4 Keys to a Great Meta Description

4 Keys to a Great Meta Description
Pose a Question. Go deep into the searcher’s mind - think like a searcher. Ideally, your post addresses a problem or issue your target audience has. If we ask them a question in our Meta description that is or might come close to the problem they have and are looking to address, they might be more willing to click on the result.

Provide a Solution or Benefit. Tell the searcher what they might expect. The last thing anyone wants to do is to have to click the ‘Back’ button because what they clicked on didn’t match what they expected or wanted. Write a short sentence previewing the content or telling the searcher WHY they should read your post. Give them a benefit of clicking through and reading your post, if necessary. This is your chance to sell them on what you have to offer - informative, valuable content.

Keep it Under 155 Characters. Generally, we say that a meta description should be under 155 characters. However, Google actually doesn’t measure by characters - it measures by pixels. That is, it’ll cut off a Meta description after a certain width. The reason we say 155 characters is to give marketers a benchmark to abide by. Double check the length of your Meta description and title tags with this handy tool from SEO more.

Make it Relevant to the Content on the Page. If your meta description deceives the reader with content not relevant to what they should expect, be prepared for the searcher to hit that ‘Back’ button again. Some Meta descriptions are spammed with keyword-stuffed content - this is bad. When you see keyword-stuffed content that should throw all kinds of red flags as that might be a precursor to a page that wants to draw you for a specific keyword but not offer you the content you want. It’s almost like having no Meta description at all because it does the exact same thing. Moreover, it hurts the level of trust a searcher has in your content if you mislead them.

Additional Tips
Furthermore, here are a few more tips and things to consider when creating a Meta description
Make it unique. The average searcher knows a predictable, generic Meta description when they see it in the SERPs (despite possibly not knowing what Meta description is!). Use descriptive words (not unnecessary, “fluff” words) and does your best to connect with your target audience.
Make it specific. The first key to a great Meta description was posing a question that addressed a problem. The question should be specific - and NOT open-ended. Remember the example image? My question was “How bad is poverty in Richmond and how we can aim to reduce it?” - That’s specific.
Make it relevant. Always keep your target audience in mind. While you’ll want to attract people outside your target audience, people who are in it are important. Moreover, your focus should be on the problems your post addresses that are relevant to your target audience.
Your Meta description is your chance to win over prospects. It’s your 2-3 sentence sales-pitches for your website. Too many websites leave this out and miss out on a critical opportunity. Be sure to create an engaging Meta description for your website that persuades people to choose you over your competitors.