All high-ranking websites on search engine results pages (SERPs) have one thing in common: compelling meta tags. Meta tags are metadata that are essential for search engine optimisation (SEO) since they can influence the readers to click on the website.
Meta tags can also influence search engine crawlers like Google bots to understand the web page content and rank it based on its relevance, determining where they should place it on SERPs.
Read on to learn more about metadata besides its meaning, like how beginners can write compelling meta tags that can help position themselves on SERPs.
What Are Meta Tags?
Meta tags or metadata refer to a set of words that describes the content of a website page, and it comes into two parts: title tag and meta description.
The difference between the two is that the title tag is the headline that appears on SERPs of a particular web page. Meanwhile, the meta description is the short description that tells the reader what they can expect about the website page they are about to click.
Here is an example of meta tags from UNIQLO Singapore. The one in the green rectangle shape represents the title tag, and the red one is the meta description.
To help you write compelling metadata like this one, here are some tips you can take note of so you can apply them to your e-commerce website and improve your SEO strategies.
6 Tips For Writing Meta Tags
1. Use An Active Voice
Compelling meta tags are inviting, so you should always use an active voice to encourage potential customers to visit the web page. When it comes to writing an active voice, the subject of a sentence should be the one to act.
Here are some examples of active voice sentences
- 30% Off All Items | Singapore GSS Sales
- Don’t Miss Out On The Latest Updates!
The trick to writing in an active voice is to be direct and make sure the reader will focus on the subject that is doing the action rather than the action of the subject.
2. Keep It Concise
Besides using an active voice, you should also keep the metadata concise. That means you are mindful of overexplaining the content and trying not to use filter words that can make the readers more confused. Use precise keywords that relate to your business and service to convey the message you want to deliver.
3. Never Overuse Keywords
Even though including keywords in metatags are a must to rely on search engines for the content of a web page, you should not overdo it. Keyword stuffing can kill your SEO strategies.
Instead of helping your web pages rank higher on SERPs, what you are doing can lead your web pages to a lower ranking. Ideally, including one or two keywords on metadata is the appropriate amount.
4. Include A Call-To-Action
Another SEO tip that you should not forget in your meta is to add a call-to-action or CTA. “Shop Now”, “Try It For Free”, “Join Us”, “Learn More”, and “Get Started” are some examples of CTAs that help metadata become more inviting and persuade potential customers to take action.
When including a CTA in your metadata for a web page, make sure it will complement well with the content. Doing so will help make the added CTA more effective.
5. Make Sure It Matches To The Web Page’s Content
Both title and meta description should also match the web page’s content so the potential customers will not become disappointed once they scroll and read the entire page. If you write something different from the web page’s content, search engines might penalise you for tricking users so they could come to your website.
Writing misleading metatags can also increase your bounce rate, indirectly affecting your search engine rankings. Thus, you should ensure the title tag and meta description match the web page’s content.
6. Take Note Of The Character Count Limits
Meta tags are like captions on social media that have a character count limit.
- Meta Title: 50 to 60 characters
- Meta Description: 155 to 160 characters
If you exceed the maximum required character count when writing the title tag and meta description, some of them might not become visible on SERPs.
Here is an example of a meta description that exceeds the maximum characters, so the rest of the text did not appear.
The Bottom Line
Bring more eyes and traffic to your web pages by writing compelling meta tags. Doing so will influence your readers to click into your website and check out your product, service or even blogs.
If you need help writing meta tags for your e-commerce website, seek help from an SEO agency with a team of professionals who are experts in SEO copywriting.
For more SEO tips, read through our blog page or contact OOm at +65 6391 0930. You can also leave a message on our website if you have other specific concerns.
