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As confirmed by Google, the past months have witnessed an increase in the length of SERP snippets: meta descriptions have grown from 160 to about 320 characters, introducing significant changes in the SEO landscape.
What is a Meta Description?
The meta description is an HTML attribute used to provide a summary of the content of a web page. Usually, it’s placed within the HTML document’s tag:
The meta description isn’t visible within the page itself but appears in SERPs or in post-link previews on social networks:
However, search results don’t always display the meta description set in the HTML document. Sometimes, Google dynamically generates new descriptions using an excerpt of the page’s text that it deems most relevant to the user’s query.
Why Should the Meta Description Be Optimized?
While the meta description no longer directly impacts rankings, it remains crucial for on-page SEO optimization, since it can influence user behavior and indirectly contribute to better search result rankings.
An engaging and interesting description is fundamental to convince users to click on the search result. This leads to an increase in Click-Through Rate (CTR), which is a ranking factor.
Furthermore, if the keyword used by the user is present in a SERP snippet, Google highlights it, drawing attention to that search result. This is why it’s important to include the main keyword related to our webpage in the meta description, along with possibly a few secondary keywords.
What Impact Will Longer Meta Descriptions Have on SEO?
As reiterated by Google, the new character limit doesn’t change the fundamental rule of writing meta descriptions: since it’s content that primarily informs and interests the user, the focus should be on its ability to match the user’s search intent rather than its length.
Nevertheless, the presence of longer meta descriptions will have an impact on SEO strategy:
1. More Space in SERPs
By extending the description over more lines, search result snippets will occupy more space in SERPs, allowing for a more complete presentation and further intriguing the user.
This offers the opportunity to include secondary or related keywords within the description. However, it’s crucial to avoid “forced” text; it should be written to attract and interest the user.
2. Greater Visibility for Top 3 Sites
The increased character count of meta descriptions will inevitably make SERPs longer, especially on mobile devices. This will lead to an increase in clicks on sites in the top three positions of search results, while those lower down will be penalized.
Such a scenario will intensify competition in SEO, making sites more determined to reach the Top 3 positions.
3. Decreased CTR for Specific Types of Searches
Some web pages might experience a decrease in CTR for quick-answer searches.
It’s possible that the description already contains all the necessary information, causing the user to not need to click on the result to access them. With longer descriptions, this situation will occur more frequently.
For instance, when searching “How to calculate Easter date” on Google, results like this are shown:
Thanks to this 297-character long description, the user already finds the answer in the snippet (“Easter falls on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox.”) and is less likely to click on the result to visit the site.
Is it Necessary to Update Meta Descriptions?
If you’ve already set up well-crafted and engaging meta descriptions, it’s not mandatory to update them considering the new character limit. This is especially true since Google often chooses to use an excerpt of the webpage’s text in search results.
However, it’s important to reflect on the opportunities and consequences of this change, and to choose the strategy that best addresses the needs and specificities of your site.
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