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Optimizing website content depends on choosing the right keywords and drafting compelling headlines. Another fact that often goes unnoticed is the meta description. It has a great impact on the website's on-page SEO. The absence of accurate Meta description can cost you traffic and sales, even if you have ticked all the boxes boosting the visibility of the eCommerce site.

What exactly are Meta descriptions and how relevant are they? To tell the truth, they are short unique snippets describing a web page. It is similar to the advertising matter that you write to make the webpage rank first in the SERPs. People tend to leave Meta description blank not thinking about the effects it has on search results. With a powerful Meta description, it is easy to increase the click-through-rates that eventually boost the SEO ranking of your web page. It gives the first impression of a site meaning it has to be a good one.

Let’s take a quick look at the ways to ensure clicks with the right Meta description.

Answer The Questions Asked

Those who have access to Google keep looking for answers whether it is searching for the nearest plumbing services or if it is finding the best hotel in Cochin. To know what they are searching for about your business, put yourself in the shoes of the customer and build a possible solution. This is where the Meta description has to answer and impart value to entice them to click on your website.

Experts opine that the length of the Meta description has to extend up to 300 characters making them more descriptive. On the other hand, it is safe to stick to 160 characters so that the description is not abrupt and incomplete resulting in frustrated readers.

Evoking Emotion Helps

Emotions are sure to sell and the contents that arouse urgency, anger, joy, trust, and curiosity are likely to persuade the readers to act. This is the case with Meta descriptions as well. The customers are more likely to browse through the content that influences their emotions.

The best way is to resort to identifying the emotional benefits the customer attains along with considering your brand and leveraging it to drive traffic. Using adjectives like attractive, enormous, powerful and unparalleled strikes a chord with the readers even if it is as short as two or three lines.

Calls To Actions Are Powerful

They are equally powerful in Meta description, which communicates a clear purpose urging the readers to take a step ahead. The choice should be careful as it is not the ‘read more’ or ‘shop now’, but the ‘save more’ that is set to state an offer for a tangible benefit with free delivery or free 30-day trial to make better use of the Meta description.

Include Relevant Keywords

SEO optimization heavily depends on choosing the right keyword for the right occasion. Merely stuffing with keywords won’t get you the clear results. It is important to place them in sections strategically making all the difference such as that of Meta description.

The search words are displayed in bold, highlighting it in the website’s Meta description tag, when Google displays search results indicating the relevancy catching the reader’s attention.

It is possible to get hold of a wide number of keyword suggestions through research. Prioritizing them according to the maximum impact, for a particular webpage and fitting them all in a Meta description that is 160 characters long is sure to help.

Avoid Duplication Completely

Each web page is unique demanding unique Meta descriptions. Using the same Meta description for different pages ends up in competition with each other meaning they talk about the same thing. This results in a lower page ranking in Google search.

Duplicating the Meta description content gives Google the wrong signal which in turn counts it to be spam or repeated content that ultimately hurts your search results. So don’t be too lazy in this matter.

Use Rich Snippets Wherever Necessary

Some Meta descriptions have links, reviews, ratings, and video images. They are referred to as rich snippets. Unlike normal snippets, the rich snippets include structured data giving more detailed information, thereby helping people make a better decision before clicking the website.

With quick access to information, rich snippets give users visually appealing formats, images, and relevant information ultimately enhancing click-through rates. If it is adding a contact number, product reviews, and ratings or direct links, take into account incorporating rich snippets in the Meta description that helps it stand out and attract clicks. Meta descriptions surely affect page rankings while recommending that the optimization drives clicks, and generates traffic.