Let's review the first two very simple MUST-DO SEO tasks for small businesses. First, we need to properly understand our business in the eyes of internet browsers and do the proper keyword research. Next, we want to start reaching out to other sites to gain allies and build backlinks. Finally, we have to have the right metatags and descriptions in ALL of our content.

Meta descriptions play a crucial role in your website's visibility and appeal on search engine results pages (SERPs). While they don't directly impact search rankings, well-crafted meta descriptions can significantly boost click-through rates, indirectly improving your SEO performance.

Key points to consider:

• Meta descriptions summarize your webpage's content
• They serve as a pitch to potential visitors
• Google may use them to generate snippets in search results
• Focus on crafting compelling descriptions for high-traffic pages
• AI tools can help optimize and automate meta description creation

Let's dive in.

Why Metatags Matter

According to Google Developers, a meta description summarizes your webpage content and serves as a pitch to potential visitors. Google may use them to generate snippets in search results. Therefore, crafting compelling descriptions for high-traffic pages is crucial.

Metatags are instrumental in controlling your website's appearance in SERPs. They provide search engines with information about your webpage, helping them understand the content and relevance to a user's search. Additionally, metatags play a significant role in enhancing user experience, as they give potential visitors a sneak peek into your page content.

A meta description should inform and interest users with a short, relevant summary of what a particular page is about. It's like a pitch that convinces the user that your page is precisely what they're looking for.

Google Developers suggests making your descriptions unique for each page on your site. Identical or similar descriptions on every page of a site aren't helpful when individual pages appear in search results. Wherever possible, create descriptions that accurately describe the specific page.

It's also recommended to include relevant information about the content in the description. For example, news or blog postings can list the author, date of publication, or byline information. Similarly, product pages might have key bits of information—price, age, manufacturer—scattered throughout a page. A good meta description can bring all this data together.

Writing Effective Meta Descriptions

A meta description, as explained in this Shopify article, is an HTML tag that provides a brief summary of a webpage's content. They serve as a pitch to potential visitors and may be used by Google to generate snippets in search results.

The meta description appears under your page title in search engine results and usually contains around 160 characters. It's essentially a promise you make to searchers, calling out to them among a sea of competing webpages, saying, "This is the page you're looking for."

While meta descriptions aren't an SEO ranking factor, they do entice search engine users to click through to a page and are part of effective on-page SEO. They are responsible for higher click-through rates to your web page and can indirectly impact your SEO rankings.

Writing a compelling meta description isn't always easy, but it's certainly worth the effort. The trick is to focus on crafting engaging descriptions for high-traffic pages. As the Shopify article suggests, it's more productive to focus on writing really good meta descriptions for your highest volume keywords, because Google is more likely to use them.

When writing your meta descriptions, consider your most trafficked pages—the ones that get organic traffic from search engines. Look at your top 20 pages and ask, "Are we really selling the product here, or is there a way we can improve the click-through rate?"

One of the most exciting developments in the world of SEO is the use of AI tools to optimize meta descriptions. As mentioned in this Wordtune blog post, AI tools can streamline the meta description creation process, making it faster and easier than ever before.

AI tools like Wordtune can generate meta descriptions optimized for search engine results, helping to increase your website's visibility. These tools can automate meta-description generation, freeing up valuable time and resources.

Writing meta descriptions with AI can incorporate calls to action (CTAs) for better conversions, and these tools often come with features for meta description optimization. AI can rewrite, add anecdotes, rephrase messages, and much more, making the process of creating killer meta descriptions considerably easier.

Remember, a good meta description is fully visible on the SERPs, fluff-free, not overloaded with keywords, and uses an active voice. It should be evergreen and highlight primary keywords, so people know if it matches their queries.

Importance of Meta Descriptions

Meta descriptions are an HTML tag that provides a summary of a webpage's content. In the words of Michael Keenan, a writer for Shopify, "A meta description is the promise you make to searchers. Among a sea of competing webpages, it calls out to them and says, 'This is the page you're looking for.'"

Interestingly, Google does rewrite meta descriptions. However, according to Kim Herrington, an SEO and SEM consultant, if your online store targets high-traffic keywords, your original meta description is more likely to appear as you wrote it on your website.

When crafting meta descriptions, focus on your most trafficked pages—those that get organic traffic from search engines. Keenan suggests, "Take your top 20 pages and ask, 'Are we really selling the product here, or is there a way we can improve the click-through rate?'"

For example, for a product page, the meta description should speak for the product, offering a tangible benefit to shoppers. Keenan provides an example of a persuasive meta description for a page selling stickers: "Immediately, and in all caps, the description makes you realize that a lot of stickers don't last as long as you want them to. Then, SWL promises its stickers solve that problem."

In the case of a category or collection page, the meta description should draw people in by showing relevant information about the collection. Keenan recommends using simple action phrases to encourage clicks from browsers.

While automated tools can be helpful, they often lack the human touch needed to truly resonate with your audience. Therefore, it's best to write your own meta descriptions, keeping your customers' mindset and needs in mind.

Meta Descriptions: A Powerful Tool for Attracting Visitors

In an article by Wordtune titled "How to Write Meta Descriptions With AI (Tools + Tips)", the author emphasizes the importance of well-crafted meta descriptions. They argue that "changing the meta description alone can impact the number of visitors you get." This is because a compelling meta description can grab a user's attention and persuade them to click on your page.

A good meta description is concise, keyword-optimized, and fluff-free. It should provide a clear summary of the page content and highlight the benefits for the reader. However, crafting an effective meta description can be time-consuming. But, fear not, because artificial intelligence (AI) is here to help!

AI tools can automate the process of creating meta descriptions, making it faster and more efficient. One such tool is Wordtune, an AI writing assistant that can help rewrite, rephrase, and add anecdotes to your content, including meta descriptions.

According to Wordtune, a good meta description should include a clear definition of the page's content, avoid plagiarism, include a call-to-action (CTA), avoid keyword stuffing, and use catchy phrases to drive engagement. The tool can help generate such descriptions, saving you time and effort while ensuring your descriptions are optimized for SERPs.

Additionally, these AI tools can help you avoid common pitfalls such as keyword stuffing and plagiarism, which can negatively impact your search ranking. They can also add a touch of creativity to your descriptions, making them more engaging and click-worthy.

With the increasing focus on search intent, it's essential to give your meta descriptions the attention they deserve. The more valuable your content is for the readers, the better response you get from them. AI tools like Wordtune can help you achieve this, allowing you to focus more on the quality of your content.

Series Conclusion

In this series, we've explored three fundamental SEO strategies that every small business should implement to enhance their online presence:

1. Keyword Research and Understanding
2. Building Backlinks and Relationships with Other Websites
3. Optimizing Metatags and Descriptions

By taking a serious look at these 3 areas, I can guarantee you have done more than 50-95% of your competition (depending on your industry). As you implement these strategies, don't hesitate to leverage AI tools and other resources to streamline your efforts. With persistence and the right approach, your small business can achieve significant improvements in its online presence and search engine performance.

Continue to follow us as we will deliver more insights pertaining to these strategies.