How To Write Meta Titles & Descriptions That Actually Get Clicks (Small Business Guide)
Meta titles and descriptions are a crucial part for your SEO perfomance. It helps search engines understand what your pages offer and improve the click-through rates. In this article, I’ll cover everything you need to know about how to write meta titles and descriptions for your small business with actionable steps. If you’re working with a WordPress website, but don’t know how to add these meta tags, I’d recommend to read my article on how to add these in WordPress.
If you’re interested in improving your website even more, I recommend to check out my complete on-page SEO guide.
Table of Contents
What is A Meta Title?
A meta title is the clickable headline you see in Google’s search results. It’s also known as a title tag in your page’s HTML code. It’s also called ‘title tag’ or ‘SEO title’.
It’s your page’s first impression. Think of it as your page’s elevator pitch. You’ve got about 60 characters to convince someone to click. A great meta title can increase your click-through rate.
Crafting a good title tag means understanding your audience, using clear language, and teasing what’s inside. So people can’t not click on your website.
What Is a Meta Description?
A meta description is the short snippet of text you see under a page title in Google’s search results. It gives you a quick preview of what the page is about.
It’s your chance to hook readers and convince them to click on your link instead of someone else’s. A well-crafted meta description uses clear language, relevant keywords, and shows real value. When done right, it boosts your click-through rate and drives more traffic.
Getting your meta description length just right is key. Too long, and it gets cut off with “…”. This can result in losing important info. If the meta description is too short, you miss out on grabbing attention.
Crafting a great meta description is an important part of your on-page SEO strategy.
Why Are They Important For SEO?
A well-crafted meta title can boost your organic CTR (Click-Through-Rate). A higher CTR means more traffic to your website. This results in more conversions (if your website is optimized).
Meta descriptions are an additional chance to grab attention and convince the searcher to visit your page.
If you tell the searcher what your page offers and use your keywords naturally, you’ll increase rankings and CTR, as you convince searchers to click on your page and give search engines more context about your page’s content.
What Defines A Great Meta Title & Description
Meta title
The meta title is the clickable headline you see in the search results. Optimizing this will not only get you higher in rankings, but will also improve your CTR (click-through rate).
This is what defines a strong meta title:
- Clear description of what you offer
- Use of your primary keyword (preferably at the beginning)
- Between 30-60 characters
- Unique meta title for each page
Meta description
The meta description is the part just under your meta title. You can describe your offer a bit more in detail here to encourage the searchers to click on your page.
This is what defines a strong meta description:
- A short summary of what you offer (no clickbaiting)
- Focused on the benefits for the searchers
- Between 70-155 characters
- Use of a CTA
- Includes your primary keyword
- Matches the content on your page
How To Write Meta Titles & Descriptions For Your Small Business (Step-By-Step)
Steps To Create The Perfect Meta Title
It’s time to create the perfect meta title step-by-step according to the core rules described above. Here is how you do it:
- Add your primary keyword at the start of your meta title
- Highlight the value of your page/offer
- Keep it within 30-60 characters
- Tip: Use long-tail variations
1. Add your primary keyword at the start of your meta title
Placing your primary keyword you have chosen during your keyword research at the beginning of your title is important. This tells Google and visitors what your page is exactly about and makes your page immediately visible.
Including your primary keyword increases your chances that Google will bold that phrase, which drives more attention to your result.
This way, you can compete with larger brands and websites that have already established a certain authority.
2. Highlight the value of your page/offer
Once your keyword is placed naturally in the title, it’s time to highlight the value of your page. This will help visitors and search engines understand your page’s content. Plus, it will boost the CTR.
This focus on value will filter out the wrong clicks and attract the right visitors, who will stay longer, interact with your content, and might even convert.
3. Keep it within 30-60 characters
Keeping your meta title between 30-60 characters is, from experience, the sweet spot. This makes sure your title won’t be cut off and it’s not too short to add enough points of value to convince the searchers.
Keeping it short and clear, makes your result easier to scan and more attractive to click on. This length should be enough to target your main keyword, plus the value of your page.
4. Tip: use long-tail variations
Long-tail keywords often have less competition. Make sure your main keyword has enough value and low-competition. To help your page rank for multiple keywords, add these long-tail variations. Your page will be visible for more queries and will probably rank higher on these longer queries.
Certainly, for small businesses, these long-tail keywords are gold. They have fewer searches, but people who are searching for these are ready to convert. This makes it very interesting.
Steps To Create The Perfect Meta Description
After creating the meta title, it’s time to create the perfect meta description. Here is how you do it:
- Include primary keyword & LSI-variants
- Answer key questions
- Explain benefits
- Add a CTA
- Keep within 70-155 character range
1. Include primary keyword & LSI-variants
Including your primary keyword in your meta description helps users and search engines understand your page’s content better. This extra relevance often results in a higher position in search results.
Adding semantic keywords will only make your result more visible with more search queries.
Including these keywords results in higher visibility and trust that your page is exactly what the searcher needs and that you can solve their problem.
2. Answer key questions
A solid description feels like this page has the solution for your question or might even solve the question itself. If your description speaks directly to that question, your CTR will increase as people feel like you speak to them.
To do this the right way, write down all the questions your content solves before you write your description. Then, turn the most important one or two questions into a little description. You show with your description that the answer is directly behind the click. It feels like the next step in their search journey.
This will reduce random clicks and will attract the right visitors.
3. Explain benefits
Most descriptions talk about the features of their page/offer, but searchers want to know how your offer will benefit their life. They are only interested in what they gain from it.
Ask yourself what your page/offer will change for your reader. This could be more sales, more leads, more visitors, … This gives your readers a higher motivation to click on your page.
