Google’s John Mueller answered the question whether meta descriptions can be used to influence search rankings.
This is a good question, as Google encourages web pages to use their own meta description. There is some impact, but is that impact related to rankings? John Mueller answers that question.
meta element
Meta tags are formally known as meta elements. The meta element is used to describe (represent) document-level information about a web page.
To describe various properties of a web page, meta elements (like all HTML elements) have attributes that extend meta elements to allow specific kinds of information to be sent to web browsers or web crawlers (such as Googlebot). can be provided to ).
for example:
- The meta robot tag communicates with the crawler.
- The meta refresh tag communicates with the browser.
There are many other meta tags that interact directly with search engines and browsers.
- meta name=”viewport”
- meta http-equiv=”update”
- Meta name = “Verify Google Sites”
- meta name=”googlebot” content=”no translation”
Meta element data is information that is not intended to be seen directly by site visitors (but can be seen indirectly via search results).
meta description
The W3C is the standards body responsible for (among other things) defining HTML.
The official W3C specification for meta description tags states that meta descriptions are designed for use by search engines.
“The value should be a free-form string describing the page. The value should be suitable for use in a directory of pages (such as a search engine).
There should not be more than one meta element per document with the name attribute set to the value description . ”
Google recommendations for meta descriptions
Google’s documentation on snippets states that meta descriptions are used to generate snippets for search results.
When used properly, meta descriptions displayed in search results tell potential website visitors what the page is about and what they should do if they click on a link and visit the website. Shows what to expect.
There is no limit to the length of your meta description.
However, there is a limit to the amount of meta descriptions that search engines will choose to display. Limits are defined by how much can be displayed on a user’s browser device.
Google’s SEO Starter Guide explains meta descriptions in detail.
“A page’s meta description tag gives Google and other search engines an overview of the page.
A page’s title can be a few words or phrases, while a page’s meta description tag can be a sentence or two or a short paragraph.
Like elements, meta description tags can be found in HTML documents. placed inside the element.
Google’s advice to use it as a summary of what site visitors can expect is consistent with the intent of the meta description elements described in the official standards outlined in the W3C document.
Does Google use meta descriptions for ranking?
The questioner specifically asked about adding location information to the meta description and whether it helps with rankings.
Google’s John Mueller answered more broadly than just adding the name of the place. His answer was about whether something in the meta description affects ranking.
This is the question asked:
“Is adding the name of the place to the meta description important to Google from a ranking standpoint if the quality of the content is maintained?”
John Mueller replied:
“Therefore, meta descriptions are primarily used as snippets on search results pages.
And it’s not used for ranking.
But obviously, having a good snippet on the search results page could make it more interesting for people to actually visit your page when they see your page ranking in search results. there is. ”
meta description and SEO
There’s a lot to know about HTML metaelements. This question is a great example of the value of understanding HTML and how it’s used in browsers and search engines.
Understanding some background information, especially on meta elements and meta description tags, will help you better understand how they all fit into SEO.
Quote
Do Meta Descriptions Affect Rankings?
Watch John Mueller answer the question at the 26:47 mark in the video.
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