An Important Secret to Get Google to Like Your Website
Your business website may look amazing, but the wrong meta description tag could be hurting your rank in search engine results. In fact, most websites and businesses are doing more harm than good with this and so are most SEO companies! Does that surprise you?
What’s the secret to getting Google’s attention? The meta description tag.
First – What is a Meta-Description in Simple Terms? Meta Description: The meta description is the content just below your title tag when your website is displayed as the result of a search. It is the 320-character snippet used to summarize a web page's content.
Search engines use these snippets in search results to let visitors know what a page is about before they click on it. Searchers quickly read through the description in 5-10 seconds to determine if they want to click on your site and visit your webpage. It is very important!
This is what it looks like in a search result:
Creating a website for your business is crucial to establishing your online identity. Without a website, online visitors would have nowhere to go to learn more about your company and what types of products or services you offer.
“If you don’t exist on the internet in today’s business climate, you simply don’t exist; or you won’t for very much longer.” – Mark Skovron, PhD
A robust website with rich content, a user-friendly layout, resources to contact you, and plenty of captivating photos will help you appeal to potential customers. But don’t forget about what’s under the hood! The right technical structure is important for search-engine optimization (SEO), so search engines like Google see your website with the same trust and authority as your human customers.
When a user searches for a business on Google, you usually see a long list of results. At the top of each result is the business name in blue text; below it you will see the website URL or link. Beneath is a brief summary of what this business is all about — that’s your meta description tag! This brief description is meant to entice searchers with a small snippet of who you are and what you offer as a business.
Even though this short description seems simple, you need to make it count. Luckily, there are several ways to make sure your website’s meta description tag is optimized to get the best results.
Examples of a GOOD and BAD meta title and description:
Do You See the Difference? The GOOD description is succinct, bottom-line, to the point, focused, and enticing. There is no guesswork for the searcher to know what site is going to be about.
The BAD description is all over the board. The creator may have been attempting to describe the many products and features offered by the business. Either way, this hodge-podge looks like a grocery list composed by someone who isn’t thinking clearly. And what does this business want you (the searcher) to do? Who knows, so most people will yawn and scroll past this site.
This is the #1 BAD error made by website creators. Most website designers are artistic in skillset and ignore SEO factor because SEO techniques are a “mathematical” skillset. To accomplish both a gorgeous and inviting site, and the many SEO factors that are required to rank with Google, it takes both very different skills.
This is exactly why MaxGroup has “PODS” that work on website creation. Each POD is a four-person unit. There is a Project Manager, a website creator, an SEO technician and a content researcher/writer/editor. In this way, utilizing the distinct skills of differently educated and experienced professionals, we can accomplish all the goals necessary to deliver a truly best-in-class work product.
Yes – Use the Description as a Commercial! You are allotted up to 320 characters for your description, and it is recommended that you do not go under 160 characters. While the length of the description is important, you should also make sure it includes the keywords your customers would use to search for a business like yours.
Google likes to see you being quite direct in what your offer is, what your site is about, and your call-to-action. That’s fantastic news for you because Google wants you to advertise yourself (in an accurate-non-spammy way).
Your description should be unique. Don’t reuse a snippet of text that’s found elsewhere on your website. This content should describe your business for online visitors and entice them to click on your (URL) website address.
Don’t forget to include a call-to-action. Use an active sales voice to pitch your products or services and demonstrate why customers should visit your small business website.
When searchers see the MaxGroup meta description tag, there is no ambiguity regarding what is on our site, and what they can expect from it. We actually begin our description with our call-to-action, “Increase revenue for business…” Google loves this.
Your business will benefit if your meta description tag generates clicks from search results — garnering web traffic from customers and the attention of search engines. With a great meta description tag, Google could rank your website higher as a trusted search result.
You can see how your business listing appears everywhere on the internet and inquire about a meta title and meta description tune-up with a FREE AUDIT from MaxGroup Business Solutions.
