Meta tags are used by search engines for a variety of reasons, but they are primarily used to give individuals conducting searches an overview of what the page is about. Before movies are shown in cinemas or streaming platforms, previews of these films are usually released prior to the premiere to create buzz and give audiences an idea of what to expect. Similarly, when you’re browsing at a bookstore, you’ll notice that some books have blurbs on their back covers or inside their dust jackets that give readers some insight into what the book is about. eCommerce meta descriptions are quintessentially like movie previews and back-cover blurbs in the sense that they provide a glimpse into the contents of a website or webpage.
Another great way to look at meta descriptions is to think of them as elevator pitches wherein you convince customers of why your eCommerce website is worthy of their time and attention. Usually, people only skim search engine results pages (SERPs). So if your meta descriptions aren’t compelling enough, they might be overlooked – and there goes an opportunity to connect with a new customer.
In optimizing your eCommerce website, it’s essential that you put a decent amount of effort into how you frame your meta and descriptions. These snippets of text may seem easy to write since they require no more than 160 characters – but there’s nothing more detrimental than a meta description that fails to excite potential customers. The challenge for marketers, when it comes to creating meta descriptions, is to pack a punch in such a small body of text. This is key in making sure that your company stands out amongst thousands of websites that turn up on SERPs.
