Page Description (Meta Description)

A page description, also known as a meta description, is a brief summary (typically 160 characters or less) that appears in search results. It provides a quick preview of the page and is a great opportunity to encourage users to click through.

Best practices

  • Keep description short but inviting

  • Optimal page description length is typically between 120 and 160 characters.

  • Avoid using non-alphanumeric characters.

  • Avoid double quotation marks - Some search engines will interpret this as a signal to truncate the description.

  • Include primary keywords - When incorporating keywords into description make them flow naturally.

  • Avoid keyword stuffing.

  • Avoid duplicating page descriptions.

 

Suggestion

Including a call to action sentence, this will make your description more inviting.

Example

TTUHSC El Paso - The nation's first health sciences center on the U.S. - Mexico border. Meeting the critical health care needs of the region.

Notes

Even though some search engines can automatically generate a meta description by using content from your page, it's still important to include your own meta description. This helps boost the page's relevance in search results.