Meta description and meta title – what are they and how to create them?

Meta description – a text that attracts

Regardless of whether you optimise a subpage, homepage, or article – you can modify the meta description that appears in the search engine. It has one primary purpose, which is to encourage users to visit the website.

For over a decade, keywords in meta descriptions have not directly influenced search engine optimisation (SEO). However, an attractive text improves the click-through rate (CTR), which significantly translates into increased organic traffic.

If we exceed this number, Google will automatically cut the text, inserting ellipsis at the end. Some plugins, such as YoastSEO, impose an upper limit on visibility.

What characterizes an effective meta description?

1. Attractiveness – clearly present to users what they will gain when they visit the page. Depending on the case, answer the question of what they will learn, what they will discover, what they will benefit from, etc.
2. Directness – the description must address the recipient, so create content solely using the second person singular! Many people make the mistake of giving the text too much informative character. It’s only 156 characters, so you must encourage users to enter the page to the maximum extent. Any substantive content and difficult formulations have their place in the article or subpage.
3. CTA (Call To Action) – to increase conversion effectiveness, call on recipients to take action. Formulations such as “enter!”, “find out!”, “check!” may sound trivial under dry analysis, but in the right context, they really attract users.

Furthermore, some suggest including keywords in the meta description. This is a very valid approach, as it automatically improves the reliability and clarity of the text. If your phrase is “men’s footwear,” a natural characteristic of a good description is that it will contain the phrase “men’s footwear.”

Meta title – a solid title is the foundation

If the description attracts viewers, the title clearly informs what the article or subpage is about. This is due to the fact that the meta-title accommodates approximately 75 characters, so we do not have a lot of room to maneuver. This length is sufficient to fit the title of the text with a short CTA, such as “Find out more!”, “See!” or a general page name.

Due to the appearance of the meta title in search results, you usually have two options to choose from: title + CTA or title + separator + page title.

The meta title usually contains a keyword as it is a natural element of the title. Some sources suggest starting each word with a capital letter to attract more user attention. This is a rare practice, so it may still be effective to stand out among the competition.