Meta descriptions. No, they aren’t a new offshoot of the world’s largest social media company. They’re the little blurbs of text that appear under links when you search for something on Google or other search engines.
They may seem small and possibly insignificant, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Those little descriptions actually help your website, product, or service appear higher up in the all-important search engine output list. Do you want to be one of those top three search results? Then you better have a great meta description.
Let’s dive in and see how you can make that happen.
As is the case with many things on the internet, brevity is preferred to overly wordy descriptions. Ideally, you can keep it to between 50 - 160 characters. This aligns best with the short snapshot that Google shows with its search results.
It may seem obvious, but including relevant keywords in the meta description is important to help search engines understand the page’s content and improve its visibility in search results. If your page is about dishwashers, including things in your meta description like, “dishwasher, clean, high efficiency, whisper-quiet” would make a lot of sense. Including things like, “razzle dazzle, boombox, carwash” probably wouldn’t.
It’s also important to create compelling, natural-sounding content. Think about how people would actually search for your page, product, or service. The closer you can get to that, the more likely you are to appear at the top of search results.
Uniqueness helps you stand out from your competitors. Why is your product or service better? What’s your competitive edge? If you are able to convey that in a meta description, it will allow search engines to better understand the different content and can help users find the most relevant page based on their search queries.
On top of that, inviting and enticing statements can help increase click-through rates by encouraging users to click on your link.
When it comes to the actual writing of a meta description, you basically have two different options. You can have a person write them for you, or you can use emerging AI technology to write them. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, so you have to determine what would be best for your particular use case.
When a person writes something, from a birthday card to a Ph.D. thesis, they impart their own unique personalized perspective to it. The same thing happens when they write a meta description. This is not a bad thing, quite the opposite really, it’s natural, and more importantly, will come across that way.
Basically, when a person writes a meta description, there’s an element of human creativity, emotional appeal, and storytelling. Those things can evoke curiosity, engage users, and encourage click-throughs.
You’ve likely spent time painstakingly defining your brand’s unique voice and tone. What’s more, you want that to be consistent across all aspects of your brand’s outward communications. By having people write your meta descriptions, you can ensure that they align with your brand’s specific tone, voice, and marketing objectives.
That means you get to maintain consistency in your messaging and establish a closer connection with your target audience.
Here’s an example of a human-generated meta description for an SEO website:
“Top Rated SEO Agency that will unlock your website’s potential. Drive revenue with help from our team of experts to boost ratings, add personalization, and reach the overall goals of your business. We carefully develop strategies around data to find what best fits your needs. Contact us today for expert strategies and maximize your business’s online presence.”
We’re not going to mince words here, having AI write your meta description will take mere seconds. Though like many things, speed doesn’t always lead to quality. That said, AI has the ability to generate meta descriptions for a large volume of different web pages in a seemingly impossibly short amount of time.
AI can also create very consistent descriptions with set parameters for formatting, length, and structure, thus reducing variability and potential errors.
Here’s an example of an AI-generated meta description using ChatGPT:
Prompt: “Can you write a meta description on my SEO website.”
AI-Generated answers:
“Boost your online visibility and drive organic traffic with our expert SEO services. Our team of experienced professionals employs proven strategies to optimize your website, increase rankings, and attract qualified visitors. Discover how our tailored solutions can enhance your online presence and grow your business. Contact us today for a comprehensive SEO analysis.”
“Experience next-level B2B growth with our expert SEO solutions. Drive high-quality leads, build strong industry relationships, and unleash your business potential. Partner with our top-rated B2B SEO agency for targeted strategies and proven results.”
Both human-generated and AI-generated meta-descriptions have their merits. With people, you get to offer a personalized touch, creativity, and you have complete control over how they align with your brand objectives. With AI, you have unparalleled efficiency, scalability, and consistency.
While one or the other may better suit your business needs, combining them can also help create a meta description for your website that is both efficient and creative.