Meta Description

The Meta Description is next to the Meta Title one of the most important meta information. On the results page of a search engine, the meta description serves as a content specification of the individual web page. It is displayed below the meta title – the headline – and must not be longer than about 160 characters. Further information is abbreviated with “…”.

What are the most important meta details?

The most important components of the meta information of a web page are Meta Title and Meta Description.

The Meta Title is, so to speak, the headline of a web page and should consist of the two main keywords of the page. With a keyword analysis the ideal keywords can be determined. The company or brand name as well as a location are well suited if the results are to be narrowed down regionally.

The Meta Title appears as the headline of the search hit on the Search Engine Result Page (SERP). Below this heading appears the Meta Description. This is a short textwhich describes the content of the page in more detail. In this, the user is to be addressed and his attention is to be drawn to the website. In order for the user to quickly grasp the information in the meta description, it should not be particularly long.

The Meta Description should currently ideally have a length between 150-160 characters including spaces. In no case should it go beyond the 160 characters, otherwise Google will automatically shorten the description. In addition, the meta description must contain the main keyword. Otherwise, Google will put together a description itself.

The meta description is not a ranking factor for Google, but it does play a crucial role in the
Click-through rate
of the page in the search results.

Definition

The term meta tag (also called meta element or meta description) is composed of two single elements from the Greek and English languages. Meta in Greek stands for “higher”. “Tag” in English refers to a tag or label.

In the combination of both words, meta tags denote hidden elements in the HTLM code of a website and contain relevant information about the document in question.

The meta area is invisible to the user. For search engines, this area in the head of the website provides a basis for important instructions and definitions.

What does a meta tag affect?

Meta tags simplify the search of websites. They serve to show the crawler of Google & Co. instructions on how to proceed with the website.

This information influences the ranking of search engines and is an important indicator for the indexing of a website and its subpages.

This information is made up of various structural elements and includes the topic as well as the most important keywords of the page. Meta information allows a more precise classification in a subject area, which increases the findability of the homepage.

How do I use meta information correctly?

If meta information is used, it must comply with the co-ethics of the search engines.

Keyword stuffing, which is the overuse of keywords, has a negative impact on rankings and can work against Google indexing. In discreet dosage – so that the tag content could also be read by humans, you can definitely influence the ranking in the search results with meta tags.

Correct must also be the use of special characters, as they are responsible for the invisibility of the tags and their primary presence in the HTML code.

Relevance for SEO

Meta descriptions are important elements for search engine optimization.

The Meta_Description contains a short description of the page content. The Title_Tag is similar to a book title and the Meta_Keywords are search terms that your potential customers enter in Google and Co.

Taken as a whole, the combination of all meta information comprehensively affects the ranking in organic search results. The more relevant the search terms are in the individual meta tag, the greater the influence of this information on the ranking.

Since meta data has been abused in the past to manipulate search results, it no longer has the same relevance as it once did. A high-quality content enjoys the same effect on Google as a good meta tag structure.The balance of keywords, structure and content is the basis for search engine friendly and top ranked websites.

Conclusion

A properly used meta tag increases findability in search results.

However, since meta descriptions are not solely responsible for ranking, they receive significantly less attention than they did a few years ago. Nevertheless, a harmonious balance of HTML codes and high-quality content is one of the important tasks for good SEO.