Should I still be using meta Descriptions on my site pages?
 by Casey Markee

Should I still be using meta Descriptions on my site pages?

  • How important are meta descriptions for SEO purposes these days? Should I still be using them for all my pages? If so, how can I use them effectively?

Answer: We get asked this question a lot and we are always surprised at the inaccurate perceptions of meta tags. So, let me set the record straight. Meta tags, of which meta descriptions are one part, are non-displayed text written into your HTML document intended to describe your page to the search engine for the purpose of cataloging your content.

There's an ongoing debate as to whether or not meta tags should be included within your HTML documents. This is an issue we cover at length in our continually updated book...

The Unfair Advantage Book on Winning the Search Engine Wars

To sum it up, YES! Meta description tags should absolutely be used in every web page document that you want described on the search engine results page.

Here's why: Your meta description is the main mechanism search engines use to provide a summary of your site page to prospective site visitors browsing its search results. View it as the sub-headline and sales description of your site (the Title Tag being the main headline for your site).

An accurate description communicates to prospective visitors the make-up and content relevancy of the page, and compels (or not) that visitor to click through and visit your site page.

If you fail to include a description of the page, search engines are likely going to fabricate a description of their choosing by returning a snippet of text from your page. Here is a real-life bad example of this in action when searching for the keyword query San Diego immigration attorney in Google:

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