Meta Descriptions: Don't be Boring

Meta Descriptions are the part of SEO that happens after you get to the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). The search results and give a little "blurb" about your site to the searcher. Write a good description, and you can DOUBLE your clicks. Here are a few basic points to keep in mind:

• This is your chance to sell a searcher on why they should click on your site, this is your opportunity to really stand out to get the click.
  
  
• Most search engines will give you 165-172 characters to give your description. I tell my clients to make it under 165, so that they will always be safe. Why do I make it clear to my clients that the description MUST be less than 165 characters? Because that's as long of a description as you can count on. Anything after that is simply cut off and wasted. Even worse, you'll get the dreaded ellipses ... What's wrong with that? Nothing, if you don't mind losing 33% of your search visitors. I'm not sure of the psychological explanation, but this is well documented by many SEOs and companies that invest in SEO departments.
  
  
• DO NOT put your company name in the Meta Description! You only have 165 characters, and 99 out of 100 times, your company name is not interesting enough by itself to get a click. This is not about branding, it's about getting the click. You have plenty of chances for branding in the site domain (domain.com) and inside the site. Right now, all we need to focus on getting that first click.
  
  
• Write the Meta Description the way you would write a "tweet". On Twitter, you have 140 characters to say what you want. If you were to make a sale on Twitter, how would you do it? That's EXACTLY what your Meta Description should be.
  
  
• Don't be boring!
  

Here is an example of an average meta description:

Beau-coup offers the largest selection of unique wedding favors, decorations, supplies and bridal party gifts. Find the perfect wedding favor idea to suit ...

Zzzzzzzzz ... Completely FORGETTABLE! What part of this is compelling? What's the sales pitch? Why should I click on this site, and not the 6,170,000 other sites that came up in this search result? Not only did they waste valuable real estate with their company name and a boring description, but it was TOO LONG! They didn't get all of their boring description in, AND they're probably getting 33% fewer visitors than they should just by having a shorter description.



Here is an example of a well written meta description:

Unique Wedding Favors, click or dial 1-866-942-1311 for Truly Unique Wedding Favors. We've got the Best Prices Guaranteed!

It has a call to action. It has a sales pitch. It has a guarantee. It will fit into a tweet. Heck, you can buy from them without even clicking on their site!

So, to write a great meta description, which is one of most powerful things you can do to get the click:

1. Forget branding, keep your company name out of it for now.
2. Keep it short. Sell like you're on Twitter.
3. Don't be boring!
   

Cheers,
Chris

Design and Over-Design

For most, the web is a place of expression. Most of my clients see their website as an extension of themselves and they want to put their best foot forward for their visitors. In theory, I agree 100%. I certainly wouldn't show up to a black-tie event in jeans and a t-shirt, so why would anyone want to put forward anything less than their best possible effort for their customers? Personally I truly see the web as a medium of art and a place of self-expression.

Once of the biggest compromises I find that I have to make in my line of work is design. Usually, my clients want a site that's beautiful AND converts their visitors into customers. What do you do when a clients hands you a design that actually REDUCES usability, but the client insists that the design is perfect? Asking for any change is a big deal, and needs to be done extremely skillfully.

First, I find things about my client's design that I genuinely admire and want to give as much praise to as possible. Asking for a change is much easier when the client believes that I honor their creativity and personal taste. As I said, I find things that I GENUINELY admire, so this is not simply flattery. I have found that flattery is usually easy to spot, and it tends to be a kind of passive-aggression; like a patronizing pat on the head as if to say, "Nice try, kid." It's likely that there will be times when I will have to take a strong position, or two. I want those times to be about matters that will make a big difference, so I want to choose them carefully, and not get caught up in the little things.

Second, I never say I don't like something unless I have a replacement in mind AND I have data to back up my suggestion. For example, if a client wants to use a meta description that's more than 165 characters, I give them the facts. In this case, the facts are:

• Search engines will cut off a site description somewhere between 165 and 172 characters, which means that your description will end like this ...
• If that happens, the number of people that will click on your site in a search results will drop by 33%. I don't understand the psychological explanation, but that is an effect that has been THOROUGHLY tested by any number of SEO's and companies that have dedicated SEO teams, like Amazon, Google, etc.

At this point, I've spoken my piece and there's nothing more for me to add, unless I am asked. Armed with these facts, my clients decides what they want to do. Usually they rethink how they want their meta description to look, and ask for more input about what goes into a good meta description.

Third, what to do if the design is "over-designed" and the client is unwilling to make any changes? They say it takes 2 people to create a masterpiece; the artist and the assassin to keep the artist from messing it up. There is a point where design should stop, but design can be fun and often it's hard to step back and really take a look at the design and what we're trying to accomplish. Over-design is when the design process doesn't stop and the site design design ends up being so "busy" and outside of the normal visitor's expectations that the average visitor doesn't know what to do and just ends up leaving. Remember, you have 3 seconds.

While this sounds like an extreme case, it's actually not. Unfortunately, this happens from time to time and it's a challenging situation. In these situations, I have to be as forthright as possible. Often times we can work through the design and come out with something both of us can be really proud of.

Just in case you need an example, here is a site that does almost everything that I recommend against when it comes to design and SEO (except for the initial call to action). Seeings sites like this make me want to go all Rocky Balboa on a side of beef.

http://www.juliegarwood.com/

Update: This site has been updated ... I wonder if she read this post. This site has now added navigation at the top so visitors can actually find their way around. Visitors may actually enjoy the "hide and seek" feel of this site now, because aren't forced to play.


Just as a little plug, this site has some great content. I first read their book in 2000, and it had a profound impact. It wasn't earth shattering in itself, but the basic concepts really stuck with me. Look for websites you like and decide WHY you like them, then find sites that suck, and decide WHY they suck.

http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/


Cheers,
Chris