Define, build & populate the meta description
Before you come to a website, in most cases you will search in the search engine based on keywords (search terms). On the search results page (of e.g. Google) you will find a large number of so-called SERP Snippets - Part of it are Title and Meta-Description (meta description). This means that no matter how compelling your web design and content may be, the content of your SERP snippet must first entice the user to click on your page.
What exactly a meta description is, how it is structured and where you enter it in the backend of your website, you will learn in this glossary article.
The Meta Description in the SERP Snippet
As already mentioned, the meta description is a part of the SERP snippet. We have written another glossary article about this, but we summarize the most important key points here.
A SERP snippet is like a preview of your web page and consists of a title, a URL and a meta description.
| Title: Should briefly and crisply outline the topic (55 characters) and corresponds to the meta title tag in the header of your website.URL: Should be easy to read for the user and reflect the theme. The easy readability also helps the search engine (e.g.: Google) to read the website better.
Meta Description: May be a maximum of 155-160 characters long, otherwise it will be abbreviated with "...". The topic can be further explained here, complementing the Title. More tips for the meta description and its content can be found below. |
As an example, here you can see a screenshot of the SERP snippet of our home page:
General information about Meta Descriptions
The Meta Description is not a ranking factor in SEO (search engine optimization) according to Google, but it is the first thing that the user and your potential customer see before they click on your website. That's why meta description (meta description) is still an important part of SEO and optimizing your website. In fact, the meta description can lead to a high click-through rate in organic searches on search engines like Google if it is properly optimized.
All search engines that you can find on the market use meta descriptions. These include, for example: Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo or Yahoo. However, Google is the most widely used, which is why it makes sense to base the description on the format of Google search results.
This is how an optimal meta description is structured
In principle, meta descriptions can be as long as you want. But if you follow the guidelines, it is more likely that the meta description for your page will be used by Google and users will see it.
The classic length of a meta description is between 155 and 160 characters - whereby the length always depends on the keyword. At the same time, the device used (cell phone, laptop, tablet) and the location from which the website is accessed also play a role. If the meta description you have entered is too long, it will automatically be abbreviated with "...".
Our SERP Snippet Generator
If you are now unsure how to write optimal meta descriptions and suitable titles, you are in the right place with our SERP Snippet Generator well advised.
Here you can easily test which length of the meta description would be suitable for the individual keywords of your page, how you can make the title and meta appealing and you get both a preview of your snippet, as well as an HTML code to include it.
The optimal content of a meta description
As always in the SEO field, there is no simple guide on how to write the optimal meta description - the content always depends on your chosen keyword and your users.
However, we'll give you a few tips here that you can always consider when writing new meta descriptions:
- Use the SERP snippet to provide the user with a Summary of your website to give. Focus especially on the added value of your page.
- Integrate the Main keywords of each page always in the respective meta description.
- Motivate the user to click to your page with phrases like "Learn more" or "Schedule a free initial consultation."
- Do not overload your meta description with icons. A few isolated icons from our SERP Snippet Generator make a big difference in the description - but if you overdo it, your page can quickly seem less trustworthy.
- Compare with the other snippets on the search results page - which Meta Descritpions do you find for your keyword on page one?
Have you created an optimal Meta Description and Title using our SERP Snippet Generator? Then we'll show you here how you can include them as well.
Entering the Meta Description
A Meta Description and a Title can be included on any website, no matter if WordPress, HTML page or modular systems. For HTML pages, we offer an HTML code in our SERP Snippet Generator, which makes the integration of the description very easy. If you use the CMS WordPress, we recommend the plugin Yoast SEO or Rank Math SEO.
If you use the plugin of your choice (Yoast SEO or Rank Math SEO), you can find a field in the backend in edit mode, where you can easily add title and meta.
Here you can see again our example for the keyword "seo niederösterreich". In the backend of your page, if you use Rank Math SEO, you can click on "Edit snippet".
Then this field opens:
Here you can easily add your title, URL and description.
A few days later your title and meta description should have been accepted by Google. If you're not sure which keyword you want to rank for and what to focus your website on, check out our blog articles on all things SEO and content - there's something for everyone!
Otherwise, you are always welcome to contact us and we will take care of the search engine optimization (SEO) for your website!
