Meta descriptions -- the short page descriptions that appear under the title in search results – don’t serve as an official ranking factor for search engines. However, these descriptions can influence whether or not your page is clic ked on — therefore, it’s just as important when doing on-page SEO Meta descriptions can also be copied over to social media when your content is shared, so it can encourage clickthroughs from there, too. Here’s what makes for a good meta description: • Keep it under 160 characters, although Google has been known to allow longer meta descriptions — up to 220 characters. (Note: Mobile devices cut off meta descriptions at 120 characters.) • Include your entire keyword or keyword phrase
Hi Somayye, that's the whole point of meta descriptions though, right? To let Google know what your page is about and to increase the chance of it being clicked on. I agree, meta descriptions are an integral part of a good SEO strategy. While it's true that you should include your terms/phrase, it's also important to make your description as natural as possible to avoid looking like it's a product of 'keyword stuffing'. Writing meta descriptions isn't easy. You have to have a knack for being concise to fit your description into 160-220 characters. Ultimately, you want it to be compelling enough to be the chosen site.
Give considerable thought to your meta Description. It can be the tie-breaker between a viewer moving quickly past your search result or clicking it to read what you have to say. Reread your Description text and ask yourself: "Does this jump out and stimulate the reader's interest?" If not, he/she is not likely to click your link.
Hi Josh Shepard Yes. i suppose that writing a meta description isn't easy too. It's up to you to decide how you would like promote your website.
Hi Jim4767 You are right. It's very Important. Writing a good meta description can Increase your website's CTR.
I take them a step further. Every page I publish has jump links and most have FAQ schema. Doing this increases the visibility and size of your SERP result, usually increasing CTRs.