Basic Meta Description Info: Don't duplicate your meta descriptions

by GGpaul
10 replies
  • SEO
  • |
Hey folks,

Read this article today from searchengineland and also a video from Matt Cutts. A lot of you may know this, but I'm sure a lot of you don't pay attention to it. Enjoy.

Google's Matt Cutts: Don't Duplicate Your Meta Descriptions
#basic #description #descriptions #duplicate #info #meta
  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    Really it's not a big deal as far as ranking pages, but there's a catch to creating semi unique meta descriptions without actually doing any extra work, simply use php to insert the page title at the front of a static meta description tag in the page template. That gives you unique meta/SERP descriptions with any leftover text space being filled in with the site wide meta description. Assumes all page titles are unique across the entire site & they should be to help avoid pages ending up in Supplemental SERPs.

    The other tactic is to simply not include a meta description tag like Wikipedia does on their pages, that's a good idea because then you know exactly which on-page snippet of text Google is focused on (SERP description) when they rank your page for each keyword per page (assumes you know the incoming search phrase).

    If you rank for 5 different keywords per individual page, you'll most likely see 5 unique SERP descriptions in Google SERPs. This could also help increase SERP CTR because now Google has taken the search query & customized the SERP description based on the exact keywords that traffic is searching for.
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    • Profile picture of the author GGpaul
      Originally Posted by yukon View Post

      Really it's not a big deal as far as ranking pages, but there's a catch to creating semi unique meta descriptions without actually doing any extra work, simply use php to insert the page title at the front of a static meta description tag in the page template. That gives you unique meta/SERP descriptions with any leftover text space being filled in with the site wide meta description. Assumes all page titles are unique across the entire site & they should be to help avoid pages ending up in Supplemental SERPs.

      The other tactic is to simply not include a meta description tag like Wikipedia does on their pages, that's a good idea because then you know exactly which on-page snippet of text Google is focused on (SERP description) when they rank your page for each keyword per page (assumes you know the incoming search phrase).

      If you rank for 5 different keywords per individual page, you'll most likely see 5 unique SERP descriptions in Google SERPs. This could also help increase SERP CTR because now Google has taken the search query & customized the SERP description based on the exact keywords that traffic is searching for.
      Yup. By the way have you messed with Search appearance on Google Webmaster yet?
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      RIP Dad Oct 14 1954 - Mar 14 2015.

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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
        Banned
        Originally Posted by GGpaul View Post

        Yup. By the way have you messed with Search appearance on Google Webmaster yet?
        No, I haven't looked at that yet. About the only thing I use WMT for is submitting xml sitemaps.



        Originally Posted by GGpaul View Post

        We have this girl at work who is assigned to do 150 meta descriptions a day because we have no room for her to do anything else it sucks unfortunately lol.

        She gets completely burnt out.
        That's just mean, lol.
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  • Profile picture of the author GGpaul
    We have this girl at work who is assigned to do 150 meta descriptions a day because we have no room for her to do anything else it sucks unfortunately lol.

    She gets completely burnt out.
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    RIP Dad Oct 14 1954 - Mar 14 2015.

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  • Profile picture of the author GGpaul
    It takes her an hr and a half to get to work, only to do meta descriptions and then another hr and a half to get back home. I would NEVER have the time and day to even do more than 10 meta descriptions lol.
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    RIP Dad Oct 14 1954 - Mar 14 2015.

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    • Profile picture of the author yukon
      Banned
      Originally Posted by GGpaul View Post

      It takes her an hr and a half to get to work, only to do meta descriptions and then another hr and a half to get back home. I would NEVER have the time and day to even do more than 10 meta descriptions lol.
      That's brutal.

      Tell her when she's done with all the meta descriptions she needs to go back & add meta keyword tags by hand to every single page.
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  • Profile picture of the author GGpaul
    She was supposed to be our blogger, content writer but apparently they don't like her writing so they dumped her to Title Tags and Meta descriptions.

    I told her to go get a new job
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    RIP Dad Oct 14 1954 - Mar 14 2015.

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    • Profile picture of the author yukon
      Banned
      Originally Posted by GGpaul View Post

      She was supposed to be our blogger, content writer but apparently they don't like her writing so they dumped her to Title Tags and Meta descriptions.

      I told her to go get a new job
      Lol, seems like writing samples would have been part of the job interview.

      If she holds out a year creating meta tags, she's a keeper.
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      • Profile picture of the author GGpaul
        Originally Posted by yukon View Post

        Lol, seems like writing samples would have been part of the job interview.

        If she holds out a year creating meta tags, she's a keeper.
        Not sure, because now we're thinking about automating everything LOL :X
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        RIP Dad Oct 14 1954 - Mar 14 2015.

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        • Profile picture of the author yukon
          Banned
          Originally Posted by GGpaul View Post

          Not sure, because now we're thinking about automating everything LOL :X
          Don't tell her she's out until she gets ready to start the very last meta description tag, LMAO!


          [j/k]
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