How Important Are Meta Descriptions?

28 November 2014 | | Search Engine Optimisation

Many people believe that meta descriptions aren’t important or aren’t that important in SEO. However the following information might change people’s views on the importance of meta descriptions and why well-written meta descriptions might just help your website in search engines.

Firstly, Google have said in the past that meta descriptions do not influence the search algorithm, and I suppose we will have to just trust what they are saying. However Google does analyse user behaviour on a site, just look at your Google Analytics!

Click through rate (CTR) is one specific metric of user behaviour that is part of the algorithmic ranking process, and it is not just Google that look to be making use of this metric but Bing too.

 

But why are meta descriptions important then?!

 

Well, a well-written meta description can indeed improve a site’s CTR in the search engine results page (SERP) and thus its rankings.

 

How to write great meta descriptions?

 

  1. Make sure the meta description describes the page that users will be clicking through to.
  1. Make the meta description persuasive, add some call to action or invite a response from the user to click through to the page.
  1. Make users curious enough to want to click through to the page to read the rest of the information.
  1. Use the right words – especially keywords. Users want to see that the page they are going to click through to is relevant to their query. In addition, the use of keywords in the meta descriptions adds more visibility to your listing as some of the keywords would be highlighted as bold text.
  1. Make sure they are the correct length. If the meta description is too long Google will truncate it. The length that Google currently accepts is 156 characters long.

 

If you would like to know more about how Dental Design can help the SEO (search engine optimisation) of your website please give us a call on 01202 677277.

More posts from our team


Previous Post:
Next Post:

Back to all news

Reviews2024
Five Star
Reviewed Marketing
5 gold stars
google review logofacebook review with 5 stars
"Excellent service from James at Dental Design, thank you very much for your prompt attention whenever I get in touch! Would definitely recommend to a friend" Alison Tarmey View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "Would definitely recommend to a friend"
5 gold stars
"As a dental practice manager I cannot recommend Dental Design highly enough. They are just brilliant at what they do. Lucy and her colleagues are just an email or a phone call away...." Emma Smith View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "I cannot recommend Dental Design highly enough"
5 gold stars
"Really great company to deal with. They always respond quickly and are truly reliable. I would 100% recommend, the staff are so friendly and helpful." Michelle Molloy View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "Really great company to deal with"
5 gold stars
"I got increased traffic and new patients applying to my surgery, once Dental Design upgraded my website. They are very professional, efficient & adaptive to new situations..." Joanna Gallop View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "Very professional, efficient & adaptive to new situations"
5 gold stars
"Lucy has been a star, responding to and acting upon our requests in a prompt, efficient and professional manner, as well as the rest of the Dental Design team..." Abhay Shah View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "I cannot recommend them highly enough"
5 gold stars
"...Since the website has been up and running Lucy Mander has been our point of contact. She has been invaluable and gone out of her way to help us, especially during COVID-19 lockdown... " Lucy Jones View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "Has been invaluable and gone out of her way to help us"
5 gold stars
"Thank you for all your help and support, and the provision of valuable learning aids for our patients and staff alike in these difficult times. We love the look of our practice website. Very professional!" Sandra Luck View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "We love the look of our practice website. Very professional!"
5 gold stars
"Dental Design stood out both in their knowledge of the industry and their professionalism and can-do attitude. All of their staff are exceptionally competent and knowledgeable..." Harvey Rook View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "Dental Design stood out both in their knowledge of the industry and their professionalism"
5 gold stars
"Having done extensive research into all the dental website companies, the team and package offered at dental design was unrivalled..." Neil Shah View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "The team and package offered at dental design was unrivalled"
5 gold stars
"The team at dental design (especially Rosie) are absolutely fantastic and are always on hand to help. They are professional, friendly and extremely efficient. Rosie always gets back..." KiKi Wilmot View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "absolutely fantastic and are always on hand to help"
5 gold stars
"Dental Design are fantastic to work with, our website is amazing and the support they provide is second to none. Our account manager Rosie L is a fabulous point..." Luke Lucas View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "Dental Design are fantastic to work with"
5 gold stars
"Having worked with the Dental Design team for the last six months, I've found them not only helpful, but friendly and approachable too. I bombard Marcus with regular..." Sophie Harper View Full Testimonial
Google reviews logo "always met with a swift and professional response"
5 gold stars
desk with branded documents