So you’ve started an online store and put a lot of work into improving your search engine rankings. You might well have been quite successful in doing so, but your click-through rates just aren’t as high as you’d like them to be. If you really want to sell online, you’re going to need killer meta descriptions.

What Is A Meta Description?

You probably see hundreds of meta descriptions every time you surf the web. These snippets of text provide internet users with information on what they’ll find on your page, and can be found below the link to your website on SERPs (search engine results pages). Remember, this is your first chance to sell both your brand and your product to potential online customers.

3 Tips

1. Recommended Length

While short and snappy is often the way to go in digital marketing, this is particularly true for meta descriptions, as search engines cut them off at around 160 characters. That means that you have just over the length of a tweet to convince consumers to click through to your page.

The more concise, the better!

Most internet users will merely skim read rather than taking time to process your message.

2. Placement Of Keywords

Make sure that your keywords are included, but don’t forget that you’re writing for people. Remember that when you search for something, these search terms are highlighted in meta descriptions. If potential clients see their search terms highlighted in your meta description, they’re more likely to click through to your page, and possibly make a purchase. Writing for people rather than bots also means that you should ensure your descriptions are interesting and compelling, while also using correct grammar and spelling. They have to look professional and make sense if you’re to have any hope of enticing customers.

3. Don't Duplicate

Your meta description for each page of your website should be as unique as the page itself. You’re not trying to give an overview of the content of your entire website, but rather let people know how they’ll benefit from visiting each particular page.

What Is The Meta Description Feature of SupaDupa?

With SupaDupa the title, meta keywords, and meta description can be controlled through the product edit page, ensuring a simple user experience. Meta descriptions are not currently separate, but are taken from the first 254 characters of the product description. As long as your product descriptions vary, so will your meta descriptions.

Example of a product description from SupaDupa's very own demo store.

Example of the Meta Description displayed on Google which was derived from the product description.

Useful Resources

1. w3schools
   If you’re interested in how meta descriptions work in HTML code

2. Econsultancy
   Further information on meta descriptions, and some great examples of how they can be done well

3. What Are The SEO Features Of SupaDupa