Meta Description plays an important in website optimization. Most of the time, people look at the title along with the short snippets before opening a website. If a website has a lot of duplicate meta descriptions, it can create a detrimental effect on the search engine ranking.
In this post, we like to discuss how duplicate meta descriptions are created and their impact on the search engine. First, let’s know what is the meta description.
What is Meta Description?
Meta Description is a small text block that is used for page content summary. When you search for something on Google, it appears as a snippet to give the readers an idea about the page.
Including keywords, you can enter your meta description for each page. However, it may not show on the search engine result page – don’t panic. Google often pulls out text from different locations.
Sometimes, Google chooses a text phrase or sub-heading from the post that summarises the content. Opening text snippet is considered a meta description too. Google decides how your post will be showcased.
What is Duplicate Meta Description?
If the same meta description appears on multiple pages, it can be considered a duplicate meta description. It is a strategy that is generally used as a time-saving tool. However, the use of a particular strategy diminishes the amazing chance that a meta description offers.
Why Should You Avoid Duplicate Meta Descriptions?
Meta Description allows you to promote diverse pages. Whether it is a product page or service, one or two description lines can speak volume about it.
Through meta description, you can easily implement one or two keywords together whether it is included on the product or service page.
Due to a huge number of duplicate meta description usage, your search engine ranking may drop. However, it may not lead to penalization.
If you have various pages with the same meta description, you cannot expect the product or service page to outrank others with the same meta description.
What is required for a good meta description?
It is always better to have a meta description that can improve the click-through rate. Looking at the description, customers may like to click on them immediately and visit the page. In the meta description, you must include important information while giving the customers a sense of what they are going to see on the page. Good meta description creates a positive impact on the bounce rate.
If it is an eCommerce website, you can create a sense of urgency with words like ‘shop now’ and ‘buy now’ in the meta description. The first impression always counts. And if your first impression is good, your website can earn first place on the search engine result page easily.