Avoid Some Basic Meta Description Mistakes

Want to get higher CTR and drive more targeted organic traffic? Then avoid some basic meta description mistakes.

Meta descriptions are still important for top Search Engines like Google and Bing. There are some best practices you need to follow when creating them. A meta description may include a call to action to “Click to learn/read/discover more!” or “Click to buy now!”

According to a recent study, Google is choosing to rewrite and replace meta descriptions upwards of 70% of the time on results displayed on mobile devices and by a slightly lesser percentage on desktops.

However, these snippets of content generated by site owners, by Google’s own admission, are a great way to provide a summary of what a web-page is all about.

And then Google can and will decide what they want to do with this info.

30% of the time, they will use what you’ve created, so it simply makes sense to create the best meta descriptions you can.

Mistake 1: Meta Descriptions Which Are Too Long
Mistake 2: Meta Descriptions Which Are Too Short
Mistake 3: Meta Description Is Inconsistent with Page Content
Mistake 4: A Lack of Relevant Keywords
Mistake 5: Description Duplication
Mistake 6: Keyword Stuffing
Mistake 7: Your Meta Description Is Boring
Mistake 8: Leaving Out a Call to Action
Mistake 9: Confusing ‘Meta Descriptions’ with ‘Snippets’
Mistake 10: Not Writing Your Meta Descriptions at All

Summary
Meta descriptions do still matter. They play an important role in helping you both improve your organic search visibility and receive more targeted website traffic. As with all things SEO, there are some simple best practices you can follow to maximize their effectiveness. A little attention to detail can go a long way and maybe steal a few eyeballs away from all the rest of the noise.

Article Courtesy: Search Engine Journal