Are your Meta Descriptions too short? It was only a year or two when everyone was worried about Meta Descriptions being too long and exceeding 155 characters. Yes, that is exactly what was happening; we started wondering if we are using less than we should when it comes to our Meta Descriptions. As a leading digital marketing agency in Pakistan, we would like to enlighten you with our knowledge.

First things first, you need to know what is a Meta Description. When you are coding in HTML there are a number of tags that you use, out of which, Meta Description is one. Basically, it is used to summarize the content found on a website’s page. On search engines, there is only one area they look at which is this description. It helps to clarify exactly what this page is supposed to be about. Many people spend a lot of their time in optimizing the description field for on-page SEO. Sometimes search engines use this description, in the actual search results to let the viewer’s understand what a page will be about, better, before clicking on the link and landing on a certain page.

It was recommended not to exceed the limit of 160 characters in your description, however, things changed in December 2017 when a Google spokesperson told how snippets have become slightly longer on average to provide more descriptive and useful snippets. That way people will better understand how a page may be relevant to their search. This is similar to the reason why Twitter increased their character limit which allows for more descriptive messages.

Research indicates that the length has effectively doubled now allowing up to 320 characters which are a huge boost but Google has not stated exactly how far we can or should go in regards to the length of our Meta Descriptions. Now, what does this change mean exactly? Do you actually need to do anything? The simple answer is no. You really do not need to make additional efforts by changing your Meta Descriptions because whatever you have been writing will be reflected in the same manner.

However, if your competitors decide to revamp their descriptions to improve them, it could mean that they will move past you in some search results and overall rankings. It also depends on the type of content you have on your pages. So the next time you write a meta description, make sure to sure an active voice, focus on the primary keyword, make the description unique and catchy and do not forget to add CTA. With the increased space Google and other browsers are now allowing, your Meta descriptions are probably too short. But if you try to improve them, which you most definitely should, it will increase your chances of people clicking on your snippet if you are offering what they are looking for. This is what any social media agency in Pakistan would recommend.