You can control how your web page displays when keyword searches are conducted that are relevant to your web page. It helps the user, and it helps you. When there is a keyword search, Google displays the web page.
The text included also contains the keywords that the Google robots find when they look for matching keywords. Google will always display the meta description content if it contains the keywords being searched for. This is what you as the website owner want to happen. It is called your meta description tag. It should be clear, concise, and describe your site.
If you don’t set your meta description tag, Google will search and extract pieces of the page that match the keyword search. It is usually not helpful or what the user wanted, and it doesn’t look good either.
Here are 2 examples for "parakeet food" found in a Google search:
- "Parakeet Food: Parakeet Diets Include Seed Blends and Pellet Diets Parakeet food from Drs. Foster & Smith includes seed blends and pellets for a complete parakeet diet."
See how the keyword "parakeet food" is in this clear and defined meta description tag? I think a user searching for parakeet food has found the right site.
- "Parakeet Budgie and Keet FAQs and Info. This is the ultimate compliment a parakeet can give. When a mommy parakeet is sitting on her eggs, sometimes the father will bring her food in this way. … "
This example doesn’t even have the word "food" in the web title. The Google robot searched the site, found the words "parakeet" and "food", and here we are. It is like the user is deposited into the middle of a story.
Being mindful of meta description tags is a simple and effective way to help the user decide where to go, help you provide the correct description of your site, and even helps Google keep relevancy improving on the world wide web.
Cheers!
