself. It would be just a file tag if it weren’t for a little great detail: it not only appears in HTML, it also appears in SERPs. Yes, you heard correctly, this humble tag, ignored by  search engines , has access to the most desired space in content marketing.

Importance of appearing in SERPs

Appearing in SERPs is like taking the maximum prize out of the lottery. It is the noblest space, it is where we all want to be, it is the place where you can establish a direct link with the user.

Think of it this way. Everything happens very quickly, the user turns on his computer, enters Google and types a question, the answer page opens and your page  is positioned among the first 9 results.

The user, as always in a hurry and without time, is eager to solve their problems. In your anxiety, you will not click, just hover your mouse pointer over the links. Suddenly it goes over your link, it stops, the title pleases him; finally someone is giving you concrete information about your question.

Next, see the URL and below it, the “meta description”. Pleasantly he draws his gaze to the text to read it and decide whether or not to click. It is there, you captured their attention and their predisposition to listen to you. Go figure; all the effort of your team rewarded! He will read those approximately 156 characters, thought and chosen to make a difference, in less than five seconds.

That is the time you have to make the sale. The question is: knowing this, what would you write in the “meta description”?

How to make a meta description that attracts clicks?

So, you should think about the following: The main benefit of being in a SERP is that you establish a direct link with the navigator, directly with who clicks. It no longer depends on algorithms or GoogleBot, you are there, face to face with it.

In other words, it is no longer just a tag that describes the content of your page, now it is also an opportunity to capture a click. Therefore, when writing the “meta description” remember these 10 tips:

1. We want to please  the person first  and only the search engines second.
2. Although the number of characters is 156, if you want to guarantee that Google does not cut your “meta description” never exceed 139.
3. Include the keywords of the title, these will appear in bold, calling the reader’s attention and facilitating ” scannability “.
4. The stylistic question is relevant, the exercise of artistic literature is very important, writing in an original, understandable way that creates links with the reader.
5. Add value, include relevant information for your audience. Don’t just talk about yourself or your business, talk about them, the solution to their problems. This exercise is important because it will lead you to think about your client’s needs. What does he value most?
6. Never use only capital letters, that can be interpreted as screaming.
7. Highlight what makes your content unique in relation to others.
8. Convey trust, if you have any quality certificate or seal, this is where you should use it. To make the decision to click, the user must feel confident.
9. Inform the benefit of clicking on your link, invite the user to discover, includes a  CTA .
10. Always be honest, don’t promise what you can’t keep.

In relation to search engines

Once you have created your meta description thinking of the  person , you can optimize it, now yes, thinking about the search engines.

Google does not declare its criteria to position a page, but we, who study the subject, look for standards that help us optimize our pages and make them more attractive. So one of our main goals in digital marketing work is to tune in to search algorithms.

1. Don’t switch uppercase to lowercase, it can make it difficult for search engines to find you.
2. Preferably do not use quotes, it can create confusion with HTML.
3. Think of the meta description as a  Snippets . If we consider that the goal of Google is to please the user more and more, a good “meta description” can contribute to that goal. If it is well written and optimized, it can transform into a Snippet.

To finish, I want to tell you that this work of creating the “meta description” should be thought for those pages that have the most traffic. It would be impossible to create a meta description for each page generated and it would not be worth the effort, therefore, focus on the ones with the highest search traffic, since it is these pages that have opportunities to appear in the SERPs.

I hope this post helps you to capture more clicks and to have more authority on the subject. You already know that you can count on us. Leave your comments!