Practical Writing and SEO Tips for Meta Descriptions and Keywords

Meta descriptions and keywords are critical for successful website development, promotion and traffic acquisition. Furthermore, it is through these components that Google receives information about the site page’s content. Therefore, knowing how to write a meta description and select the best keywords properly can help your page appear in the top search results.

Readers frequently choose a particular source based solely on short descriptive meta descriptions, so if you want your site to be noticed, you must carefully craft your meta with the user’s search intent in mind.

There are no secret formulas for writing a perfect meta description, but there are some helpful tips you can use when writing it.

Best Practices for Meta Descriptions and Keywords

Google expects a meta description and keywords to tell users what a website is about. The search engine then ranks the results by relevance; if the reader does not find what the meta description and main keyword promise, they will quickly leave.

Google’s algorithm will detect this and take appropriate action. As a result, traffic and views could drop significantly, which is why its best to learn how to correctly write meta descriptions and keywords to get the most out of them.

How Do I Write a Good Meta Description for SEO?

A meta description (MD) is a piece of information, the main purpose of which is to describe the page’s content to the search engine to make it feature your website in search results.

If you do not provide a meta description, Google will display a fragment of content from the first section of your webpage. Although it is not a big issue, it can be a missed possibility of tailoring the message for browsers.

Why is a meta description important?

• It provides a summary of your content.
  
• It increases organic traffic.
  
• It improves the click-through rate.

If you do not want to miss this opportunity, it’s best to learn how to write an appealing meta description. Here are some helpful hints to assist you.

1. Keep It Short

The meta description should be short. It should be one or two sentences long and include the most concise description of your web page’s content. These suggestions should inform the reader about what he can learn after tapping on your link.

How long should a meta description be? It can technically be of any length, however, Google usually shows only 155-160 characters.

2. Answer the Reader’s Question

People use Google to find the answers to their questions. A well written met description can sell the site’s content by compelling readers to click on the link to find the solution to a particular problem or answer to their question.

To encourage action, use the meta description to answer this question and offer a benefit to the reader. For example, if users are looking for tips on writing marketing emails, ensure that your page provides readers with relevant information and possibly free templates.

3. Add the Page’s Target Keywords

The meta description functions as an ad, directing visitors to a website from the search engine results page (SERP). To make your website noticeable, use the relevant research and target keywords in a natural way that encourages a person to click.

At the same time, keep in mind that you should avoid overusing keywords. You may earn a good Google rating if you include various keywords in the description, but its essential to ensure that they are relevant and make sense to the user.

4. Avoid Duplicating

The meta description for each page should be relevant to the page and unique.

5. Avoid Double Quotation Marks

Using double quotation marks in meta descriptions is generally not advised. Google identifies them as signs and will automatically remove the rest of the information from the SERP snippet. To avoid this, delete all non-alphanumeric symbols from the description.

How Do I Create Good Keywords for SEO?

Google’s algorithms are constantly being updated, ushering in a slew of new trends. Keywords, on the other hand, remain one of the most important elements that should be present in the text for it to perform well.

Keywords are concepts and themes that define your content. Why are keywords important?

• They provide valuable information about your target audience’s Google searches.
  
• They inform search engines about the content of your website pages.
  
• They allow you to improve traffic rates.
  
• They increase your readership.

Let’s take a look at how to write keywords for effective SEO metrics.

1. Conduct Keyword Research

To generate a list of key phrases, define keywords related to the topic of your project. Good search methods include the following:

• Examine the structure of direct competitors’ websites.
  
• Create a brainstorming session.
  
• Making use of specialized services (Netpeak Spider, Serpstat, Netpeak Tags Finder).

Let’s consider it based on Serpstat:

• Consider what keywords best describe your product, service, or unique offer. This list should be saved to a spreadsheet for you to asses them.
  
• Check the queries in the “Selection of keywords” section to find all possible keywords that contain a search phrase.

2. Investigate Competitors’ Websites

Competitive analysis is a reliable source of relevant search queries. If certain phrases rank other sites in your niche, why not borrow them? You can significantly improve your position by analyzing top competitors and utilizing their experience.

Serpstat, for example, provides many options for analyzing competitors’ semantics. If you want to know what keywords your competitors use, simply type the site address into the search box to see the keywords for which this site appears in the search results.

3. Look for Long-Tail Keywords and Alternative Searches

Long-tail keywords are “unpopular” (low frequency) and precisely phrased search requests with high conversion potential. As of today, the majority of Google requests fall into the category of “long-tail requests.” Such key phrases can generate a significant amount of search traffic, making it easier to rank them in search engines.

According to statistics, over 29 percent of keywords with over 10,000 monthly searches have three or more words, which you can use to your advantage.

Use search prompts and questions to fill in more semantic gaps. It is a continuation of the phrases provided by search engines when a user enters a keyword.

So, where should you look for long-tail keywords? One of the easiest ways to find long-tail queries is to use Google search tips and autocomplete data. Simply enter one of your keywords into Google’s search bar, and it will provide you with the “tails” for your keyword phrase.

4. People Also Ask

This is a rich snippet feature that provides data on less popular but more specific queries that people ask the search engine about a relevant topic.

5. Research Related Search Terms

If you are having trouble coming up with more keywords, consider looking at related search terms. They usually appear at the bottom of the page after you enter a keyword into Google.

6. Keyword Research Tools

There are many free and paid tools available to help you find the most frequently asked questions. The most popular tools are:

• Ahrefs
• AnswerThePublic
  
• Google Keyword Planner
  
• Google Search Console
  
• Google Trends
  
• KWFinder
  
• LSIGraph
  
• Moz Keyword Explorer
  
• SEMrush
  
• QuestionDB
  
• Ubersuggest

How To Filter Keywords

Now that you’ve compiled an impressive list of keywords that fits your niche, you can start writing new content. But how should these keywords be organized and sorted?

Use Google’s Keyword Planner

Using this tool, you can estimate search volume and traffic for keywords you are interested in. Before you delete an option, check Google Trends for its trend history and projections.

It will show you whether some low-volume keywords and keyword phrases are worth considering. Examine the monthly search volume for every single keyword you have chosen.

Filter Them Manually

Another option is to manually filter all options to obtain the required list of keywords. Filtering can be time-consuming, but it allows you to get the most important search queries.

The most common keywords to remove include:

• Keywords including the words “free,” “cheap,” “used,” etc.
• Competitor brand requests
• Irrelevant place names
• Key phrases with incorrect spelling
• Repetitions

Conclusion

Writing a good meta description and selecting the right keywords are important steps that take time and perseverance. These two elements serve as the foundation for producing high-quality content, driving traffic to your website and generating a return on investment.

Of course, learning how to properly produce, filter and use these two components will take some time, but the effort will be well worth it for the performance of your website. So, make certain that you have made every reasonable effort to achieve the best possible result.