How to Craft Meta Descriptions for Product Listings

Increasing the value of a webpage is not always dependent on just the content on the page. There are several things you can add to the backend of a page in order to garner the attention of both the search engines as well as the users, like hidden HTML attributes and metadata blurbs. One of those things include meta descriptions. Meta descriptions influence a customer’s decision in a huge way as to whether they should click on your product listing page or not.

What is a Meta Description?

In technical terms, a meta description is an HTML snippet that summarises the content of a webpage. If one were to explain it in a simpler manner, a meta description is basically the first couple of sentences that show up on a search result’s page just below the page title. The meta description is a part of the snippet that also contains the title tag (which is a version of the original headline on the webpage and can often be a little different and shorter than the real page title) and the slug (the URL of the page).

The Importance of Meta Descriptions

There are many ways to get the spotlight on your page. If you’re a seller, you can use our multichannel selling software and multichannel listing tools to sell on multiple platforms and also take advantage of the real-time inventory sync tooland order management toolto manage the stock information of all your products. In addition to all of this, one element that’s sure to drive traffic to your page is a solid meta description. First of all, they help increase your click through rates (CTR). Even if your page’s link doesn’t appear on the top of a page’s search results, a unique meta description will prod the readers to head over to your website. Secondly, a good meta description becomes extremely important when social media sites such as Facebook decide to share your page. If your page lacks a meta description, the social media site will use the nearest text they can find. This might reflect poorly on your page and reduce the number of clicks you receive. Lastly, even though your meta description won’t affect your search rankings as such, it will definitely be a deciding factor for anyone to be convinced to buy your product or not.

Things to Remember While Writing Meta Descriptions

Once you understand what a meta description is and its importance, crafting a meta description isn’t too difficult. All you need to do is remember and employ these following tips:

• Write your meta description in a way that’s both crisp and informative. A potential buyer should feel compelled to click on your product listing and check it out via your unique meta description.

• Sticking to 155 characters is a safe bet while writing beta descriptions. You can go up to 160, but Google doesn’t measure your description by characters, but rather by pixels. This means that descriptions often get cut off midway. Therefore, keeping it to 155 characters is always a good decision.

• Using relevant keywords is extremely crucial. See to it that your title tag and meta description have the keywords necessary to put your page on top of the search rankings.

• Adding to the point above, it’s also necessary to remember that while inserting keywords is important, going overboard with them isn’t a good idea. Your meta description isn’t a long set of sentences. Hence, stuffing it with repeated keywords will make it stand out negatively on Google.

• Try to refrain from using symbols such as hyphens, plus signs, quotation marks, and the like, since search engines take them as HTML code and this leads to your meta description not being displayed correctly. Instead, use plain text for your meta descriptions.

• Use active voice to create your meta description. Passive voice often leaves the text feeling dull and drab. Active voice, on the other hand, is interesting, easy to understand, and prompts the readers to take action. It helps keep the readers engaged and their attention in check.

• In addition to using active voice, see to it that your meta description sounds like a call to action. If you treat it that way and draft it accordingly, it will multiply your chances of getting more click and webpage visits.

• Pay attention to the page title as well. See to it that it’s between 50-60 characters, and use your brand name whenever it’s relevant. Placing the keyword somewhere in front of the title is advisable, but also keep in mind as to not overuse the keyword. Use different page titles for different platforms.

Meta descriptions act more than just a flash of your content. They help attract readers and customers, increase the traffic to your page, and accelerate your rankings. Therefore, you should come up with a smart strategy and improvise and format the meta descriptions of your old and current pages and products so that they meet the standards of a good meta description. By doing so and following the given tips, you will be able to see the change it brings to the popularity of your product listings.