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Do Meta Description Tags Matter that Much?

Discussion in 'Google' started by lincolnpark, Aug 27, 2008.

  1. #1
    I know that META keyword tags arent used anymore to rank the pages. How much do meta desciprtion tags matter to the big G?
     
    lincolnpark, Aug 27, 2008 IP
  2. christian231

    christian231 Well-Known Member

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    #2
    Yes they do still matter. The information that is listed under your site title in a Google search is derived from your description as well as your page content. Keyword META tags don't mean a hell of a lot, but keep writing accurate META descriptions and you will improve your SERPS. Personally, I put more thought into the Title tag than either of those META tags.
     
    christian231, Aug 27, 2008 IP
  3. Regine

    Regine Member

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    #3
    it doesnt matter that much to G but it matters alot when it comes to CTR
    people will most like click/visit a site with a decent and professional description(as it appears in SERP) compared to a site with a spammy/poor description
     
    Regine, Aug 27, 2008 IP
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  4. zurpit.com

    zurpit.com Peon

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    #4
    It will help with what people see when they search Google so its important that the title and description be professional
     
    zurpit.com, Aug 27, 2008 IP
  5. AngelaE8654

    AngelaE8654 Active Member

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    #5
    Exactly. The META description is what the searchers will be reading when they are looking at your site when it's on the Top Five of Google. :)
    You want the META title and the META description to be as clear as possible and, of course, include your keywords.
     
    AngelaE8654, Aug 27, 2008 IP
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  6. Surf_Dude

    Surf_Dude Peon

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    #6
    Many have said that meta tags are dead.
    Even Guru Danny Sullivan came out against them a while back.

    But I agree completely with AngelaE8654 and christian324.

    Besides that, Google Webmaster Tools keeps giving me a list of my description meta tags that are "too short". I don't think that they are doing this just for drill. So I have been making them a bit longer. And philosophically, I think they are right - I made them too quickly when I made the pages. They have forced me to make better ones, for which I am thankful.

    And I agree that the Title tag (not really a "meta tag") is by far the most important - brief and accurate, but not too brief, and containing the keywords found in the body text.

    I also think that keyword meta tags are still important in this regard - it helps to establish credibility and theme, if the keywords used are ACCURATE. NEVER put keywords into a keyword meta tag that are NOT found in the page's body text. This has always been viewed as spamming.
    .
    .
     
    Surf_Dude, Aug 27, 2008 IP
  7. freelistfool

    freelistfool Peon

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    #7
    Meta description is one of the top 5 things you should be doing for on page SEO on your site. In addition, since it is often what the searcher sees when they enter keywords for your site you want your description to be a "call to action". Make it something that will make a searcher want to click on your site.
     
    freelistfool, Aug 27, 2008 IP
  8. tendulkar2

    tendulkar2 Banned

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    #8
    Yes. Meta description is still very important and it's highly recommended. It helps the search engines to know better about your content.
     
    tendulkar2, Aug 27, 2008 IP
  9. web-slinger

    web-slinger Peon

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    #9
    I have to agree that the description is still important to not only rankings but as stated it is what potential leads will be reading. I usually list all my keywords, remove duplicate words and then mash it up in to something written form a marketing approach.
     
    web-slinger, Aug 27, 2008 IP
  10. search-value

    search-value Banned

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    #10
    Meta tags like description tags are still important for search engines & users.
    Search engines like Google (many times) shows the description tag content in its search result below the title. If your description tags is very descriptive & accurate then it will persuade the visitors to click on your site.

    So we should not ignore the meta tags.
     
    search-value, Aug 27, 2008 IP
  11. lycos

    lycos Well-Known Member

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    #11
    If you want to fully optimized your site on the SEO, every little bits of things count even though others might say meta tags has less importance now
     
    lycos, Aug 28, 2008 IP
  12. StrongMinder

    StrongMinder Banned

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    #12
    Meta tags are important.. very important...
     
    StrongMinder, Aug 28, 2008 IP
  13. GP Guru

    GP Guru Peon

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    #13
    I agree. If nothing else, they can provide a professional description of your site to search engines and the like.
     
    GP Guru, Aug 28, 2008 IP
  14. StrongMinder

    StrongMinder Banned

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    #14
    Meta tags are important.. very important...
     
    StrongMinder, Aug 28, 2008 IP
  15. graphseo

    graphseo Banned

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    #15

    Yes.. I am totally agreed with Tendulkar2
     
    graphseo, Aug 28, 2008 IP
  16. angilina

    angilina Notable Member

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    #16
    It is better to use the description meta tag. If you don't it, then google will select a description of their own choice.

    So, the benefit of using the description meta tag [I think] is that we can choose what description google will show in the search results. If you do not have a good description, then you may lose some traffic.
     
    angilina, Aug 28, 2008 IP
  17. elfsites

    elfsites Peon

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    #17
    The description tag isn't just about how the search engine sees you. In a Google search, you get 2 lines of text from each web site displayed. If you don't have a description tag, it just shows the first 2 lines of text from the site, whatever they are. If you have a description tag it puts that instead. So it's crucial to make it so people will want to click too.
     
    elfsites, Aug 28, 2008 IP
  18. jrw1978

    jrw1978 Peon

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    #18
    Not really sure if it affects ranking but I always make sure I have a compelling description so search engine users click on my link rather than the other websites on the results page.
     
    jrw1978, Aug 28, 2008 IP
  19. scfc16

    scfc16 Banned

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    #19
    They are still important so that your site has a great explanation before the viewer goes to something else. generic sites are less likely to get hits.
     
    scfc16, Aug 28, 2008 IP
  20. yenerich

    yenerich Active Member

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    #20
    Exactly.

    The meta description is not for the search engine itself but for the users.
     
    yenerich, Aug 28, 2008 IP