SEO plays such an important role in digital marketing and it is crucial that you get all the different aspects of SEO just right. It is not enough to simply rank good in a search engine results page, you need to rank among the first few results on the first page of the SERPs.

There are a few elements of SEO that you need close attention to in order to grab that website ranking you have always dreamed of.

Among these elements, one that demands quite a bit of attention is the meta description.

But what IS a meta description? Wel…it is like a movie trailer. The better the trailer, the more the crowd is interested in watching a movie.

Similarly, meta descriptions give the users a summary of the content in a webpage. A user is most likely to make a decision to visit a website based on how he or she feels about the information provided by the meta description.

So, an important tip for all of those who are experimenting with SEO, pay attention to your meta description!

Here are a few pointers for creating the perfect meta description.

Use call-to-actions

Phrases like “learn now”, “call today”, and “Buy today” give the user a glimpse of what he or she is likely to find on the website. An effective call-to-action is tempting and is almost equivalent to a beacon calling out to the customers.

Include call-to-actions that are interesting to the customer. For instance, if you are launching a new product, then an ideal phrase for call-to-action could be “Try Now” or “Buy one get one”.

Remember to keep your call-to-actions as interesting as possible. You want to set the right tone for your customers without sounding over-enthusiastic.

Keep it short but detailed

A meta description is meant to offer a peek into your website and it should do just that. Google provides very limited space for the meta description and it is important to see that it is brief but contains all the relevant information. Be short, sweet, and to the point.

Keep in mind that a user will only skim the search engine results page before clicking on a link. So the key is to make the meta description interesting and detailed without unravelling a story.

Trial and error

Like everything else in digital marketing, you land at the ideal meta description after a number of trial runs. You may need to run a strategy in several different ways to see what strikes best with the customer.

With each trial run, you get a better picture of what needs to be modified and what should be left as it is.

Keep experimenting with different phrases and content structures although make sure that while experimenting you know what you are doing. One thing you do not want is to have your content all over the place.

The perfect meta description is a stroke of genius and presses all the right buttons when it comes to the user.