Creating a Meta Description Tag
by Jill Whalen
The words placed within the Meta Description Tag can help a page to rank high in the search results.The meta description tag is a snippet of HTML code that belongs inside the <Head> </Head> section of a Web page. It usually is placed after the title tag and before the meta keyword tag.
The proper syntax for this HTML tag is:
<META NAME="Description" CONTENT="Your descriptive sentence or two goes here.">
The Purpose of the Meta Description Tag
The purpose of this tag is twofold. The words placed within this tag are given some weight with most search engines and can help a page to rank high in the search results for these particular words. Just as important, the words placed in this tag appear under the title in a search engine's list of results (in most search engines).
If no information is supplied for this tag, or this tag is omitted from the HTML code of a Web page, the search engines will often use the first words that appear on the Web page as the description of the site that appears on search results pages. You've probably seen a search results page with some of the results that look like this:
"Joe's Motor Homes" — [home] [next page] [more info] [links]
The search result looks like that because Joe neglected to put a meta description tag in his HTML code. The search engine picked up the first words on the page, which happened to be some navigational links. As you can see, not only does this look bad, but it doesn't give searchers much information to go by to know whether or not they should click into this site. I know that I personally tend to skip over results that look like this and click on the next link that has some more relevant information describing what is on that particular page.
How to Create Killer Meta Description Tags
Because this tag serves two purposes, it must be thought about differently than the title tag and meta keyword tag. I use both of those tags strictly for high search engine results rankings, but the meta description tag must also be thought of as a marketing tool along with being a vehicle for high rankings. It should definitely utilize the important keywords for the page, yet it should also be written in such a way that it will entice people to click on the link and visit your site.
If you've taken my previous advice (from past articles) and had a professional Internet copywriter write the copy for your Web site, you can often take an important descriptive sentence or two from the copy and place it in the meta description tag. Even if the page wasn't professionally written, you can still probably find a line or two that will work for this purpose. Some people recommend using the first line of text on your page if you're stumped as to what to use. If you have an appropriate first line, then that can certainly work fine.
I don't believe the search engines give this tag nearly as much weight as they give the title tag. However, I do feel that some engines do index the words in this tag, and therefore it is important to get some keywords into it. I have also heard that the first words in this tag are often given more weight than later words. Because of this I put the important keywords first. I also usually try to use the same first words that I've used in my title tag as the first words in my meta description tag whenever possible. I usually limit this tag to one good descriptive sentence, although I have occasionally used two sentences if they're fairly short. Generally, most engines will index approximately 200 characters of the meta description tag. The longest ones I've seen have been in HotBot. I try to not repeat words in this tag; however, I do use various forms of words in this tag, i.e., plural/singular, "ed" or "ing" forms of words, and that sort of thing. I always make sure this tag is an actual sentence, not simply a list of keywords.
If you create a good meta description tag, you can often use it as the description you enter in search engine directories such as Yahoo!, LookSmart, and the Open Directory.
Contact Jill Whalen by e-mail at site@highrankings.com.
Jill Whalen of High Rankings is an internationally recognized search engine optimization consultant and host of the free weekly High Rankings Advisor search engine marketing newsletter.
She specializes in search engine optimization, SEO consultations and seminars. Jill's handbook, "The Nitty-gritty of Writing for the Search Engines" teaches business owners how and where to place relevant keyword phrases on their Web sites so that they make sense to users and gain high rankings in the major search engines.
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
More Web Development Articles
More By Developer Shed
 developerWorks - FREE Tools!
|
This Fall, IBM Rational talks to you directly through a special teleconference series giving you access to the best minds in IBM Rational - product experts and market thought leaders who will answer your questions during these pre-scheduled telephone conference calls. Register today!
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Visit IBM developerWorks to download a free trial version of Lotus Quickr 8.0, which enables collaboration by transforming the way everyday business content such as documents, rich media, photos, and video can be shared. Lotus Quickr makes it faster and easier to share content of all types (not just documents) within virtual teams. It is designed to make it easier to collaborate across organizational boundaries, while continuing to work within the context of familiar desktop applications.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
In this tutorial, you can learn how to install and configure the IBM Rational Asset Manager Eclipse client, explore the different views in the Asset Management perspective, learn various search techniques, work with existing assets, and submit a new asset.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Asset Reuse is a key strategy for companies looking to create innovative solutions to solve complex software development problems. Searching for, identifying, updating, using and deploying software assets can be a difficult challenge. Listen to this webcast, to learn about strategies and tools that you can leverage for a successful project, including Rational Asset Manager, Rational Software Architect and WebSphere Service Registry and Repository.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Visit IBM developerWorks to download IBM DB2 Express-C 9.5, a no-charge version of DB2 Express 9 database server. DB2 Express-C offers the same core data server base features as other DB2 Express editions and provides a solid base to build and deploy applications developed using C/C++, Java, .NET, PHP, and other programming languages.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Visit IBM developerWorks to download a free trial of the Rational Host Access Transformation Services (HATS) Toolkit. The HATS toolkit provides a set of plug-ins for the IBM Rational Software Delivery Platform to help you easily extend your legacy applications. HATS makes your 3270 and 5250 applications available as HTML through the most popular Web browsers, while converting your host screens to a Web look and feel and it also enables you to develop new Web, portal, and rich-client applications.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
This whitepaper presents the benefits of successfully introducing static analysis into your organization using IBM Rational Software Analyzer. Additionally, it identifies some common pitfalls that can hinder the effective use of static analysis tooling as well as presents 10 simple strategies designed to help you quickly realize the value of static analysis using Rational Software Analyzer.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Visit IBM developerWorks to download a free trial version of WebSphere Business Modeler Advanced V6.1.1, IBM’s premier business process modeling and analysis tool for business users that offers process modeling, simulation, and analysis capabilities. IBM WebSphere Business Modeler helps you visualize, understand, and document business processes for continuous improvement.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Visit IBM developerWorks to download a free trial of the latest release of IBM Lotus Sametime Standard V8.0. Lotus Sametime Standard V8.0 is a platform for unified communications and collaboration that combines security features with an extensible, open solution including integrated Voice over IP, geographic location awareness, mobile clients, and a robust Business Partner community offering telephony and video integration.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
As organizations integrate software into every aspect of business, they are constantly pressured to deliver faster, better, and cheaper results. Unfortunately, a “dis-integrated” software delivery approach reduces returns while increasing costs. This IBM Rational White Paper shows how Integrated Requirements Management aligns organizations around maximizing value and keeping pace with change.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
All FREE IBM® developerWorks Tools!
|
