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Do you want to score an A+ on Search Engine Optimization in your affiliate content?
We know you want. Everyone wants to get the highest search engine position on Google. But, sadly, 9 out of 10 websites don't get that expected organic search traffic, as websites with 1st position in Google get 33% of all traffic.
So what is the easiest way to get a higher ranking? The answer is increasing CTR by creating SEO-friendly meta descriptions.
But the answer of: How to write an SEO-friendly meta description that boosts organic SEO ranking, and affiliate conversion? — is not straightforward.
Don't worry. This article will provide proven techniques to create a perfect meta description for affiliate content. So without any further delay, let's get started.
What is a Meta Description?
A meta description is an HTML tag containing 155 to 160 characters of brief description that sum up your web page's content to search engines and searchers.
Search engines place this short description underneath the webpage's URL and Title.
The meta description provides extra information about the content on SERP. Hence, this short explanation influences readers to click on your result.
Google reports: Meta descriptions are not a direct key component for organic SEO ranking. But,
What does a Meta Description look like?
Let's understand this with a practical example. Here is a screenshot:
You can clearly see these three objects one by one:
And, here is the HTML code:
<head>
<meta name=”description” content=”Kulwant Nagi is an affiliate marketer, helping other bloggers to monetize their blogs with affiliate marketing. He is the founder of Affiliate Booster theme.“>
</head>
In the meta description, you can see who Kulwant Nagi is and what he does. In addition, it offers extra information about the website content that will help readers understand what value they can get if they click on the title.
So it is important to create a distinctive description for every page.
Meta Description vs. Snippets
And one thing: Meta descriptions and snippets are all different. Make no mistake about it.
How Long Should an SEO Meta Description Be?
If you are looking for an exact answer of meta description length with a precise number of characters, let us tell you that Google has never clearly mentioned how long the meta description should be.
Even in the case when they come up with a new update and change the web page's algorithm.
Regarding the length of the meta description, we are going to share two big announcements by Google:
Optimal Meta Description Length
There is no general rule for meta description length. So technically, you can write any length. But Google will shorten the length to 155-160 characters.
On this topic, webmasters have different opinions: some say it should be between
But, according to MOZ: a good meta description is between 50 and 160 characters.
But keep it within 155 characters, and make sure your meta description is:
Keep In Mind
Google wants SEOs to focus on improving content quality that adds value to the readers rather than focusing only on meta descriptions to manipulate readers.
Are meta descriptions a ranking factor?
By all means, a meta description is not a ranking factor. But it can directly improve CTR that will provide unlimited organic traffic. A web searcher can see these three objects on the search engine results page.
Those are:
And a meta description is a place where you can tell your readers in detail why they should click on your webpage. Even more in detail than title and URL.
Meta description has no direct control over SEO, yet it can be advantageous.
Why Do Meta Descriptions Matter?
But here is why it matters:
and more traffic. Very soon, your webpage will get a higher ranking position in SERP.
How do I write a good meta description?
Though the meta description is of a few hundred characters, you need to focus on creating an engaging meta description to catch the reader's attention.
Now, it is time to create a description for affiliate content that drive traffic and boost sales.
1. CTA
CTA, call to action, is a marketing strategy through which a marketer converts potential customers into paying customers, making them take a further actionable step.
Marketers use it as a button image or line of text. For Example:
Marketers use CTA to
Webmasters can use CTA in the meta description as a best practice to attract organic visitors.
After using CTA in the meta description, readers will easily sense what value and learnings they will get if they click on your web page URL.
Besides, you can specify the offers and savings in the meta description, being it is affiliate content.
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Consequently, there will be:
2. Power Words in Meta Description
Marketers and entrepreneurs use power words, also called trigger words, as the most potent weapons in content marketing.
Here are some examples of power words:
Now in the case of meta description, webmasters can use power words as a key strategy, as it can:
Therefore, if you use some selected power words according to the content type, you can create an attractive and appealing meta description. Consequently, you can get a boost in CTR.
Now, if you have created in-depth and helpful content that solves problems, Google will rank your web page in the top position.
Heads Up
Google always looks for ranking content that provides valuable information and knowledge to the readers. So your 90% focus should be on creating user-friendly design and content and 10% on meta description.
3. Influence Users in Meta Description
With the proper use of CTA and power words, tell your readers what they will learn from your content and how much they can save if they purchase.
Users mostly come to Google to learn something or make a purchase. At that time, your offerings on meta description are bound to influence readers to click on your title.
For that, you can use these types of phrases:
These offerings will, without doubt, tell searchers why they should invest their valuable time reading your content over others.
4. Characters and Pixels in Meta Description
You have to be careful about the length of characters and pixels in meta, as search engines truncate the length if you exceed the limit.
Besides, there are different character and pixel limits on other search engines.
And,
Here you can see an example of an incomplete meta description and a perfect one:
We searched: What is affiliate marketing on Google?
Here are two different search results on Google SERP.
Truncated Meta Description Example:
Notice the 3 dots here: (…). It is not a complete description.
