How to Write a Good Meta Description: The Best Method

To seduce his sweetheart, the Antarctic male penguin Adélie builds a nest with the most beautiful pebbles he can find. The female will make her choice by looking at all the nests available to her. Which nest do you think she will choose? The one she finds most attractive, of course!

We do a bit of the same thing when surfing the net: among all the possible sites, we click on the one that attracts us the most. But it’s rarely the title of the link that attracts us. Rather, it’s the meta description, a simple string of characters that plays a major role in the choice of the site you click on.

Today, the SEO experts of the My Little Big Web agency want to teach you how to seduce your Internet users. In the following article, they will show you how to write a good meta description that will increase your click through rate.

What is a meta description?

Before we learn how to write a good meta description for your website, let’s take a moment to define the term.

Simply put, the meta description, also known as the description tag, is an HTML tag that appears under the title tag of a web page in the results generated by a search engine following a keyword query.

While the title tag of a web page is displayed in blue as a clickable link to a page within a site, the meta description acts more like a short summary describing the content of the page in question. It therefore details the information that the user can expect to find on a given page when he clicks on the title tag.

Let’s visualize these 2 elements together in order to better distinguish them. On the image below, “Web Marketing Agency in Montreal – Digital Marketing Services” is the title tag. And just below, you can see the meta description of the web page.

Why is the meta description tag important for SEO?

The meta description once played a significant role in terms of SEO. But this is no longer really the case. However, even if it is no longer an SEO factor in the strict sense, it nevertheless contributes indirectly to the ranking of a web page on several levels.

But how can that be?

The role of the meta description, while not limited in its scope, is to pique the user’s curiosity and encourage them to click on the title tag of a search result to find out more.

The better this tag is written, the more the site will be considered “interesting” by the Internet user. Consequently, this increased interest will increase the click-through rate (CTR) of the site in the SERPs. And the more a site is clicked, the more Google will value it for its ranking, which, in turn, will generate even more traffic to the site and drive conversions.

That’s the power of the meta description. Not bad, right?

The meta description: at the service of your business

In the next paragraph, we will get to the heart of the matter, and together we will see how to write a good meta description. But before we get there, let’s quickly review 3 key elements that will help us achieve a great result.

Meta description length

A description tag should not exceed approximately 155 characters. If yours contains more than that, it’s likely that Google won’t display it in full, as shown in the image below.

The importance of arousing the user’s interest

Next, the wording of your meta description must meet the user’s desires and needs. Therefore, focus its content on the search intent of your target, and emphasize how your product or service will improve their life.

When time isn’t on your side

Finally, make sure you are clear, concise and precise. You don’t have much time to stand out from other competing pages, and the Internet user will scroll through the search results at high speed.

Choose each word you write carefully. If your message is vague, difficult to understand or requires too much thought, the Internet user will continue to scroll through the search results until he or she is satisfied.

How to write a good meta description

Now we’re getting to the heart of the matter. There is no one way to answer the question of how to write a good meta description. There are several.

However, for the purpose of this blog topic, we have chosen to go in 2 parts. In the first one, we’ll see how to write a meta description for a home page, and in the second, we’ll learn how to write a description tag for your product or service pages.

Let’s go!

How do you write a meta description for your homepage?

At first glance, writing a meta description may seem simple. But the reality is quite the contrary.

A home page doesn’t focus on a single service or product. Rather, it refers to a range of products or services offered by a company. It also conveys the company’s attitude and values.

Writing a description tag of about 155 characters – about half the length of a Tweet – that gives an overview of a site’s content and convinces the user to click on the title tag takes time and a fair amount of thought.

Here is an example of a well-written meta description from JYSK.

“Transform your home into a stylish and functional space at an affordable price with JYSK. A one stop shop for bedroom, dining, living and office furniture.”

From the very beginning, the company gives us an idea of what defines its brand (functionality and affordability) and what it sells (home furniture). With these 2 points, JYSK indicates to users that they will find functional and affordable furniture for any room.

If you are looking for decorative, high-end furniture, you will know that JYSK may not offer what you are looking for. On the other hand, if you are looking for practical furniture at a good price, then the meta description will catch your eye.

The second half of the description tag focuses on their specific offer of a “one-stop shop for bedroom, dining, living and office furniture”.

All together, JYSK is very clear about what it offers, what makes its products stand out and who they are intended for: stylish and functional furniture for the whole house at an affordable price.

In total, this tag is composed of only 26 words and 155 characters, but they say a lot.

How do you write a meta description for your product pages?

Writing a meta description for a product page may be a little easier because the page focuses on a single item or a range of rather similar items that have common characteristics, rather than the company as a whole. In addition, we also prepared a guide on how to write a product sheet.

Products offer a tangible benefit to buyers. Do you sell sports cars? Show the reader that the power of the vehicle will blow their minds. Do you sell a carpenter ant extermination service? Tell the reader that you will get rid of this harmful pest once and for all!

Let’s take another example. This time we visit the website of vacuum cleaner manufacturer Dyson, and look at the meta description of their V7 product.

“Dyson V7 cordless vacuum cleaner offers powerful cordless cleaning, on all floor types, for cleaning here, there and everywhere.”

Immediately and in no uncertain terms, Dyson tells the consumer what its product does (powerful cleaning) and how it intends to meet the consumer’s needs – the flexibility of a wireless device that works on all surfaces and everywhere! in the home.

The description tag defines the use of the product and also conveys the pleasure that comes from using it. The description tag also has a casual tone, which sets it apart from other more serious and formal tags that are usually used to promote a product as boring as a vacuum cleaner. In this respect, Dyson’s meta description stands out, which probably does wonders for its click through rate.

Writing a good meta description and winning the hearts of Internet users

That’s it! Now you know how to write a good meta description that will seduce Internet users and potentially convert them into loyal customers. We hope you find these tips useful and enjoy using them to develop better description tags for your business. After all, your click-through rate and traffic depend on it.

For more tips on the world of web marketing, visit the blog section of our website. And to entrust the writing of your meta descriptions to professionals, contact us. Our content writing department will be happy to create powerful description tags that will optimize your online visibility.

Eugénie Delhaye

Cofondatrice et Spécialiste Marketing Internet et Référencement Naturel (SEO) Ma maîtrise des techniques de référencement, combinée à une analyse minutieuse des tendances du marché, me permet de créer des stratégies SEO sur mesure, efficaces et durables.