Meta tags play an important role in helping search engines to understand what the content of a website relates to.

What is a meta title tag?

It’s the title of your page that offers a preview of what your website content is about. Also known as a title tag, it refers to the text that is displayed on search engine result pages (SERPs) and browser tabs to indicate the topic of a webpage. It is one of the first things that users notice in the SERPs.

Your title tag is not just for your visitors, but also for the search engines that discover your content. Thus, you need to blend clarity with context to ensure that your title makes sense to everyone.

This means that your title tag should be clear, descriptive and usually not more than 55 characters.

If you can include a keyword in these 55 characters, you can enhance your SEO (search engine optimisation), but what’s even more important is to remember to add value. A title that has the right keyword without being clear won’t necessarily lead to improved results.

What is a meta description?

A meta description is the snippet of information below the blue link title of a search result.

Its purpose is to concisely describe the contents (and value to the reader) of the most valuable pages on your website (with the end goal of convincing your potential client to click through to your website - and not that of your competitor's).

Here's an example of what optimised meta data looks like:

Notice that because the query is "What car insurance does Aviva offer?", the word car is bolded in that meta description.

Why are meta descriptions important?

Meta descriptions are important because:

1. They let Google know what your webpage will be about.

   If Google can read and comprehend the content of your meta description, it will have an easier chance of ranking your page to answer search queries.

2. They catch the attention of your searching target audience, communicate your proposition to them in an instant - and then encourage them to open your website (and not a competitor's).

Ultimately, Meta descriptions increase organic traffic and bring more eyes to your webpages.

What if you don’t include a meta description?

If you don't include a meta description, Google will display a snippet of text from the first paragraph of your page. If there’s a search keyword in that text, it’ll be bolded. While this isn't a bad thing, not including a meta description means missing out on the chance to personalize the message you deliver to potential clients (so as to ensure that they open your website, and not one of your competitors).

Best practice when writing the description:

1. Give a concise snapshot of the topic so as to signal to the reader what they can expect.
2. Try to include a benefit to the customer.
3. Ideally include a call to action.
4. Ideally include a keyword.
5. Keep your meta descriptions somewhere between 140-160 characters in length

Some additional tips for writing an effective meta description.

1. Answer the question.

   It's likely that people are on Google searching for an answer to a question. Try to get into their heads and think about what they're looking for that your content can help with.
   
   

2. Offer a solution to the challenge.

   Provide a solution to the challenge your readers are looking to solve.

   Remember, meta descriptions are the elevator pitch of your page — so use this approach to sell the most relevant and appropriate content to your ideal target audience.
   
   

3. Keep the description concise.

   The body of your page is where you’ll educate your audience, so the meta description doesn't need to be lengthy. Provide a quick summary of the page — or the point of the page that will stand out to readers.

   Meta descriptions should be under 160 characters long.
   
   

4. Don't overuse the keywords.

   While your meta description should have keywords, it also should read naturally to the reader. If you overuse keywords just to get a high rank, readers might not understand your meta description. A tough-to-follow description could turn a browser away from your page.
   
   

5. Try to be engaging with a unique proposition to readers.

   If you can, make your meta descriptions relevant and engaging. – and ideally different from what your competition is saying.
   
   

6. Entice readers with a call-to-action.

   If you want to persuade the reader to take action — or create a sense of urgency — try tacking a call-to-action at the end of your description.
   
   

7. Avoid duplicate meta descriptions.

   While Google won't actively penalize you for duplicating the meta descriptions on your site, it’s still bad for SEO. Why? If you have too many identical descriptions, search engines may flag some of your content as low-quality or redundant, thus impacting your ranking.

   
   
   

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This page content was reviewed in September 2024.