Meta Description Tags and Rankings
-
Hi there,
I have a lot of pages set up on my site but most have no content. If I add the correct meta description tags to those pages, will that help rank for the root domain? I am slowly getting the content added for each page but wanted to see if I could boost rankings in the meantime.
http://www.petmedicalcenter.com
Example: most of pages under "Services" are blank.
Thanks for the help!
-
It's a fine topic for discussion. The counter argument is there are reasons CTR should not be part of the algorithm such as users manipulation.
Either way PPC is very different from organic search results. Bounce rates and returning to Google for new searches are also different topics.
Even if CTR was a factor, meta descriptions are only one component. There are page titles, urls, breadcrumbs and other factors which can affect CTR. Even if meta descriptions were a factor, Google often will replace your meta description with another one of their choosing.
-
I would think they do use ctr in their Algo. It would make sense and is an important factor in ppc. If someone searches for something and everyone is clicking the third listing and assuming bounce and re search rate isn't high that would make sense don't you think?
-
Meta descriptions have no effect on your ranking. ZERO.
They are visible in search engine results and can impact your click-through-rate. If Google considers CTR in their algorithm (a debatable topic) then you could have a very minor, indirect effect that way, but it is quite a stretch.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Missing Meta description issue reported
Moz says missing meta description, however the meta description exists properly (using yoast plugin) eg of link reported by moz for missing meta description : https://www.basezap.com/reinstall-os-in-vps-using-solusvm-panel/ It is giving same error for many blog posts, as same time, for some articles the issue isn't reported. Although the method for meta description is same for all the posts. Can anyone explain if its a common bug in moz site analysis or I am following something wrong ?
On-Page Optimization | | basezap0 -
Alt tags
Do we use our main keyword only for alt tags for all images on the page?
On-Page Optimization | | Timberwink0 -
Moz shows page has no meta description but it does
Hi We recently worked on optimising one of our product pages, we created a new meta description, new unique content and a ensured it was optimised for our keyword. Despite all of this its ranking is still significantly lower than competitors eventhough the page authority is as good as theirs. I have just noticed that Moz crawl diagnostics is showing it up as having no meta description - but it does! when you check the source you see:http-equiv="description" content="Buy the robust and reliable Canon imageRUNNER 2525 from Copyfaxes. Learn more about the Canon 2525 before you buy." /> The page is: http://copyfaxes.com/product/2552/Canon-ImageRunner-2525-Digital-Copier I would appreciate any ideas.
On-Page Optimization | | copyfaxes10 -
Canoncial tag for homepage?
I have a site that gets most of it's traffic from one keyword combination, but I've noticed lately that instead of sending people to the homepage, it's sending people to an internal page. This isn't a problem, except for the fact that all the best link juice and domain authority has been directed at the homepage. There's not a lot of content on the homepage, so is it worth setting up a canonical tag on the homepage for this internal page to ensure that the page authority/link juice helps to boost this page that is already being indexed for the keyword?
On-Page Optimization | | Bigheadigital0 -
Can you change meta description at any time without loosing rankings?
I'm wondering if it is possible to change the meta description of a page on your site at any time without it affecting rankings on google? Is it only changing how my SERP looks? Or could bad things happen to changing your meta description? Appreciate all opinions on this one, thank you guys!
On-Page Optimization | | danielpett0 -
Global Meta Data and Titles
I am working on an e-commerce website with Volusion. I have 1 main keyword that I am really trying to focus on for my home page. Last week I was in position #7 for this keyword, and I have never been off the first page of Google for it. Using Volusion you can Globally set a Title and meta description for any pages that do not already have a title or description. I noticed my Global title had the same keyword as I was using for my home page and thought that, that might be taking away some importance from my keyword, so I changed the Global Title to a different keyword. When I looked at my SEO moz rankings today, which crawled last night it said My keyword was #24 on Google. I checked and as of now I am in position #11. Like I said before, I have never not been on the first page for this keyword. Does anyone think that changing the Global title may have been the cause for this??
On-Page Optimization | | DTOSI0 -
Keywords vs Tags In Wordpress
Whats the difference between Keywords vs Tags In Wordpress? Also sine meta keywords don't matter in a website do they matter on a blog?
On-Page Optimization | | splashmedia0 -
Meta Descriptions - Duplicate Content?
I have created a Meta Description for a page that is optimized for SERPS. If I also put this exact content on my page for my readers, would this be considered duplicate content? The meta description and content will be listed on the same page with the same URL. Thanks for your help.
On-Page Optimization | | tuckjames0