Last updated on December 22nd, 2015
Welcome to SEO Advantage’s Trivia feature Friday, where we discuss, dissect and comment on the internet and marketing, and how the two intertwine.
In order to increase your site’s click through rate (CTR), how many characters should your persuasive meta descriptions have?
- A. 200 or less
- B. 160 or less
- C. 155 or less
- D. 175 or less
(See answer below)
Meta descriptions serve as a preview for what your website has in store for potential viewers who are searching on the web. These brief summaries show up underneath links in search engines. For this reason, you’ll want to make your meta descriptions as tantalizing as possible because they can often sway a web searcher to click on the link for your website rather than pass you by for another. Note that while meta descriptions may work to persuade web searchers, they are not included in the factors that influence search rankings.
For starters, you want to ensure that your meta descriptions are unique. Doing so will maximize the number of searchers you can reach. Moreover, Matt Cutts stands by foregoing meta descriptions entirely rather than duplicating them.
If you want to know how well your meta descriptions are working, you can test them by using Facebook or Google to show you the most appealing copy. This can then be translated to your meta description. You should, however, be aware that after 155 characters, Google will cut your description off and end it with ellipses.
SEO practices like meta descriptions and tags are critical for a business’s online visibility, and SEO Advantage is happy to help! Continue browsing our blog and knowledge center for more fun trivia and information on the best internet marketing practices.
(Answer: C)