First time poster, long time here reader. I have a simple but nagging question that I hope you could help me with. I have entered meta descriptions for a number of pages that I have conducted SEO work on. These descriptions appear in the page source when I view it, however, when I conduct a search of the targeted keywords the meta description that appears on the search does not correspond with the meta description I wrote and that is on the view page source page. What is the problem here, or possible problem? Thanks for the help and if you need me to elaborate on the question, let me know.
Did you compare the cached version of your page with the current page to make sure that Google has picked up on and knows about your changes yet? -Michael
4 things to check for then... a) Is the meta description too short? b) Is it related to the query you are running when you pull the results? c) Is Google showing the DMOZ description? d) Does the meta description show when you pull the page without a keyword query (ie. info: or site: commands)? -Michael
Yes, chances are for some reason, google is finding that the content on your page is a better match for the keyword you found it under, then your meta description is.
A) No, it is about 150 characters B) Yes, it had been optimized. C) It had been but now it is showing something different. I no longer work on the site so I am thinking it might be internal. D) I'm not sure what you meant by this. Thanks again!
This person is asking if you do a site:www.yoursite.com query in Google, do you see your actual meta description, or do you still see the one being used when you do a keyword query. I think what they are getting at is that Google may be pulling relative content from your page based on your keyword query, rather than showing the meta description you manually added to the site; maybe Google sees it as more relevant to the search... This happens with my site(s) all the time. I've never seen it as a problem. First page rankings are what matters; or better yet, top 3. The meta description is said to be very important in ranking well with Google. Even though Google queries are not showing your actual description, the fact that you SEO'd the pages, and implemented the use of a good meta description based on your page content, still counts towards your ranking with Google. Your SEO is paying off if you are ranking!
Ok, just to be clear, I was basically asking: Is there text on the page that it makes sense to use when showing that search? If you are searching on [green widgets] when your website comes up, is [green widgets] in the text on the page, and is it in the meta? Dead on for what I was saying, but I do happen to disagree with this part. Google doesn't actually use your meta description for ranking the keyword except in a very small but important way... but with the serps, once you do achieve those rankings, if your meta does match then it is what is shown. It is what the searchers first see when deciding whether or not to click on your link. The right meta, when matched with the word being searched, can sometimes make the difference of you actually getting the click vs. the guy above and below you. For instance, think about your own surfing... do you blindly click in order, or do you skim the titles and snippets as you go? If you search for a free piece of software, and the first description has the phrase "trial version" and the second has "completely free" in it, which one gets your click? It's one of the more subtle nuances of SEO that takes a little trial and error to get right, but it isn't something that should be completely overlooked. -Michael
I actually believe the page title is what draws in the searcher, as it is shown first. At least for me. I always read the page title, but rarely read the description underneath; unless the page title is vague in some way, leaving me wanting more information. I say make the most descriptive page title, with a good call to action, and the description under that is just an additional source of information for the page.