Is Meta Description Tag Died in SEO?

Hello Everyone,

You may have known that Google is no longer consider “meta description” as search engine ranking factor. So, you may ignore this. But you should know that meta description has great value to drive traffic to your site from search engine. But how? Let me explain:

What is Meta Description?

Meta description tag is a HTML tag, which is invisible to normal visitor’s and will be visible to the search engine bots. This description will be snipped by Google and Bing and will be shown as short description in Search Engine Result Page (SERP). Like bellow:

In source code it will look like:

Google and Bing automatically generate a snipped description for a page, if meta description is not available for the page.

Why Meta description should be written?

Your blog post may be at the top in SERP, but you may not get the decent amount of visitor’s because, before clicking through your blog link, people will want to get an idea about the page.  So, they will read your snipped, but if it is not very descriptive, people won’t click on your blog link. So, you will lose your targeted visitor, although you are on the top. This is why you should write an effective meta description.

How to Write Effective Meta Description?

Google can produce more than one snipped for a single page. Look at the images bellow:

Google is showing two different snipped for the same page. The first one is snipped of meta description and the second one is automatic.

Why Google is showing the automatic snipped, while I’ve the meta description?

The first page shown when I searched for “About Eunus.” Google Bot found my searched keyword on meta description, so it showed the meta description. In second, I’ve searched for “Hobby Blogging”, when Google bot haven’t found my searched keyword on meta description and it has created the second snipped.

So, When Writing a meta description, you should keep in mind that your keyword(s) must have to contain in your meta description. Otherwise, it will not be able to ADD SENSE to the searcher’s and they won’t click on your link.

How Long Meta Description Should Be?

It’s an important thing because most of the search engine’s allow 200 character’s only and only 165 character’s will be snipped. Please note that it is only 165 character’s not 165 word’s, a comma(,) or a space also will be counted as a character.

So you must have to describe the whole post in 165 character’s and should contain your keyword.

Now, can you imagine how much important “meta description tag” is! So, meta description is not yet died and still alive.

Where To write Meta Description?

If you are using wordpress thesis theme like me you can write meta description like bellow image:

You can do it also with All in one SEO plugin.

Have any question on your mind about meta description tag? Don’t hesitate to ask myself.

To your Success 2010

Eunus Hosen

Tagged as: how to write an effective meta description, meta description, meta description tips, why should write meta description