Perfect Meta Description Example:
Notice it is a complete description with proper narration.
Pro Tip:
Always try to maintain the recommended character length. Also, you can experiment with short word counts for pages like the homepage and long word counts for blog posts or product pages.
5. Meta Keywords in Meta Description
SEOs are still confused about whether keywords in meta description work in ranking factors.
But let us tell you:
Yes, it was once helpful for ranking. But many webmasters used keyword stuffing in the meta descriptions and manipulated search engines and searchers.
Hence, search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo dropped meta keywords for ranking purposes.
Though these big search engines no longer use meta keywords, some small search engines:
Hey! But wait.
It's not the end of the story. There are also two reasons why you should use meta keywords:
- Meta description summarizes your page content. That makes it easy for any search engine to understand the intention of the page content.
- It wraps up the page content and helps the reader know about the page.
These are the two reasons that help in better ranking.
Note
Add only three or four most important keywords in the meta description that are in tune with the content and avoid manipulating search engine algorithms.
6. No Duplication in Meta Description
When you have a big branded website with endless pages, mainly an eCommerce site with hundreds of products, web admins usually copy and paste the same meta description for multiple product pages.
Can it affect your ranking?
Before getting the answer, you must learn what a duplicate material description is.
Duplicate Meta Description:
Duplicate meta descriptions are meta descriptions with the same text that show up on multiple pages of a website.
Regarding the negative impact of duplicate meta descriptions, be 100% sure Google will not penalize your web page. But here are some reasons why you should not duplicate the description:
So, it is better to leave the description blank rather than duplicate it. Then, Google will pick a few relevant lines from your content and create a description.
7. Schema Markup in Meta Description
You cannot increase the character limit in your meta description. And there is no option to add visuals on SERP that can catch visitors' attention.
So you can come up with a new strategy through which you can add more information about your business in the description. The markup scheme lets you do that by adding essential details to your website.
By using markup schema, you can add:
On SERPs, it makes your search result more:
All in all, it improves user experience and searches appearance. It not only enhances your CTR but also decreases the bounce-back rate. But always remember to use schema markups only on product review pages.
Does Google rewrite meta descriptions?
According to experienced and professional web admins, your meta description must match the keywords readers are looking for in search engines and the content of your page.
But really, does Google change the description? If So, then why?
Yes, Google does that. As per a recent study, Google rewrites the meta descriptions at:
Also, according to the reports of Ahref:
Why does Google rewrite Meta Description?
So, our recommendation is always to create informative descriptions that help readers understand what is inside the content, not keyword stuffing.
What Tools Can Help You Improve Meta Descriptions?
We can expect that you have understood the importance of a meta description. That 155 characters will give you an extra advantage for a better organic ranking.
Why do you need to use any tool to write meta descriptions properly?
Before answering that question, first understand this: while creating a meta description, you need to:
So, writing a meta description by yourself will not be easy. It will be easy if you use some SEO tools. Moreover, you can use some free tools if you are on WordPress.
Yoast Seo
Yoast SEO is a mighty, easy-to-use, and the most helpful SEO plugin that has helped every blogger and affiliate marketer rank their website on Google.
Benefits of Yoast Seo:
All in all, Yoast SEO is a vital tool that not only increases your CTR by creating a fantastic meta description but also helps to index your site on Google.
Rank Math
Rank Math is also an SEO solid tool that provides tons of free features to enhance your WordPress site's search engine optimization.
The best part of the Rank Math tool is that it provides some premium features for absolutely free.
Benefits of Rank Math:
First, put some effort into writing a user-friendly guide. Then create an ideal description. Simply means, try to prioritize your content first.
Examples of Good Meta Descriptions
According to the recommended meta description length: it should contain only 155 characters and be unique, compelling, and engaging.
Now let's look at some examples of meta descriptions of branded sites. Also, we will use the top 4 search engines like
1. Meta Description of YouTube.com on Google
2. Meta Description of YouTube.com on Bing
3. Meta Description of YouTube.com on Yahoo
4. Meta Description of YouTube.com on DuckDuckGo
You can see how YouTube's meta description looks on Google and other search engines. There are 126 characters with spaces: “Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.”
Some More Examples of Complete Meta Description
Here you will show some branded websites and their meta description on Google SERP as mostly web admins and search engine users use Google as a search engine.
1. Backlinko.com
131 Characters.
2. Kripeshadwani.com
160 Characters.
3. Tryootech.com
145 Characters.
4. Masterblogging.com
126 Characters.
5. BloggingCage
159 Characters.
6. AffiliateBooster
156 Characters.
These are some examples of complete, authentic, and reader-friendly meta descriptions.
To Conclude
When it comes to affiliate marketing, compiling content is the ultimate thing that boosts sales.
But to get your readers to go through your entire content and sales funnel, you need to increase your CTR.
With the help of a unique meta description for every page, you can drive more traffic and improve your SERP position.
So that's it. We gave our heart and soul to creating a helpful guide on meta descriptions and meta description tags for affiliate content.
If you have any questions, comment below. Our team will respond to you as soon as possible.
