Understanding why meta data is important and how to use it to your advantage is key to improving your SEO. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t know what it is in the first place and they don’t have a clue where to start with meta data writing. This quick guide will tell you everything you need to know so you can improve your meta data writing and boost your websites’ performance on search.
What Is Meta Data?
Let’s start with the basics; what is meta data? Meta data is information about a web page that doesn’t actually appear on the page itself. Instead, it is written into the HTML code of the web page in the form of meta tags. Common examples of meta tags include the title and description tags.
When Google algorithms are scanning pages and indexing them before presenting search results, the bots will use meta data to understand more about the page and its content. As well as using the meta data to help rank pages, it is also used to provide the snippets that appear on the search results page underneath the link.
Why Is Meta Data Important?
So, you know what meta data is, but why should you be so concerned about meta data writing? Firstly, meta data is one of the factors that affect your search rankings. The higher you appear on search engine results pages, the more traffic your site gets. By improving the quality of your meta data, you can boost organic traffic levels on your site. Secondly, the description meta tag gives users an indication of what is on the page and helps them decide whether to click the link or not. If you can write a better meta tag that grabs people, you will get more clicks.
Meta Data Writing Tips
If you want to improve your SEO, there are a few meta data writing rules you should follow.
Title tags
As a general rule, you should try to keep title tags under 60 characters. If you exceed this, Google will cut it off on the search results and the user will not be able to see the full title.
Your title tag should tell the Google bots exactly what the page is about, so make them all unique and try to be specific. Using your main keyword in the title tag is important too because it gives a clear indication that the page is relevant. However, make sure that you don’t overdo it because you may be penalised by the algorithm.
Meta descriptions
The meta description doesn’t affect search rankings but it is your only opportunity to convince somebody to click on your site, so it needs to be perfect. The ideal length is somewhere between 50 and 160 characters. Pages with more complex information will require a longer description.
Remember, you are trying to encourage people to visit your page, so think about why your page has value. Are you answering a common question? Is a product page related to the user’s search? Make sure that you write in active voice and demonstrate the value of the page right away. Include your keyword in the description too to show that it’s relevant.
Finally, you need to end your description with a clear call to action encouraging people to click the link. Simple language like ‘learn more’ or ‘get it now,’ works perfectly.
As long as you follow these meta data writing tips, you can help to increase traffic on your website.