Post by moon125 on Nov 10, 2024 0:23:54 GMT -5
When optimizing a website internally, one of the recommendations sounds like "fill in the Title and Description". And if the Title is still clear - it's the page title. Then why fill in the Description, which users don't see?
But the Description is seen by robots and based on it they form a snippet in the search results. And users decide from the information in the snippet how interesting your offer is and how relevant it is to their request. Consequently, the better the description is filled in, the more clicks there will be to the site.
What is the purpose of the Description meta tag?
Previously, search engines took the entire shopify website design information from the Description and displayed it in the snippet. But cunning optimizers began to use this to manipulate the results. Therefore, today Yandex has refused to generate a description by the Description tag and takes into account the content on the entire page, and Google displays the Description in the snippet only if it is filled in well, otherwise it pulls relevant content from the page.
As you can see, not all is lost for the Description meta tag: it is still scanned by search engines when determining the relevance of a page. If the tag is not specified, the snippet is created randomly from the content on the page.
Important: an automatically generated snippet may not display the page content or may be a set of incoherent phrases. Only a correctly composed meta tag can attract and interest the user, so it is very important to fill it out.
How does Description affect website ranking?
Description has no direct influence on search engine promotion. This was officially stated by Google and Yandex representatives. However, it does indirectly influence behavioral factors:
Increases CTR in search results. Keyword(s) highlighted in bold show the user that the page content matches the request, which increases the likelihood of clicking on the link.
Reduces bounce rates. The user immediately understands whether he will find the necessary information if he follows the link.
Repeat visits. A bright Description increases the likelihood of returning to the site.
If the meta tag is missing, the search engine considers it an error. This can also be seen in the Webmaster panel - if the Description is missing, a call to fill it in is displayed.
Compiling Description and Title is an important step for internal optimization, especially together with successful CHPU (human-readable URLs). This step significantly affects the increase of the site's positions in search.
7 Main Rules for Writing a Good Description
2-7-main-rules.png
Add key phrases. Systems detect them in the description and highlight queries in bold, making them noticeable.
Write human text. You can't overdo it with keywords in the Description, you need to focus on the readability of the text. You can "shove" at least a dozen keys into the content, but there is a high risk of getting into spam.
Advertise. The short description should match the content on the page, so it is important to write relevant text, but at the same time do not forget about those who will read it - it should be attractive.
Length 130-160 characters. If the description is longer, the search engine will cut off the characters that do not fit, and the user will not see part of the information. Therefore, it is better to place important keywords at the beginning of the meta tag.
Do not duplicate. For each page you need to create a separate text, copying the same for each section is prohibited - non-compliance with the rules is punished by search engines.
Use rich snippets. Incorporate various elements into them to increase their appeal and attract users' attention. These could be reviews of the service, user ratings, calorie counts, etc.
Do not use quotation marks. Double machine quotation marks are used in the html code, so the W3C validator regards them as an error - the presence of quotation marks is recognized as the end of the description. If such a sign is necessary in the text, it is better to put German, French, English or single quotation marks.
But the Description is seen by robots and based on it they form a snippet in the search results. And users decide from the information in the snippet how interesting your offer is and how relevant it is to their request. Consequently, the better the description is filled in, the more clicks there will be to the site.
What is the purpose of the Description meta tag?
Previously, search engines took the entire shopify website design information from the Description and displayed it in the snippet. But cunning optimizers began to use this to manipulate the results. Therefore, today Yandex has refused to generate a description by the Description tag and takes into account the content on the entire page, and Google displays the Description in the snippet only if it is filled in well, otherwise it pulls relevant content from the page.
As you can see, not all is lost for the Description meta tag: it is still scanned by search engines when determining the relevance of a page. If the tag is not specified, the snippet is created randomly from the content on the page.
Important: an automatically generated snippet may not display the page content or may be a set of incoherent phrases. Only a correctly composed meta tag can attract and interest the user, so it is very important to fill it out.
How does Description affect website ranking?
Description has no direct influence on search engine promotion. This was officially stated by Google and Yandex representatives. However, it does indirectly influence behavioral factors:
Increases CTR in search results. Keyword(s) highlighted in bold show the user that the page content matches the request, which increases the likelihood of clicking on the link.
Reduces bounce rates. The user immediately understands whether he will find the necessary information if he follows the link.
Repeat visits. A bright Description increases the likelihood of returning to the site.
If the meta tag is missing, the search engine considers it an error. This can also be seen in the Webmaster panel - if the Description is missing, a call to fill it in is displayed.
Compiling Description and Title is an important step for internal optimization, especially together with successful CHPU (human-readable URLs). This step significantly affects the increase of the site's positions in search.
7 Main Rules for Writing a Good Description
2-7-main-rules.png
Add key phrases. Systems detect them in the description and highlight queries in bold, making them noticeable.
Write human text. You can't overdo it with keywords in the Description, you need to focus on the readability of the text. You can "shove" at least a dozen keys into the content, but there is a high risk of getting into spam.
Advertise. The short description should match the content on the page, so it is important to write relevant text, but at the same time do not forget about those who will read it - it should be attractive.
Length 130-160 characters. If the description is longer, the search engine will cut off the characters that do not fit, and the user will not see part of the information. Therefore, it is better to place important keywords at the beginning of the meta tag.
Do not duplicate. For each page you need to create a separate text, copying the same for each section is prohibited - non-compliance with the rules is punished by search engines.
Use rich snippets. Incorporate various elements into them to increase their appeal and attract users' attention. These could be reviews of the service, user ratings, calorie counts, etc.
Do not use quotation marks. Double machine quotation marks are used in the html code, so the W3C validator regards them as an error - the presence of quotation marks is recognized as the end of the description. If such a sign is necessary in the text, it is better to put German, French, English or single quotation marks.