What Is A Meta Description On A Website?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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A meta description (sometimes called a meta description attribute or tag) is

an HTML element that describes and summarizes the contents of your page for the benefit of users and search engines

. … Why meta descriptions are important to you and to your SEO rankings.

What is a good meta description?

Meta descriptions can be any length, but Google generally truncates snippets to ~155–160 characters. It’s best to keep meta descriptions long enough that they’re sufficiently descriptive, so we recommend descriptions

between 50–160 characters

.

How do you write a meta description for a website?

  1. Stick to your brand voice and tone, but also keep it conversational.
  2. Include your primary keyword if you can do so naturally.
  3. Make sure you convey value to the reader.
  4. Include a call-to-action, i.e. “Learn more here.”
  5. Write in active voice.

Do Meta descriptions affect SEO?

Do Meta Descriptions Affect SEO? The short answer is

no, they don’t technically impact SEO

. However, they are an important part of your SEO strategy as they are one of the first things searchers see when they encounter one of your pages.

How do I create a meta description?

  1. Use the keyword but don’t overuse it.
  2. Place the keyword near the front of the title.
  3. Focus on readers, not just search engines.
  4. Show benefits and value.
  5. Include your brand name when relevant.
  6. Write 50 to 60 characters.
  7. Write unique page titles for each page.

How do I find meta description?

If you want to find out whether a given page is using meta tags,

just right-click anywhere on the page and select “View Page Source

.” A new tab will open in Chrome (in Firefox, it’ll be a pop-up window). The part at the top, or “head” of the page, is where the meta tags would be.

What is meta tag example?

Meta tags provide information about the webpage in the HTML of the document. This information is called “metadata” and while it is not displayed on the page itself, it can be read by search engines and web crawlers. … Example of meta tags include

the <title> and <description> elements.

What is an example of meta?

The definition of meta is a person or thing that is more than usual or that goes above and beyond. An example of meta used as an adjective are

meta tags

which are HTML tags that are hidden on a website screen but give search engines the title and description of the web screen.

Does Google use meta description?

Meta description tags: Google

sometimes uses <meta> tag content to generate snippets

, if we think they give users a more accurate description than can be taken directly from the page content.

Does Google use meta keywords?

Does Google ever use the keywords meta tag in its web search ranking? In a word, no. … Our web search (the well-known search at Google.com that hundreds of millions of people use each day) disregards keyword metatags completely.

They simply don’t have any effect in our search ranking at present

.

What is an SEO meta description?

A meta description is

the small blurb that appears underneath your website on the SERP that includes information about your page

. It is designed to provide users with a brief summary of the content on your page so that users know if the page will answer their question.

What is the use of meta keywords?

Meta tags are used “behind the scenes” of a website page to communicate information about that page to search engine crawlers. The Meta Keyword tag is used — or more accurately, was used —

to let Google and other search engines know which keywords were most relevant to the content of a given

web page.

Do you need a meta description for every page?

Don’t let your consultant or toolset fool you;

you don’t need a meta description on every page

, or even close to every page. Remember that all content requires future maintenance. It would be far better to have no meta description than a poor or outdated one.

How do you write a meta tag?

  1. Do stick to character counts— Title tag should be around 60 – 72 characters in length or about 5 – 10 words. Meta description should be no longer than 135 – 160 characters.
  2. Don’t exceed counts—The search engines will simply cut off excess text, potentially causing your links and descriptions to be less readable.

How do I create a meta tag?

  1. Meta tags are basic elements of search engine optimization used to describe the page content. …
  2. To add meta tags to a web page, you need to edit the <head> section of the HTML file. …
  3. Open the HTML file and locate the <head> section near the top of the file.

Are meta keywords still relevant 2020?

To put it simply, using meta keywords to improve your search website’s search

ranking is no longer as important as it once was

. Search engines simply don’t rely on them anymore. Google and Yahoo ignore them and instead uses other factors to determine search ranking.

Emily Lee
Author
Emily Lee
Emily Lee is a freelance writer and artist based in New York City. She’s an accomplished writer with a deep passion for the arts, and brings a unique perspective to the world of entertainment. Emily has written about art, entertainment, and pop culture.