Writing the perfect Meta Descriptions
-
I have a lot of Meta Descriptions to write and so this got me thinking, what is the 'perfect' way to write one?
I tend to stick to 165 characters and I now write them with the aim of getting the prospect to 'click through' and visit the intended page, I don't 'keyword stuff' though if I can include a keyword in the flow of the description then I will...
In this example, I need to write a Meta Description for a 'worldwide cruise destination' called Okinawa which is the largest in a group of islands between Japan and Taiwan...
Here is my Meta Description effort;
Okinawa is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands, steeped in history but has developed into a captivating worldwide cruise port with a wonderful and relaxed culture.
How would you rate my effort in a score of 1 - 10?
How would you write it better?
Thanks for your time!
Andy
-
Thanks Mark, I have already (sort of) done that but have yet to establish any results - it might be worth looking into a bit more thoroughly!
Andy
-
What about having a subtle call to action in there?
What you have written is fine, but it might be worth having a play around to see what works best. Maybe get 2 pages with similar performance in search, use one descriptive meta description like you already have and one with a call to action along the lines of "visit our website to find out about...". Then simply see which has the better click through rate.
-
Thanks everyone for your comments, I will take onboard all that has been mentioned!
Andy
-
Match the title to valuable queries. (toss all dead weight overboard)
Match the description to the strongest selling points (what people want to do/see/buy/etc there in this case). Keep in mind that query words in the description will be bolded.
-
It looks just fine, however I'd include the phrase you are optimizing for in your meta description. Reason being simply for the searcher experience. Google bolds the terms in your description so having that phrase there wouldn't hurt (as long as it does not become spammy), it could only improve click through.
-
Hi Andy,
I like to match the page title to prospect's search query as best as possible. So I would use something like this: Okinawa Worldwide Cruises + maybe branding/value proposition (though your example is fine). Here is a good guide: http://moz.com/learn/seo/title-tag
Kev
-
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for your response - the page is basically just information about that particular cruise port \ destination.
With regard to Page Title (that was to be another post further down the line!), what would you suggest?
At the moment, the majority of Page Titles are something like this; (using Okinawa as the example again)
Okinawa | Worldwide Cruise | Andy Cockayne Cruises
I would imagine that you will be a bit more critical about that example?!
Thanks again
Andy
-
What is the objective of the landing page? Is it to sell a cruise or just information about the destination? If it's just information--not bad at all 9 or 10). If it's to sell a cruise, some refinement will be needed to indicate to the prospect you are selling cruises to this destination.
Are your page titles compelling?
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
-
Will German meta data help an English USA-based site get found in Germany?
I think I already know the answer to this, but I'd love a second opinion. If you add German meta data to some web pages will it help those pages turn up in search results in Germany?I'm assuming not. It's an English, USA based site, doing well here for English searches - and I don't want to mess that up. A German site is being planned, but this client is hoping the English site could be found in the meantime. ~Caro
On-Page Optimization | | Caro-O0 -
Google not displaying my page title and meta description
Google is automatically picking up random text from my page and displaying it in place of the page title and meta description on the SERP. What can I do to avoid this? I want my page title and meta description to show up on the SERP. The url of my website is: wishpicker dot com Thanks in advance!
On-Page Optimization | | seomanicster0 -
Meta Title for large Metro Area landing page
Hello! I am creating "metro landing pages" for an organization that has a 10-18 locations per metro city. The landing page houses brief information about the organization as a whole and then it has the locations listed with links to their respective pages. My question is how to optimize these titles. My sample city is Atlanta, GA. This metro page includes 18 locations from the Atlanta area. Marietta, Sandy Springs, Decatur, etc... My question is what is the best Meta Title to use for a Metro Page like this? Would it be best to say Day Care in Metro Atlanta | ABC Childcare Company | Child Care Atlanta Area or is their a better way to optimize a large Metro landing page? I really appreciate any suggestions! Thanks!!!
On-Page Optimization | | TracSoft0 -
Is there a tool out there I could use to help me compose unique meta tags in bulk?
We have a website that has hundreds of crawl errors due to duplicate meta tags. I could do with a tool to help compose unique ones in bulk so we don't exceed the recommended character limit and follow any other best practices.
On-Page Optimization | | WebDesignBirmingham0 -
What does the "base href" meta tag do? For SEO and webdesign?
I have encounter the "base href" on one of my sites. The tag is on every page and always points to the home URL.
On-Page Optimization | | jmansd0 -
What is the recommended length for meta description?
Hello, I am sure this newbie question has been sent millions of times, but I couldn't find it with the new Q&A forum search... So, how many characters should I use in my description meta tag ? Thanks for sharing Loïc
On-Page Optimization | | mandinga0