On-page Optimization Factors: Meta Tags

Meta Description Tag

Out of all the meta tags, the description meta tag is the one most likely to have the most importance, if only because of the fact that it's displayed as the page description on some search engine results pages. While not absolutely necessary to include, it's definitely recommended, and when used it should be as attractively worded as possible to attract clicks when people find the page listed at a search engine.

Proper format for the description meta tags:

Primary touch-points for description meta tag:

Total number of characters/words
Placement of keywords within the description
Number of keywords/phrases
Repetition
Density

The description should should accurately describe the contents of the page and should include the most relevant keyword phrase for the page for optimization purposes, as well as serving as an indication to surfers who see it in the search engine listing that the page is relevant for what they're looking for.

How much of the meta description tag is displayed can vary, and there's no set rule about how many words to include, but 25 to 30 words is a safe point. It's possible that some may be truncated in the search engine description if it's longer, so that's a good range for the number of words to use. If it's longer, it's a good idea to have the most important part, including keywords, in those first 25-30 words.

Limit the focus to the main keyword phrase and just a few relevant related phrases. Including too many keywords will dilute the focus and interpretation of what the page is about.

Put the main keyword phrase at the beginning, and write the description to be appealing to searchers. Limited repetition of keyword phrases is all right as long as it's not overdone; in fact it isn't a bad idea to use the main keyword in combination with another word or two to try to target subsidiary phrases that are relevant for the page.