Comments on: The Magic of the Meta Description Tag

By: Charles Richey

Charles Richey — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 08:34:29 +0000

I don’t know why there was such a big push away from meta tags. They are still a basic part of SEO and provide a valuable function—drawing in the surfer to click on your link.

By: Ewan

Ewan — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 09:36:42 +0000

@Dan

Another reason why Google will sometimes not use your meta description tag is if it not a good match for the search query e.g. low relevance. Also, if it is too short it is doesn’t produce a good result for the user. Basically any reason that would result in poor user experience could cause it not to be used.

By: Chad Walls - SEO calgary

Chad Walls - SEO calgary — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 08:13:57 +0000

This was one of the best articles I have read in some time. I knew meta descriptions were important but didn’t realise the extent. I like the fact that you give examples of how messed up your meta description can appear in SERPs if you don’t pay special attention to them. I also like the thought of drawing more clicks then your competitors who outrank you. Thanks for sharing this!

By: Karleton

Karleton — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 17:25:48 +0000

I am a SEO novice. Thanks for writing a post that makes it clear to all of us. You need to start a blog. There is always room for more.

By: Zunaira Karim

Zunaira Karim — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:31:26 +0000

Not bad for a first blog, Alex! Kudos to you! There are so many optimization tactics out there, but meta tags are like a content’s page to a book, it’s so important that they’re well optimized on a site! For the most part, in my experience, I haven’t seen the description tag as much of a ranking factor, it’s more for user experience and it can give you that edge to stand out from other websites. The title tag, however, is key. Cheers!

By: Stuart (stu) Morris

Stuart (stu) Morris — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:50:46 +0000

Great post Alex, I wish i had seen it sooner and commented on it. I like to look at meta description tags as the first line of defense, or offense. very few people actually do a direct search by domain so they almost always funnel through SERP’s.
So a well optimized description tag really lets you market, propose, compete, offer information, and on and on…. I can’t believe those folks who opt out of them or leave it up to the engines what to place there. Anyway, great post, I love Description Tags too..

By: John Ortiz

John Ortiz — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:12:59 +0000

Thanks for this article. It’s so clear and organized. I’m optimizing my web-site with SEO technique, now. Regards.

By: Carrie Hill

Carrie Hill — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:27:43 +0000

Dan
Sometimes google pulls title and description from DMOZ or Yahoo Directory. If this is the case you need to add a NOODP or NOYDIR tag to your site – just google for how to do it.

Hope this helps,

Carrie

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:07:54 +0000

Does anybody know why a serp would show the wrong title and no description even though I know for a fact my site has both?

Like the example in your post, I’m missing out on big time clicks because of this. It’s only happened for two days and part of one of those days, the description returned.

Any ideas?

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:55:56 +0000

Alex, you rock! I wanted to redo my meta descriptions and searched for, "what is the ideal length of a meta description" and chose results within the last month. This article came up and I’ve rewritten the meta descriptions per the instructions here.
I’m embarrassed to say that for instance, one of our page’s description was, ‘Pasco Wa Real Estate and Pasco Washington Homes For Sale ~ Overview of Pasco Real Estate’ I’ve changed it to, ‘Search 1000s of Pasco Wa Homes For Sale, Listings, MLS, and Real Estate. Or Call Colleen Lane, a Pasco Washington Realtor® Broker at 509.438.9344′
I’m really excited about this change Alex! If there was a PayPal Donate link on this blog (or if you send me one!), I’d buy ya a coffee, beer, or whatever you are drinking these days! :)