How Local Businesses Can Utilize Meta Descriptions for their Benefit

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Meta descriptions are essential components of search engine optimization. For small businesses, they are one of the crucial ways to increase their SERP ranking and to increase the relevance of their pages. If utilized well, they can actually attract more leads and increase conversion rates.

Still, not all businesses realize the value of them. Most local businesses don’t have the extra resources to invest in SEO services. With this, they miss a big opportunity to rank better and to widen the reach of their website.

Why it matters for your local business

First of all, meta descriptions give immediate information about what the page is about. Even before the user clicks through, they will know what to expect from your content. It’s the first nudge toward your structured sales funnel.

Aside from that, meta descriptions are crucial for search engine crawlers. It makes it easier for them to identify what the page is about and on what queries it is the most relevant. So when a user types a query, the search engine will put the pages that answer to the string of words.

In short, meta descriptions ensure that your information is displayed properly. So whenever someone searches for a service or product, your business stands the chance of popping up on the top positions. 

Meta tags like meta descriptions are used on Bing and Google indexing. In fact, it’s one of the main ranking factors of Google. 

Meta data types you should focus on

There are many types of meta data, but the basics are meta description, title tags, and robot tags. Here is a quick look at each one and why it matters:

Meta description

This is a short description that utilizes keywords. When writing meta descriptions, you shouldn’t exceed 160 characters. Also, you should make it as informative as possible, ensuring that the user will be persuaded to click through.

It should be a quick summary that informs the readers of the page’s content in a snap. It can be challenging to write due to the character restriction. 

Robot meta tags

These are more technical tags located at the back end or code of your website. Basically, it filters which pages you want to index or not. Local businesses opt not to index thin pages, which they still need to improve or revise. Also, filtering out thin pages will reduce the negative impact on the SEO of your website as a whole.

If you can’t handle the execution of the robot tags, you can tap the help of an SEO expert. This is to prevent any glitches that may fail to index important pages.

Final words

When it comes to SEO, meta tags are staples. These are basic components that will increase a business’ visibility online and the ranking of their pages. Be it a service or product, meta descriptions are great tools in making your business stand out. You just have to do it right. 

For businesses with no background with SEO, the help of experts is indispensable. Besides, SEO is a great investment that will yield long-term results.