Meta description and its influence on the SERPS
-
Hi Hi,
on the On-Page Ranking Card I read:
"The meta description, while it does not influence rankings in the results, can still be valuable to employ to improve the click-through-rate of searchers from the results page and to provide context to those visitors about the page's topic/focus."
And Google confirms that it doesn't influence the results.
On the infografic on this page (text is in german), the say, it has a little relevance for the serps and that is what I experience, too. http://t3n.de/news/diese-faktoren-beeinflussen-365580/
What is you experience with meta description and serps?
André
-
Hi André,
While Meta Descriptions really don't effect the Search Engine Rankings it can give a quality signal for your page, just as you quoted, by the click-through-rate.
If you think about it, it makes sense, if you get a high number of impressions in SERPs but you have a low CTR, what could cause it?
- Do you have an engaging Title?
- Do you have an engaging Description?
If you were a Search Engine and you see someone in the top 10 results for a highly searched query, but with a low CTR, would you let them stay there? (Underlining the fact that your motto contains: "make the web a better place").
If it was me, who can take that decision... I wouldn't let them stay there.
Both your Meta Title and Meta Description should describe the real intent of the specific page, of what you are trying to deliver there.
Write your meta title and meta description for your potential visitors and your CTR will grow.
I hope that helped,
Istvan
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
-
Destination SERP Feature?
Hey guys, So my boss was surfin the web today on Google and came across the what looks like destination cards with an interest drop down. I've attached a screen shot of what it looks like. I couldn't find anything about this on the internet and was wondering if this was a new feature? Either way I guess I just want to know 1. what this SERP feature is called and 2. if there is any information on how google chooses what places to show here. It looks like, for this query anyway, that it's a combination of popular places in New England and my search history. Thanks! PrBMk
Algorithm Updates | | Myles920 -
Does Google use dateModified or date Published in its SERPs?
I was curious as to the prioritization of dateCreated / datePublished and dateModified in our microdata and how it affects google search results. I have read some entries online that say Google prioritizes dateModified in SERPs, but others that claim they prioritize datePublished or dateCreated. Do you know (or could you point me to some resources) as to whether Google uses dateModified or date Published in its SERPs? Thanks!
Algorithm Updates | | Parse.ly0 -
Tick mark against Free Shipping text in SERP
In Google SERP I saw a tick mark before the text such as Free Shipping, Cash on Delivery, etc. These are part of the second line of the description shown in the SERP. Is this coming from micro data or from some feature within the shopping cart?
Algorithm Updates | | promodirect0 -
Strange Google SERP Layout: Anyone?
I haven't been able to repeat this, but I just saw a strange Google SERP layout. The screenshot is attached below. Has anyone else seen something like this? I kind of rubbed my eyes and wondered 'if it was kicking in'. ca2JqaP
Algorithm Updates | | Travis_Bailey0 -
Rich Snippets stopped showing up in SERPS
Up until a few weeks ago my testimonial review ratings (5 star rating system) were showing up in search results but they no longer do. Went to the google rich snippet testing tool and they still do there just not on the real search results. Any thoughts on why? Perhaps an algorithm change?
Algorithm Updates | | casper4340 -
I need help with drastic SERP difference between Bing and Google
One of our sites that has been around for a couple of years has about 60,000 pages showing on google, however, bing only shows 90 pages for the site. This same phenomenon has been happening across the board for our sites. Any ideas to improve our indexing results for bing?
Algorithm Updates | | atuomala0 -
How does NIH get these logos in the SERPs
When I search google.com for "OCD" or "bipolar" or other medical problems the #1 organic position is held by the NIH.gov website and a logo accompanies their listing. (see below) I see the logo in Chrome, IE and Firefox. Are you seeing that too? I see this logo with lots of NIH.gov listings in the SERPs. Any idea if that is something that webmasters can trigger or is that something google is controlling? health-40.gif
Algorithm Updates | | EGOL1 -
Google changing the casing in SERPs of our domain name in Title tag!
I've added NOODP and NOYDIR metas to our pages... but Google is still somehow showing the correct title tag that is on the page, but is changing the CASING of the | Domain.com portion. In some instances, they are still showing a different title tag all together. Why would they be ignoring the <title>tag on the page and placing an uncased version of our domain name at the end?</p> <p> </p> <a download="MxQjo" class="imported-anchor-tag" href="http://imgur.com/MxQjo" target="_blank">MxQjo</a></title>
Algorithm Updates | | CareerBliss0