What Is SEO Meta Title And Description? Benefits And Best Practices

Meta title and descriptions are one of the most important introductory parts of content on the web page. They are used to introduce a short summary of the content covered on the web page.

The meta title tells about the topic which is available on the web page and meta description presents a short and relevant summary of what the particular web page is about to tell users.

Table of Contents

What is an SEO Meta Title?

An SEO Meta title is a HTML element displayed in the title tag of an HTML document. It is used to display the page title on the search engine result page. It is important to optimise the Meta title with the target keywords to improve the ranking and visibility of the web page.

What is Meta Description?

A Meta description is a short and precise summary of the webpage. It is displayed as a part of the search snippet in Search Engine Result Page (SERP). It is used to give users an idea of the content that exists in the webpage.

Meta Title and Description Key Takeaways

A meta title is used to display the page title of a web page that appears on the Search Engine Result Page (SERP).
An ideal length of SEO Meta title is in the range of 50-60 characters.
A Meta description is an HTML element displayed as a part of a snippet on the Search Engine Result Page.
An ideal meta description length should be in the range of 50-160 characters.
Both Meta title and description are important on-page optimisation practice.
The main purpose of the meta description is to attract users to click through the page displayed in the search result.

Meta Title and Description Representation

The image above represents the Meta title meta description of a Search query result page.

Meta title and description

Meta Title

Meta title and description

Meta title or Meta title tag is the title of the web page displayed in the Search Engine Result Page when a user makes a query on Google.

Meta Description

Meta title and description

Meta description is used to provide a short summary of the content present on the web page.

Does Google Provide Limits for Meta Title and Description?

Google does not provide any length limit for meta title and description. It does not restrict the length to be short for a web page. However, when you closely observe the Meta title and Description on the Search Engine Result Page (SERP) you will see Google only displays a part of the meta title and description on the result page.

This observation gives an SEO specialist idea of recommended length character limits for meta title and descriptions of a web page. Google starts to cut off the title tag after 50-60 characters and meta description after 100 characters. Hence, it is advised to keep the meta title and description within a defined limit.

Advantages of Meta Title and Description in SEO

A meta description is a part of on page optimization of a web page. There are many advantages of Meta description, some of them are given below.

Improve Ranking: A well defined and structured meta description helps improve your web page ranking on the search engine. Search engines take into account a good quality meta description while presenting on SERP.
Increase Click-Through-Rate: A well crafted meta description compels users to click on the link as it ensures that the content they are searching for might be available on the web page. Attract the right audience on the web page and increase your page CTR.
Enhance User Experience: A good meta description tells the users that they will find the content they are searching for on the web page. If users find the content promising and relatable then it delivers a good user experience.
Improve brand perception: A well drafted meta description can serve as a mini advertisement of your web page. For a product page, it can provide a short summary of the services and products available on the web page.
Control over page snippet: If you do not explicitly provide meta description, Google might take any random content from your web page as a meta description which might not work well for your web page. Meta descriptions give you control over how you want your page to appear on the search result page.
Easy to Find: It provides a proper description of the web page content in the search engine result page. When a user makes queries, meta title and description play a major role in telling the web page is relevant and useful.
Increases Social Media Sharing: When sharing on Social media platforms SEO Meta title and description are displayed on the headline. It can attract more clicks and shares.

Best Practices for SEO Meta Title And Description

It is important to follow some common practices while creating a meta description for the web page.

Keep it short and concise: The length of the meta title and description must be under permissible length. Short title and descriptions are easy to read and remember.
Include Target Keywords: It is often recommended to keep your target keywords in SEO meta title and description. However, do not overstuff the keywords just keep it natural.
Make it Compelling: It is important for your web page SEO meta title and meta description to stand out from other web pages for the same query.
Mention Call to Action: You can use phrases like “Learn how” “ Get a Free Trial”, and “Discover more” to attract people to click on the web page and stay on the web page for quite some time.
Provide what is displayed: Do not just write anything irrelevant to the web page in the SEO meta title and description which is not present on the web page as it creates a bad impression of the website.
Keep it Unique: Do not keep the same SEO Meta Title and Description for every web page on your website. Meta description as well as title must be unique for every page on your website.

Common Mistakes While Framing SEO Meta Title And Description

Always keep in mind a short and concise seo meta title and description that stands out from the rest.
Do not overstuff the targeted keywords.
Be specific and descriptive about the content the user will find on the web page if they make a visit.
A meta title should be more compelling and attractive.
Never copy titles from your competitor’s web page.
Do not frame titles or descriptions that do not relate to the content on the web page.

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SEO Meta Title and Description FAQs

Q1. What is an SEO Meta Title?

Ans: SEO Meta title or title tag is an HTML element used to provide title to the web page. This title tag appears on the Search Engine Result Page when users search for a relevant query on Google.

Q2. What is the role of Meta description in SEO?

Ans: SEO Meta description attracts users to click on the link and go through the content covered on the web page. It also increases the web page visibility and ranking.