Optimizing META Descriptions for Search

META descriptions are not used for ranking, but by the search engines to display a unique description (beneath the page title) in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Like META keywords, there are pros and cons to using them as a part of your search marketing strategy. On one hand, it is good for branding, as you can get your message across exactly how to want it to read.

On the other, users might not see descriptions in the results with the keywords they are searching for highlighted, which tend to get much higher click thrus.

Getting the right balance of branding and highlighted terms can be worthwhile, but very time consuming. In fact, it's nearly impossible to get that balance unless it's tested and closely monitored.

Keen to do so? Start by clearing out your page descriptions to get a clear base line. Monitor how the pages are performing on their own, and what search terms people are finding them with.

You can then start altering the descriptions using the search terms, and compare success against the base line.

This should only be done to the most important pages and monitored closely, and often. The descriptions can be tweaked until an optimal balance is found.

Remember, that using the META description tag does NOT guarantee that the search engines will use your description. To increase the odds, make sure the description includes those key terms you hope the page will be found for. 

To put it another way, if your page ranks for a particular term — and that term is in the META Description tag — that will improve the chances of the tag being used.

The META description should be unique for every single page within your site. If you have a larger site, ask a search expert to create a schema to strategically build the descriptions. Good luck!