How to Write Effective Meta Descriptions

Good Example 1:

Get everything you need to sew your next garment. Open Monday-Friday 8-5pm, located in the Fashion District.

Within a 155-character limit, this meta description has given the user the opening times, location and what the shop sells.

Bad Example 1:

Get yarn, coloured pencils, sewing machines, threads, bobbins, needles and evertything you need to sew your next garment. Open Monday-Friday 8-5pm, located in the Fashion District.

Google advises against packing in keywords.  This is bad practice and won’t secure the top positions.

Good Example 2:

Upsetting the small town of Whoville, a local elderly man steals everyone’s presents the night before an important event. Stay tuned for live updates on the matter.

This is an example of using a snippet from an article you want to promote online. For news articles, use the meta description as an opportunity to create a headline for SERPs.

Bad Example 2:

Local news in Whoville, delivered to your doorstep. Find out what happened today.

Sure, it reads fine, but it’s generic and can be used on any news article – it doesn’t tell a story or entice the user to read more, so you’re unlikely to see an increase in CTR.

Good Example 3:

Learn how to cook eggs with this complete guide in 1 hour or less. We cover all the methods, including: over-easy, sunny side up, boiled and poached.

The above example summarises the page while providing enough information for the user on what they are searching for, encouraging them to click through and learn more.

Bad Example 3:

Eggs are a source of joy in everyone’s life. When I was a small child, I remember picking eggs from the hen house and bringing them to the kitchen. Those were the days.

The above example is considered bad because it doesn’t provide the user with the relevant information that this page is about cooking eggs – you’re more likely to assume it’s someone writing an ode to eggs

Good Example 4:

Self-sharpening mechanical pencil that autocorrects your penmanship. Included 2B auto-replenishing lead. Available in both Vintage Pink and Schoolbus Yellow. Over 50+ pencils, get free shipping.

This meta description is a detailed summary of the page and informs users that self-sharpening pencils are available, encouraging them to click through to make a purchase.

Bad Example 4:

Self-sharpening mechanical pencil

A meta description that just said ‘Self-sharpening Mechanical pencil’ is not good enough in Googles’ eyes. It’s way too short and doesn’t give enough information to the user about the page.

Other Meta Description Tips to Consider…..

As well as Google’s meta description tips, here are a few of PushON’s pointers to make sure you’re getting them spot on.

• Double check the spelling and grammar – it’s what users will see of your site first, so make a good impression!
• Stay within Google’s character limit (characters with spaces) – 145-155 characters.
• Include a call-to-action or a promotional offer such as ‘visit our website’, ‘shop now’, ‘free uk delivery’ or ‘everything 50% off’, if appropriate.
• Include the main target keyword(s) for this page.
• Ensure there are no missing or duplicate meta descriptions, as Google can penalise your site for this

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