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#SEOpodcast 276 - Meta Description Tips

Episode25 min2015-06-10

Writing killer meta descriptions boosts CTR by invoking curiosity, using numbers, stating your USP, copying paid ad copy, and analyzing competitors, giving you a second path to more website traffic beyond ranking alone.

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Key takeaways
there are two ways to get more people to your website. The first is by improving your rank in the search engines. And the second one is by improving your click-through rate.

About this episode

Welcome to the most popular internet marketing podcast on iTunes, hosted by E-Webstyle! Join us this week as we talk aboutGrowing your Website from Needing to Creating Great ContentMeta Description TipsAdvertising Benefits over Features

Questions this episode answers

What are the best tips for writing meta descriptions that increase click-through rate?

The episode covers eight tips: copy paid ads, copy organic competitors, invoke curiosity, lead with benefits over features, use numbers, mention your unique selling proposition, include your target keywords, and mix and match all of the above while tracking results and tweaking over time.

Why should you copy paid ad copy when writing meta descriptions?

People running paid ads are constantly testing their ad text for clicks, so their copy tends to be optimized. The hosts suggest using AdWords campaigns to identify high-CTR phrases and then applying that language directly to your organic meta descriptions.

What is a USP and why does it belong in a meta description?

USP stands for unique selling proposition, meaning what makes your business different from competitors. Including it in a meta description highlights your differentiator to searchers at the moment they are choosing between listings, for example noting a lawyer is a former judge.

In their words

if your meta description sucks, then they won't click. And you will have great ranking with no click-throughs, which sucks.

Charles Lewis

Features tell, benefits sell. That's an old one.

Charles Lewis
Terms defined in this episode
Meta Description
A brief text snippet shown in the search engine results page that describes a page's content and can influence whether searchers click through to your site.
CTR (Click-Through Rate)
The rate at which people click on a search result listing, which the episode presents as a second path to more traffic alongside improving search rank.
USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
What makes a business different from its competitors, highlighted in the meta description to stand out in search results.
FAB
A sales framework standing for Features, Advantages, and Benefits, used in the episode to suggest going beyond just benefits when writing meta descriptions.

Full transcript is being added.

This episode answers

Matthew Bertram, host of The Best SEO Podcast
Matthew Bertram
AI keynote speaker · Owner & CEO, EWR Digital · President, ModalPoint

Matthew Bertram is an AI keynote speaker, creator of DIG™ (Digital Information Governance), and owner and CEO of EWR Digital. He helps energy and industrial leaders win visibility in AI search (GEO and AEO), is President of ModalPoint and CMO of the Oil & Gas Global Network, hosts The Best SEO Podcast, and has authored eight books including LLM Visibility. More about Matthew Bertram.

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