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Google updated their hunt snippet documentation to clarify what influences Google’s algorithm for choosing what to show arsenic the snippet successful the hunt results. This alteration whitethorn correspond a large alteration successful however meta descriptions are written and however contented is optimized.
Google Search Results Snippets
A webpage displayed successful the hunt motor results pages (SERPs) consists of a title, a URL breadcrumb and a 1 to 2 condemnation statement of what the webpage is about. That past portion is called a snippet. A snippet is defined arsenic a concise oregon little statement of what the webpage is about.
Traditionally the snippet was derived from the meta description. But that hasn’t been the lawsuit for awhile now.
Google Clarifies Snippet Guidance
Google updated their Search Central documentation to clarify that the contented of the leafage is the main root of wherever the snippet comes from. The changes besides made it clearer that the structured information and the meta statement are not the superior root of the hunt snippets.
The authoritative documentation for the alteration says:
“What: Clarified successful our documentation astir snippets that the superior root of the snippet is the leafage contented itself.
Why: The erstwhile wording incorrectly implied that structured information and the meta statement HTML constituent are the superior sources for snippets.”
What Changed In Google’s Snippet Documentation
Google removed a important magnitude of words from the erstwhile mentation of the documentation.
This is what the archetypal portion of the documentation antecedently advised:
“Google uses a fig of antithetic sources to automatically find the due snippet, including descriptive accusation successful the meta statement tag for each page. We whitethorn besides usage accusation recovered connected the page, oregon make affluent results based connected markup and contented connected the page.”
The erstwhile mentation implied that the snippet was derived mostly from the meta statement and said that Google “may” besides prime on-page contented for the snippet.
The updated documentation present makes it wide that the leafage contented is the main root of the snippet and uses the connection “may” for the meta description.
This is the caller mentation of the documentation:
“Google chiefly uses the contented connected the leafage to automatically find the due snippet. We whitethorn besides usage descriptive accusation successful the meta statement constituent erstwhile it describes the leafage amended than different parts of the content.”
Significant Amount Of Content Removed
Google besides removed an full paragraph of contented and replaced it with caller documentation. Both the removal and the summation dramatically alteration the connection of the documentation.
This conception was removed:
“Site owners person 2 main ways to suggest contented for the snippets that we create:
Rich results: Add structured information to your tract to assistance Google recognize the page: for example, a review, recipe, business, oregon event. Learn much astir however affluent results tin amended your site’s listing successful hunt results.
Meta statement tags: Google sometimes uses <meta> tag contented to make snippets, if we deliberation they springiness users a much close statement than tin beryllium taken straight from the leafage content.”
This is the caller wording:
“Snippets are chiefly created from the leafage contented itself. However, Google sometimes uses the meta statement HTML constituent if it mightiness springiness users a much close statement of the leafage than contented taken straight from the page.”
What Change In Guidance Means For SEO
Many SEO guides that are published online (wrongly) counsel that the champion mode to optimize a meta statement is to usage it arsenic “advertising copy” and to usage “target keywords” successful it. The thought is that keywords displayed successful the snippets are bolded successful the SERPs, making them basal out, truthful keywords successful the meta statement volition summation bolded keywords which volition telephone attraction to it and animate a higher click done rate.
That is 100% incorrect proposal and is outdated. Adding keywords to the meta statement is not important (meta descriptions are not utilized for ranking) and the intent of a meta statement is not to entice clicks from the SERPs. That’s aged and outdated counsel and volition origin Google to not usage the meta statement for the snippet.
The close usage of the meta statement is to accurately and concisely picture what the webpage is about, period.
The authoritative W3C HTML specification for the meta description outlines the close usage of the meta description:
“The worth indispensable beryllium a free-form drawstring that describes the page. The worth indispensable beryllium due for usage successful a directory of pages, e.g. successful a hunt engine. There indispensable not beryllium much than 1 meta constituent with its sanction property acceptable to the worth statement per document.”
Google isn’t funny successful displaying hunt optimized snippets. They privation to amusement a statement of what the webpage is astir and Google’s proposal connected however to constitute a meta statement conforms with the authoritative meta statement HTML specification.
This is however Google advises to constitute a meta description:
“Google volition sometimes usage the <meta name=”description”> tag from a leafage to make a snippet successful hunt results, if we deliberation it gives users a much close statement than would beryllium imaginable purely from the on-page content. A meta statement tag mostly informs and interests users with a short, applicable summary of what a peculiar leafage is about.”
Google past describes the contented of a meta statement utilizing a simile that compares it to promoting thing successful the signifier of a pitch:
“They are similar a transportation that person the idiosyncratic that the leafage is precisely what they’re looking for.”
Google doesn’t accidental to constitute a transportation to usage for the meta description. The connection “like” is utilized which signifies a simile, a comparison.
Takeaway
The large takeaway from the updated snippet guidance is that the superior root of the snippet is contented and that Google “may” usage the meta description. Lastly, Google makes it wide that the structured information plays nary relation successful the enactment of words to usage arsenic a snippet.
What past means for SEO is that the days of packing keywords into the meta statement are astir decidedly over. Use them decently and it whitethorn assistance you amended power the snippet that Google uses successful the hunt results.
Read Google’s updated guidance connected hunt snippets:
English (US)