Create SEO-friendly meta descriptions for your website pages
You can decide the text you would like Google to show as the description text when your pages appear on Google Search Results. This guideline explains where you can add this text both for landing and detail pages.
Understanding Google Descriptions
A Google description, or snippet, is the brief description or summary shown under the page title in search results on Google Search and related services.
Google mainly uses the content from the page to automatically create the relevant snippet. However, if a meta description has been added to the page, and it offers a clearer summary of the content, it may be used instead.
Please note that you can not fully control what shows as a description under search results. It is up to Google to select the best suited text for this area. You can, however, use the designated meta description fields in the CMS to ensure Google prioritises your custom text.
Best practices for writing a good meta description
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Character limit: Aim for a short text. There is not limit for how long a meta description can be, but the text shown in Google Search results will be truncated to fit the device screen. A text of 150 to 160 characters will ensure the description displays fully in search results.
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Use target keywords: This can improve visibility and relevance in search results. Include primary keywords relevant to the page as part of the text. Make sure you add them naturally and avoid overloading your description with them.
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Be descriptive and specific: Clearly describe the content or purpose of the page and avoid vague language that might confuse readers. Make sure your descriptions summarise the content of the page in a concise way.
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Unique descriptions: When entering meta descriptions, make sure they are unique for each page. This will help search engines understand the distinct value of each one, and will create a more dynamic experience for the visitors.
Where to add meta descriptions to your pages
You can add meta descriptions to your pages and records from the CMS.
Adding meta descriptions to landing pages
For pages such as your homepage, exhibitions, contact page, or any of your custom pages, the description field to enter your meta description can be found in the page edit window.
- Go to your Artlogic CMS and navigate to Pages
- Select the page you would like to add a description to and click on the pencil icon to open the edit window
- Scroll down to the Page Settings section
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Enter your description under the Description field
- Save
Adding meta descriptions to detail pages
Descriptions for your detail pages will need to be added directly to the records. The description field for individual records can be found in the SEO Tools section of your CMS.
You can read about the full potential of your SEO tools here: How do I use my SEO tools?
To add meta descriptions to individual pages such as artist detail pages, exhibition pages, or news:
- Go to your Artlogic CMS
- Navigate to SEO Tools > Site index (all)
- Use the search functionality to find the page you would like to edit, or scroll down to find the right URL.
- Select the page, and click on the pencil icon to open the edit window
- Click on the 'Create SEO Override' tickbox
- Scroll down to the Title, Heading and Description section
- Enter the meta description under SEO description
- Save
Do I need to add a description for every page on the website?
Meta descriptions are a useful tool for your SEO strategy, as then can help build your SEO ranking, but it is not necessary to enter a meta description for every page and record in your website.