By this point, we’re all so used to sorting through search engine results that we don’t even stop to think about the process. The decision to click on one website over another is a seemingly subconscious decision that is largely based on rankings. But if you look closer, within the top five, 10 or 20 results, there is one very important on-page element that influences our decision: the meta description tag.

Although a far cry from the rankings boost that an optimized meta title tag provides, what the meta description tag lacks in ranking ability, it makes up for with a high click-through rate. The meta description is to the Internet what the headline is to the newspaper: a short, enticing description that makes the reader want to keep going.

While the inclusion of keywords in meta descriptions can help people see that your site contains a variation of the phrase they queried (Google bolds keywords that are a match), it’s more about what the meta description says rather than the keywords it includes.

In essence, the Google meta description is an advertisement for your site. Whether search engine users realize it or not, this short and sweet summation of your Web page is usually the reason they are compelled to visit your website. Although space is limited to a mere two lines of text (usually no more than 150 characters), what you put here has a huge impact on whether someone decides to visit your site – or not.

The best part is, it’s free – all you have to do is write it.

Whether you choose to write the description on your own or hire an Internet marketing professional (such as those employed at Web.com Search Agency) to write it for you, the goal is to write enticing ad copy that will drive traffic to your website.

Need ideas? Type in a few of your top keywords and see what your competitors are doing. After all, it’s their meta descriptions that your site will be competing against. When brainstorming, keep in mind that the description can be an excellent place to mention a promotion or any other aspect that makes your website stand out.

The secret to writing an effective meta description tag is to say as much as possible while being as brief as possible. Make it descriptive, yet informative. After all, brevity is the soul of wit.

And if you need some help, give us a call at 1-877-Rank-321.

Tags: Meta description tag

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 1:05 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.