Why Google has confirmed meta description snippet field (updated)

Digital Marketing
Updated on: 23 Oct, 2024 17:20 PM

Yes, you heard it right; there is a new meta description snippet update from Google again. It was just in December that the Meta descriptions snippet field was increased by Google but now again in May 2018, Google cut it short. Why do you think meta descriptions matter to such extent? A meta description plays an active role in describing the page it is linked to.

The searchers need to understand whether they are searching for the relevant thing or not and this is what reading the snippet does. A good SEO company in Bangalore knows how to optimize the meta description so that searchers understand what kind of content it would be and they would click on it. It basically increases the click-through on organic SEO ranking. Now you know why meta descriptions are so important. Reputed SEO companies are always working on writing successful meta descriptions because it is important and its an art.

Shorter meta description snippet field

 Now the search snippets are shorter but it’s good to work with. According to Google, framing these descriptions do not alter with longer snippets. Google also told the webmasters that publishers don’t need to expand the Meta description tags all of a sudden.

The new update is that the snippets are not of any fixed length and the length would vary based on what the system considers to be useful. So now Google will not specify any maximum length because snippets are dynamically generated. There is the Rick Ranger’s tool that brings down the average length of meta description to 160 characters from 300 characters.

Now if you ask - Why?

Google focus on making sense, yes more than the length, the significance matters. The main thing to keep in mind is that your descriptions should make good sense right in the first 110-130 characters. The reason is that it will work very well on mobile devices too. Longer metas are futile these days.

With this new update, what should you do?

Are you planning to cut short all the descriptions you already framed? No, you don’t need to do that rather focus on weaving meaningful, crisp, compelling and high-quality descriptions within the new character limit. Google basically wants conciseness and relevance when they pick up text to use in the snippets. Cutting them short would not make them better in any case. But, if you are working on the critical pages, you can definitely reoptimize the descriptions. Do not just delete a few words but rewrite them fresh within the new limit. The one you write now can be way better than what you wrote before.

Moreover, the snippets that Google select are dynamic and they are not coming from your meta descriptions. Yes, it’s a recent study that proved this and it showed those majority snippets are taken from the web page content. This is where you must reach the experts, the ones who have learned new SEO and SEM tactics. 

Do you know the best meta description practices

When it comes to meta descriptions, it is very important to strike a balance between offering an impressive summary and appealing the searchers. So here are some of the best practices:

• Keep the focus keyword and the secondary keyword in the matter. This gives a lot of relevance. 
• It is best to use the focus keyword in the early part of the description.
• Use words that are action-oriented to make the users aware of the benefits in case they click on your page.

Following these rules would make your meta descriptions more polished. Basically, there is no such formula for a great meta description. It’s all about writing a great and enticing summary. If you wish to get crisp meta descriptions or other internet marketing related services, look for one of the top-notch SEO services in Bangalore. It’s not easy to impress Google but once you do, you are sorted.