So, you’re running a WordPress website and hoping to reach the widest possible audience. You want people to learn about you, find you in their Google searches, and connect to you. If that’s the case, we sure hope you’re relying on SEO. And, one of the main additions to your SEO strategy is a strong and effective meta description for each of your pages.
A meta description is that short paragraph of text that appears right under the page title in Google search results. It serves to further inform potential readers about the content of your page. And, if you nail your meta description, you’ll have more people visiting your WordPress website. That’s why we’ll be sharing our top tips on how to write a killer meta description.
Let’s see what you’ll need to know.
1. Summarise the Main Point
Your meta description is supposed to attract your target audience into choosing your page over the competitors’. To do that, you need to show what valuable content you’re offering.
This is why your meta description needs to focus on the main point of your page’s content. That means you have to make your meta description:
- concise
- to the point
- simple
There’s no room for long introductions, poetic metaphors, or irrelevant information. Just tell them what your page is about, and exactly what they can expect in they open it.
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2. Keep it Short
When it comes to meta descriptions, less is more. Google won’t display your entire meta description on the results page if it’s too long, which is why you should keep it short.
Most marketers will agree that a meta description should be up to 150 characters long. Still, we’ve got a few more rules we like to follow:
- open with the most important information to make sure they are displayed
- make it up to three short sentences long
- use simple vocabulary and sentence structure
Plan and edit your meta description according to these rules. This way, you’ll be able to get to the point and deliver the strong message you’ve designed.
3. Include the Main Keyword
SEO and meta descriptions go hand in hand. Therefore, make sure to include the main keyword your page is ranking for.
The main keyword needs to be included naturally. Don’t make it sound too robotic or strange.
Here’s an example:
- your main keyword is “take care of your orchids”
- the title of the page is “Indoor Orchid Care: 10 Ultimate Tips to Take Care of Your Orchids”
- your meta description should begin with: “As a beginner orchid owner, you need to learn how to take care of your orchids…”
Include the main keyword since that’s what’s going to signal to potential readers they’re in the right place.
4. Insert a CTA
A call-to-action (CTA) is a short but powerful message that’s supposed to wrap up the main goal of your meta description. It’s there to inspire or motivate the readers to choose your page and get the information they’re looking for.
The best type of CTA for a meta description is as follows:
- short
- clear
- imperative
- urgent
- inviting
- fun
A CTA needs to tell the readers why they need to click your page or what do they get by doing so. If we go back to the orchids example, the CTA could be:
- Learn how to love your orchids!
- Check out our ultimate tips!
- Learn now!
CTAs can be a powerful weapon if you add them to your meta descriptions wisely.
5. Ask Questions
You want to make your meta descriptions almost interactive, and have your readers truly think about what they’re reading.
Questions are a great way to engage them and get them more interested in your page. So, ask them questions that relate to:
- their pain problems
- the information they’re looking for
- their belonging to a certain target group
This will help you convince them that your page is designed especially for them and they should definitely check it out.
Here’s what we have in mind:
- Are you a huge orchid lover?
- Do you want to learn how to care for your orchids?
- Is orchid your favourite flower?
You want them to respond to these questions positively and instantly understand that the page you’re describing is exactly what they’re looking for.
6. Show Brand Personality
As you know, every single word that you write and publish under your brand name counts. That means that even the shortest social media comment you write will contribute to the image that you’re building.
The same goes for meta descriptions.
You want to make them authentic and in alliance with your brand image. So, pay attention to:
- your tone
- your voice
- your writing style
- the vibrations you’re spreading
It all needs to work together to reflect the image you’re nurturing. Don’t let your meta descriptions stand out from the rest of your content.
7. Match the Page Content
Finally, you don’t ever want to mislead your potential page visitors. If they feel deceived even slightly, they’ll give up on you immediately.
This is why your meta descriptions need to match your WordPress page content 100%.
That means you need to:
- make a promise
- keep it
Don’t let your audience expect one thing and receive the complete opposite.
8. Proofread
Yes, you’ve only got two lines of content and it all seems perfect. But, you can never be completely sure about the accuracy unless you proofread.
Make sure to check all your meta descriptions for:
- grammar
- spelling
- punctuation
Use an online proofreading tool such as Grammarly. Also, writing services such as WowGrade or Trust My Paper can help you polish everything to perfection.
Final Thoughts
Meta descriptions might be short and you may feel like there’s not much to talk about. But, we need to beg the differ. Given their importance, you should learn how to write them like a true professional.
Use the tips provided above to write perfect meta descriptions for your WordPress website, every time.