How To Add Meta Description in WordPress for better SEO

A study found that pages with a meta description receive 5.8% more clicks. This shows that meta descriptions are more important than ever, as various factors affect a website’s SEO ranking.

They are brief descriptions of a webpage’s content that can be helpful not only to the search engine but to the users it serves.

By creating optimised meta descriptions, you can achieve better CTR and thus expect enhanced organic traffic on your website. This article teaches you how to add meta descriptions in WordPress, increasing your website traffic and its usability and benefits.

Why Meta Descriptions Are Important

Meta descriptions will not help you get a high rank on the search engine results pages. Yet, they are critical essential components if you want to make users click on the search results from your website.  

• Increased Click-Through Rates (CTR): Learning to add meta descriptions in WordPress can increase your chances of a higher CTR.  
• Improved User Experience: Meta description makes it easy for visitors to be keen and identify what is on the page.
• Brand Visibility: Meta descriptions provide an excellent chance to promote your brand and tell people what it does for them.

How to Add Meta Descriptions In WordPress

Here’s what all you need to do to write and edit meta descriptions in WordPress:

1. Classic Editor

If you are in the Classic Editor, the meta description fields are usually located right on the page or in the post-editing panel, in places labelled Meta Description.

2. Gutenberg Editor

In the Gutenberg editor, you may locate meta description fields under the document settings or as a block in the current editing page.  

3. Yoast SEO

This popular plugin contains a set of SEO tools, which includes a meta description field for such a page/post in WordPress. Yoast also has tips and readability checks for your descriptions you can use to enhance.

4. Rank Math

Another notable SEO plugin on WordPress has easy-to-fill meta description fields, readability checks, and keyword recommendations.

5. Using SEO Plugins For Meta Description Writing

SEO WordPress plugins like Yoast and Rank Math offer a range of features to help you optimise your meta descriptions: 

• Readability Research: These plugins consider the readability of the description and other tips on aspects like density, non-semantic words, length of the sentence, and many others.

• Keyword Suggestions: Most plugins contain features that suggest relevant keywords for the target keywords, which can be used in the descriptions.

• Snippet Preview: Some plugins show how the meta description would look when displayed on the search engine results page. They also allow users to tweak it further before going live.

• Bulk Editing: Some plugins allow you to change the meta descriptions for several pages or posts in bulk without wasting much time.

Crafting Engaging Meta Descriptions

Writing meta descriptions that hit the mark each time can be difficult. Here are some tips that can help you out here:

1. Keep it Concise

Search engines display meta descriptions up to 160 characters. Ensure your description is not lengthy enough that it is cut off halfway when social media posts it.

2. Include Relevant Keywords

It is also necessary to place the target keywords in the description so they blend naturally. 

3. Use a Compelling Tone

In writing the headline, the description should invite the user to go to the next level.

4. Highlight Unique Selling Propositions (USPs)

If your page is about any specific product or service, or if it serves any particular niche uniquely, make sure that you highlight the feature in the meta description that sets you apart from your competition.

Measuring The Effectiveness Of Meta Description

Here are a few ways to tell if the meta description you are generating for your content is working or not:

1. Track Click-Through Rates (CTR)

It is recommended that you use Google Search Console or other web analytics tools to track your CTR in search results.

2. Analyse User Behaviour

Google Analytics and similar resources can help with website analysis. These resources can also help analyse the user’s actions on the website. For example, you can find out which web pages have high bounce rates and then determine whether the current meta descriptions are descriptive enough.

3. A/B Test Different Descriptions

By making modifications as simple as changing the wording in the description tags, the A/B testing you conduct will allow you to determine which of the descriptive tags translates to better sales for each page. Different descriptions can confuse readers.

Wrapping Up

Meta descriptions are a key component of SEO, and meta description optimisation is a critical part of SEO design. With Crazy Domains, you get 24/7 support and scalable hosting solutions tailored to your needs.

Now you understand how to add and well-optimise meta descriptions in your WordPress-run site and improve your site’s CTRL and consequent organic traffic. Review your past meta descriptions, explore their weaknesses, and apply all the given tips and tricks into practice.

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