The Importance of Meta Description Tags

Andy Komack
August 11, 2009

click images to enlarge

Meta Description Tags do indeed matter.

But, they do not help with keyword rankings.

When done right, a Meta Description tag will be used by search engines as the text that sits under the clickable title/text on the search results page, AND the keyword that you targeted for that page will be in the text and bolded.

Even more important, a well-written Meta Description Tag will encourage the searcher to take the next step and visit your Web site. In essence, a well-written Meta Description Tag will increase the Click Through Rate (CTR) of your organic search listing.

How many characters should be used in a Meta Description Tag?

The ideal number of characters, including spaces, is roughly 140. I have see references to a 160-character “limit” and to a range of 145 to 150 characters, but I feel that 140 characters is the optimal number to ensure that your entire description fits into the search result.

Aspects of a good Meta Description Tag:

140 Characters
25 to 30 Words
2 Sentences
Mention of your Company Name or Branded Product
Value Statement – highlight the primary benefits of what you are offering
Call to Action – think of things like “free trial”, “download”, “subscribe”, “see statistics”, “submit”, etc.

Below are 3 examples of search queries that produced Meta Description Tags (or lack of) that provide a set of contrasts to analyze.

Note: The images in this post use the acronym “SERP”. Definition: SERP = Search Engine Results Page. It’s the page you see after you click the “search” button.

Keyword: crm software

Companies Highlighted: