“In addition to Sale & Hire, our Contracts Department works with many of Ireland’s major building contractors to supply and erect scaffolding…”

“Scaffolding Formwork in Ireland, find whatever you need wherever you need it…”

“keycons003 / keycons003×34 20/08/2009 02:17:38 / A3 / B4 / 0.3603516, 66.249.65.21514. Scaffolding Erectors And Hirers, Ireland…”

Would you agree that these leave a lot to be desired?

Frequently website owners pay little to no attention to the composition of their website’s meta descriptions. All too often the descriptions are incomplete or poorly written. Meta descriptions are one of the key elements in optimizing your website’s content. When creating your website’s meta descriptions remember to use accurate descriptive nouns and adjectives rather than generalizations because they will prove much more effective in providing an accurate description of your website to your potential visitor and the search algorithms will rank your site higher.

An example of some empty phrases or less successful phrases can be found in Top Gobbledygook Phrases list compiled by David Meerman. Some examples of really bad meta descriptions are cutting edge, innovative, robust, value added, flexible, results focused, unparalleled and world class. All of these phrases do not actually say anything specific about a product or service. They are all very general phrases, and by making the description so general, it actually ends up saying nothing at all.

Specific Meta Descriptions are best

Good meta description phrases need to be specific about the product’s benefit for the customer. When you are thinking about the meta descriptions for your website, look at your product like you are your customer. What would make you click on a link to the product? What kind of benefit are you looking for from the product? What makes one version of the product superior to another? These are the types of questions that you want to answer before writing the meta descriptions for your website.

For example, does your product last longer than its competitors? Is your product a higher quality or does a service offer more integrity? Do you offer a bigger bang for the customer’s buck?

Once you zero in on the top reasons that your customer would want your product over your competition’s product, you can construct a really good meta description for your website. Here are some examples of the types of things that a customer may find valuable when considering your product.

• An offer – 25% off through the end of the month, Free with purchase of
• Associations – Approved by the BBB, or accredited by, authorized dealer, board certified, Winners of the … Award
• Time – Established 1972, Serving the Community Since 1959
• Expertise – Factory Trained
• Guarantee – Lifetime Guarantee, One Year Guarantee, Low Price Guarantee
• Service – Overnight Delivery, Easy Returns, Replacement Parts Included, Same Day Shipping
• Track Record – More than 1 Million Sold, Over 20,000 Satisfied Customers, Over 1,000 listings

The meta descriptions that you use can also be repeated throughout your website. For example, in a service industry it is important for customers to know that you stand behind your work. So adding the BBB reference in your meta description is a great idea. Then including the BBB logo on your website will repeat the guarantee in the customer’s mind. It is a small addition to your site that could potentially gain new customers for your business every day.