A website’s title tags and meta descriptions are something often written up when the site is first launched, only to be quickly forgotten about and never revisited. Out of sight, out of mind. However, meta tags can play a vital role in the success of your business page, working to provide Google and its users with valuable information about what a webpage entails, before even making the decision to click the link and learn more.
Meta title and description tags are snippets of text that describe what a web page is about in more detail, appearing in the SERPs for searches relevant to their topic. Meta descriptions should entice potential users to click through to your site instead of your competitors. Meta descriptions are a great way to let potential customers know what you have to offer.
If you are receiving high volumes of organic traffic, be cautious when tweaking and optimising your meta tags, as what you have in place is already working for you. However, there are many reasons as to why you should consider reoptimizing the meta titles and descriptions on your website:
Keyword Volume
Keyword volumes change over time. Therefore, your pages may be optimised for keywords that no one is searching for anymore! Regular keyword research is essential for keeping up with trends and ensuring that your business, products or services can be easily found by the right people with the right search terms.
Low CTRs
Google Analytics provides you with a deep insight into every single webpage on your website. You can easily find out how many visitors your pages get per day/week/month/year, how long they spend on your website, how many pages they view in one session and more. The most obvious sign that your meta tags aren’t appealing to your target audience is a low organic CTR.
New USPs
Impressive USPs are the key to getting users to click through to your pages, so ensuring that your meta descriptions are optimised with your most up-to-date USPs can boost traffic. USPs can be anything from free or fast delivery, awards you have won, or something more specific to your industry.
So, if your meta titles and descriptions are in need of a revamp, how do you get started?
How to Write Perfect Meta Tags
Ideally, your meta titles and descriptions should contain the primary keywords you want your landing page to rank for. When your website is returned in the search results, the user will look at your meta tags for validation that your website is relevant to their search query. Google will highlight the search term if it is present in your meta descriptions, which may make your website look favourable over your competitors.
When writing your Meta tags, put yourself in the mind-set of a potential customer and consider how you would envision their user experience – what are they searching for? What do they want? What can you offer them that your competition can’t?
Utilise your description with USPs that are readable and will maximise your click through rate. If you offer free delivery over £10 and your competition doesn’t, showcase that – it may be the thing that entices a user to click on your website.
Limited Length
Meta titles and descriptions alike have to be under a certain number of characters, or they will be cut off. The recommended length of a Meta description is 160 characters, although it is wise to aim for 150-160 to be safe. Ensure that the most important information is towards the beginning of the description, as if your description is too long is may get cut off.
Keeping Things Unique
It is bad practise to have identical title tags for your pages, and the same applies for your Meta descriptions. Each page on your site should be unique to itself so there is no need for any two descriptions to be the same. Especially for product pages, a rule should be in place to make things easier and more structured that can be implemented on every product page:
‘Check out our new <product>, part of the <category/subcategory> range at <brand>. Free next day delivery available.’
For more advice on how to improve your online visibility, learn more about the SEO services that we provide today.