DIY B2B Direct Marketing and SEO » meta descriptions

Your maximum meta description length is 152 characters…

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 09:46:30 +0000

… but it’s a limit, not a target.

A strong, sales focused, benefit led meta description works wonders for SEO. But do you need to use all 152 characters?

No. It’s best to use common sense rather than slavishly create 152 character meta descriptions every single time:

a short, sharp meta description can sometimes make your point more powerfully
make your meta descriptions readable and impactful
remember to include your top key word for each page
include your USP – check what your top competitor is saying and improve on it
keep it real and relevant, don’t over-promise or you’ll disappoint visitors
test meta descriptions to identify which performs best
every time you change a page’s meta description, check its performance (visitor numbers and bounce rate)

Fresh meta descriptions spark search engine interest

admin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:54:04 +0000

You’ll find your web page’s meta description tag in the header section of the source code.

Meta descriptions are used to describe a page’s content to searchers and search engines accurately, clearly and succinctly.

If you’re clever the link will also act as a powerful little text advert that people are inspired to click on. But that’s another story.

Search engines love new stuff. Change your meta description regularly and Google & co will keep checking out your website to see what you’re up to. One more small thing on a long list of things to do that’ll keep your site fresh and exciting for everyone concerned: spiders, bots and humans!

Increase site visitors via great meta descriptions

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:06:52 +0000

Small but beautiful – make the most of meta description tags!

A web page’s meta description tag lives in the header section of the source code. It is used to describe the page’s content to searchers.

Written well, it is a powerful little advert that inspires people to click through and visit your site.

Here’s a few hints and tips to get your meta descriptions in great working shape:

restrict them to 150 characters including spaces – if they’re too long search engines will cut them off mid-way and you’ll dilute their effectiveness
use a sentence or phrase that describes the page’s content really accurately
avoid repeating words – it wastes valuable space
don’t include your site URL in the meta description
use key words or key phrases that are directly relevant, targeted tightly to the content in each page
don’t use ’special’ characters like ! @ # $ % – some browsers and search engines can’t understand them
make it exciting enough to attract click-throughs