4. Add a CTA
People always need a “what to do next,” so you’ll need to give it to them. That’s why a CTA is so important. People need to know they should click your page to get an answer to their problem. Think of it as a mini invitation to check out your website.
You guide the searchers to your page. Even on your page, you need to have a CTA. For example, if you have a blog post, add a CTA in the blog post that tells them what they to do after reading it.
Over time, this will increase your CTR and bring visitors who are ready to read, buy, or just take action in general.
5. Keep within 70-155 character range
From experience, the sweet spot for your meta description is between 70-155 characters. This gives you enough space to add all of the above without getting cut off. If you go too short, you miss opportunities to convince the searcher.
You can always test various meta descriptions to see which performs better over time.
9 Common Meta Tag Mistakes Small Businesses Make That Hurt Your Rankings
1. Not including meta tags, forcing Google to generate them
Many small businesses don’t include meta titles and descriptions. Google will then grab random text from that page. That usually means an irrelevant title and description that won’t add any value to the user. This means your CTR (click-through-rate) and rankings will not improve.
How to fix it
- Write a unique meta title and description for every page, or at least the important pages, on your site.
2. Meta tags are too long or too short
Another common meta tag mistake is writing titles and descriptions that are way too long or too short. This way your tags will be cut off or look thin. When they are too long, users can’t see the whole line, which may be confusing, and when they are too short, you miss chances to boost your CTR.
How to fix it
- Keep your meta title between 30-60 characters.
- Keep your meta description between 70-155 characters.
3. Duplicate meta tags across multiple pages
Many pages use the same meta tags for various pages because it’s “easier.” This confuses search engines about which page should rank and makes your pages look repetitive as you don’t mention the individual value of each page. This will decrease the number of clicks from search engines to your pages.
How to fix it
- To check which pages have duplicate meta tags, use an SEO tool like Screaming Frog to audit your website.
- Write a unique meta description and title for each (important) page of your website.
- Add for each page what it offers and why it may benefit the user.
4. Vague meta tags that don’t show your page’s value
Lots of websites don’t add the true value of a page in their meta tags. This is a missed chance for generating extra clicks. These kinds of meta tags feel generic and created by an AI tool. Users scan the results so fast, you have to stand out to earn their click. If you don’t catch their eye with true value, they’ll skip it.
How to fix it
- Use the meta title and description to describe exactly what users can expect and gain from your page.
- Include relevant terms your audience is actually searching for.
- Check the top-ranking competitors and find a way to be more specific and useful.
5. Keyword stuffing in meta tags
Keyword stuffing may have worked in 2012, but algorithms nowadays are way too smart. They’ll even penalize your website if you stuff keywords. It is seen as unnatural and spammy. This scares off users and search engines.
How to fix it
- Choose one primary keyword and a few related terms for each page.
- Write your meta tags for users first.
- Don’t repeat the same keyword twice in the meta tags.
6. Ignoring search intent
Many small businesses create content and meta tags about the things they want to rank for, but they don’t think about what searchers actually want. When your meta tags don’t align with what users are looking for, they will skip you without hesitation.
How to fix it
- Do thorough keyword research with a focus on search intent.
- Align your wording with intent; for example: “guide,” “learn,” “how-to,” …
- Make sure the content on your page delivers on your promise.
7. Not using your main keyword in the meta title
Not using your main keyword in your meta title makes it harder for users and search engines to understand and see the relevance of your page for the keyword in question. You’ll lose rankings as your page isn’t seen as a good fit for the search query.
How to fix it
- Pick one clear main keyword.
- Place that keyword as naturally as possible at the beginning of the meta title.
8. Not using branding correctly
Some businesses don’t use their brand name in meta titles, while others push it too hard. Finding a great balance between branding and focus on the offer of the topic is essential. Without branding, you’ll be less remembered and gain less attention on other topics. Without focusing on value, you’ll lose clicks and rankings.
For example, a great title but no branding included…
How to fix it
- Include your brand name in the meta title; do this at the end with a separator.
- Keep the focus on what your page has to offer in the first part.
- Stay consistent with the format across your pages.
9. Not including a call-to-action in your meta description
Lots of websites only include a description of what their website has to offer. From experience, it’s important to tell users what they have to do next and what they’ll gain from it. This will push them to take action.
For example, this meta title as amazing, they describe their value and a CTA in the description.
How to fix it
- Add a simple CTA at the end like “learn more,” “read now,” …
- Keep the tone aligned with your brand.
The 3 Best Free Tools To Help You Write Meta Titles & Descriptions
1. Yoast SEO
If you’re using WordPress, Yoast SEO is an amazing free plugin to help you craft the perfect meta title. It gives live feedback while you write. It also shows a real-time Google preview, so you know exactly how your title tag will look in the search results.
Key advantages of Yoast SEO:
- Easy Google preview for title tags and descriptions
- Real-time SEO checks with green/red indicators
- Readability feedback to improve structure and flow
- Works directly inside your WordPress dashboard
- Constantly updated with the latest SEO guidelines
2. SERPsim
Just paste your title and description into the simulator. SERPsim instantly shows you how your snippet looks in search results. A big bonus is that SERPsim works in pixels, not just characters.
Key advantages of SERPsim:
- Visual preview of how your title tag appears on Google
- Pixel-based analysis for precision
- Easy to tweak, test, and perfect your snippet
- No signup, no installation
- Helps you avoid cutoff and boring titles
3. RankMath
RankMath is a plugin in WordPress that will help you write better meta titles. It’s clean, fast, and built with performance in mind. But it also includes advanced schema, redirects, and keyword tracking. All for free. It works perfectly with Elementor and other page builders.
Key advantages of RankMath:
- Fully featured free version
- Dynamic title tag suggestions
- Integrated keyword tracking and scoring
- Lightweight, fast-loading plugin
- Works great with modern page builders
