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I like a new post at the Google Webmaster Central Blog about the real purpose and value of meta descriptions. Let's not give them more attention than they need.
I was pleased to see Google reiterate that even the most ideal meta description won't "affect your ranking within search results."
So why bother? If you're going to rank for a search term, the snippet that appears with the results needs to say something useful. Yes, Google does draw from your content to produce the descriptive text for the results. But it also can use the meta description. Since that's the case, follow these simple rules:
1. Use the meta tag to focus on your attributes and the page content.
2. Vary meta descriptions for each page.
3. For efficiency, make clean descriptions as you produce pages.
4. Don't view meta descriptions as a central Google ranking strategy. It's just about connecting with prospects (if you happen to get a high ranking).
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2 Comments so far2 Responses to “Give Meta Descriptions Their Place”
Wow, it's really interesting that Google doesn't put a large emphasis on meta descriptions when determining rankings! This just proves that companies need comprehensive strategies in order to be effective online. Titles and keywords are not enough anymore. Websites need video, blogs and informative articles to keep visitors engaged and coming back for more!
I like OMGal's response, and I might add that if you scan a list of descriptions in any search results, the ones that actually describe page content tend to be most useful for the user who's ready to visit a page but wants to know a bit more before making that big click.
Viewed in this light, echoing Mike, metas are the perfect marketing vehicle once you're in significant search result territory, and thus should not be taken lightly even if they don't directly influence search engine placement these days.