In the fast-changing world of search engine optimisation (SEO), it can be hard to know all the steps involved to ensure a high rank in search results. Good meta descriptions and titles are a small yet crucial step, helping you stand out and reach that cherished number one rank on search results.
If you're wondering what meta content is and how to use it to expand your reach, here’s some useful information to help you create excellent metadata as a part of your SEO content strategy.
What is metadata?
Metadata is data that offers a short summary of key information about other data. In the world of SEO content, metadata describes the content on a webpage or blog post, typically using a meta title and meta description. This is coded HTML data that is not visible on your website. Instead, it functions to provide a clear description so that search engines can accurately process each page’s content.
Using metadata in your website and blog content is a simple step you can take to ensure that search engines crawl your website. This web crawling is key for maximising your ranking in search results and increasing traffic to your pages, so it is wise to incorporate metadata as a vital step in your SEO content strategy.
Writing meta titles
The first piece of metadata you should add to each page is a meta title. This will appear as a clickable headline within search results, so it needs to stand out among competing pages. This little piece of data plays a powerful role, acting as the first impression that many users will receive from your brand and inspiring them to make that first click through to your site.
Meta title tags are also key for SEO purposes, as they inform search engines of your site’s purpose and function for people searching the web. Search engines such as Google usually show between 50 and 60 characters of your meta title, so your tag needs to be short, clear and optimised using SEO keyword research.
Creating good meta descriptions
While a page’s meta title offers a quick and engaging headline, your meta description is an opportunity to describe a page in greater detail. A longer HTML text, usually between 155 and 160 characters, appears as a snippet beneath the clickable title in search results when using a desktop. This number is reduced to 130 when using a mobile or similar device, so start with your main keywords without overusing them.
This meta description improves your ranking, giving search engines a better idea of a page’s relevance for a specific query. It is also an added opportunity to connect with your audience with a compelling copy that stands out on the page and invites the user to click through to explore your offer.
Why is meta important?
If you forgo metadata for your website content, search engines may not understand what your pages contain when they crawl them. Without effective search engine crawling, your pages may not show up in search results regardless of your SEO keyword strategy and certainly won’t reach a top ranking. That means less traffic to your website loss of business.
See your meta content as a form of advertising, describing a page’s content, so it can reach and connect with a broader audience. This bite-sized piece of data plays two significant roles: convincing search engines of your site’s relevance and value; and raising the click-through rate among those who see you in results.
How to write meta descriptions and titles
Your meta content should meet the specific length requirements, currently around 50 to 60 characters for the title and 155 to 160 characters for the description (remembering that on mobile devices, this figure is shortened to 130). Both of these pieces of data also need to incorporate SEO meta tag keywords to ensure your content is connecting with the
right audience.
When writing meta descriptions for SEO, you should always ensure that the text is well-written and grammatically correct, as search engines check content for quality and rank accordingly. This means your content shouldn't be stuffed with keywords. Instead, incorporate them sparingly and organically for optimal flow.
We also recommend always referring to your brand’s USP (Unique Selling Point) in meta descriptions, along with a powerful CTA (Call to Action). This will ensure your metadata is as effective as possible to improve your search ranking. SEO content experts can help you write good meta descriptions and titles to ensure they comply with best practices, greatly improving your chances of ranking for your target audience.
How do you add meta content?
Most website hosting platforms will have instructions on uploading meta content to the content management system (CMS). This process will depend on your specific platform and the tools you use to upload content to your website.
If in doubt, your web developer can always help out, ensuring your meta titles and descriptions are all added correctly and ready to be crawled by search engines.
Rise through the ranks with top-quality meta content.
Maintaining high-ranking pages means staying ahead of the curve with the constant changes to search engines. Whether you need meta content or SEO blog posts, our experts are here to help.
Contact us to discuss our SEO content services today, and we’ll optimise your online presence in no time.