Meta titles and meta descriptions are an essential component of good SEO. However, meta content is often overlooked and even more often misunderstood. If you haven't yet taken the time to really hone the meta titles and descriptions on your website and blog posts, you may be able to significantly improve your click-through rate (CTR) with only a minimal amount of effort.‍

What Are Meta Descriptions and Meta Titles? Meta descriptions and meta titles are both content that is displayed to a search engine user when they see your link on the search results page. The meta description is a short block of text that describes the contents of the link and entices people to click on it. The meta title, meanwhile, is the text of the link itself, displayed in blue, clickable text above the meta description. There is more to good SEO than showing up high in the search results -- you also need to ensure a high CTR. By taking time to focus on the meta descriptions and titles that you write, you can improve your CTR by better enticing search engine users who find you in the search results to click your link and learn more.

‍How to Write Better Meta Descriptions and Meta Titles If you would like to start writing meta descriptions and titles that are more enticing and effective at bringing in potential clients to your website, consider following these tips:

Make Sure Your Meta Content Is the Right Length When it comes to character count, there is a sweet spot for both meta descriptions and meta titles. Meta titles should be somewhere between 50-60 characters, while meta descriptions should be somewhere between 110-130 characters. If your content is longer than this, Google might not display all of it on the search results page. You don't have to worry about content being cut out if it is too short, but you do have to worry about it looking bare and out of place. For optimum results, make sure the length of your meta content is within the suggested range.

‍Write for People Rather Than Search Engines There's no need to write for search engines when creating meta content. Instead of keyword stuffing, focus on writing natural, effective content that is geared toward your audience. Keep in mind that the purpose of meta content is to attract attention and generate clicks. Think of meta content as the ad copy that you would write to generate clicks on an ad rather than copy written only for the purpose of improving SEO, and you will have much better results.

‍Do Include Keywords While it's true that the keywords you include in your meta tags won't affect your search results ranking, they are still highlighted by Google when a user searches for the keywords that you've included. This can help attract attention to your link and ensure users that your link has the information that they are searching for. You certainly don't want to stuff your meta content with keywords, but including a few choice keywords in a natural and well-written way can be beneficial.

‍Put the Most Important Words First Few people actually read meta descriptions and meta titles from start to finish. Instead, studies have shown that most people simply scan the first few words of the content to see if it fits what they are looking for. Rather than being hurt by this trend, you can capitalize on it by making sure to include the most important words in your meta content at the beginning.

‍Make each Page Meta Information Unique Using the same meta title and description throughout a website does not tell the reader what each section is about. And in the same line, do not use meta titles and descriptions that are not related to the content on your page. It is a best practice to Include a call to action in your meta description that leads them to your content.

‍Include Your Brand Name in Your Meta Title People enjoy knowing where a link is sending them before they click it, and including your brand name in the meta titles that you write can help provide them with that information. In most cases, the format of a meta title should be as follows: Primary Keywords -- Secondary Keywords | Brand NameFor an accounting service, therefore, a meta title might look something like this: Accounting and Tax Services -- Seattle, Washington | XYZ Accounting. Including your brand name in this manner gives you credit for your content while at the same time letting search engine users know whose website they are visiting if they click your link.

‍Conclusion The content that you include in your meta descriptions and meta titles may not directly affect your website's SEO, but it can dramatically affect your site's CTR. By putting more attention into how you craft your meta content, you can create content that will entice users to click your link when it shows up on the search results page and bring in more traffic for your website. If you would like to learn more about how CountingWorks PRO can help you create more compelling and effective meta content as well as design a full-spectrum digital marketing strategy that will bring in more clients to your accounting firm, we invite you to contact us today.