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Google’s John Mueller answered the query about whether or not a meta description can be utilized to affect the search rankings.
It’s an excellent query as a result of Google advises to make use of distinctive meta descriptions on net pages. So there may be some sort of affect however is that affect associated to rankings? John Mueller solutions that query.
Meta Component
The meta tag is formally often called a meta component. The meta component is used to explain (characterize) document-level details about an online web page.
With a view to describe totally different properties of the online web page the meta component (like all HTML components) has attributes which sort of extends the meta component in order that it could possibly present a particular sort of info to an online browser or to an online crawler (like Googlebot).
For instance:
- A meta robots tag communicates to crawlers.
- A meta refresh tag communicates to a browser.
There are a lot of different meta tags that talk on to search engines like google and yahoo and browsers:
- meta identify=”viewport”
- meta http-equiv=”refresh”
- meta identify=”google-site-verification”
- meta identify=”googlebot” content material=”notranslate”
Meta component knowledge is info that’s not meant for web site guests to instantly see (though it may be seen not directly by way of the search outcomes).
Meta Description
The W3C is the standards-making physique chargeable for defining HTML (amongst different issues)
The official W3C specification for the meta description tag says that the meta description is designed to be used by search engines like google and yahoo.
“The worth should be a free-form string that describes the web page. The worth should be acceptable to be used in a listing of pages, e.g. in a search engine.
There should not be a couple of meta component with its identify attribute set to the worth description per doc.”
Google’s Use of Meta Descriptions
Google’s documentation of snippets notes that meta descriptions are used for producing search outcomes snippets.
If a meta description is correctly used then the meta description displayed within the search outcomes will talk to the potential web site customer what the web page is about and provides them an concept of what to anticipate in the event that they click on the hyperlink and go to the web site.
There isn’t a restrict on how lengthy a meta description may be.
Nonetheless there’s a restrict on how a lot of the meta description that search engines like google and yahoo will select to point out. The restrict is outlined by how a lot may be proven on the person’s browser gadget.
Does Google Use Meta Description for Rating?
The individual asking the query was particularly asking about including location identify info to the meta description and if it might assist rankings.
Google’s John Mueller answered with a broader scope than simply including the situation identify, his reply was about whether or not something within the meta description affected rankings.
That is the query requested:
“Does including the situation identify within the meta description matter to Google when it comes to rating if the content material high quality is maintained?”
John Mueller answered:
“So the meta description is primarily used as a snippet within the search outcomes web page.
And that’s not one thing that we might use for rating.
However clearly, having an excellent snippet on a search outcomes web page, that may make it extra attention-grabbing for folks to truly go to your web page once they see your web page rating within the search outcomes.”
Meta Description and website positioning
There’s rather a lot to learn about HTML meta components and this query is an efficient instance of the worth of understanding HTML and the way they’re utilized by browsers and search engines like google and yahoo.
Understanding the background details about meta components and the meta description tag specifically helps construct a greater understanding of how all of the items match collectively for website positioning.
Quotation
Does Meta Description Matter for Rankings?
Watch John Mueller reply the query on the 26:47 mark within the video:
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