Meta tags play a vital role in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as they provide information to search engines about a web page. Two of the most important meta tags are the meta title and meta description. The meta title and meta description are the first things that users see in the search engine results page (SERP), and they determine whether or not a user clicks on a link. In this article, we will discuss how many characters should be in meta title and meta description, and the ideal meta tag length.
Meta Title Length
The meta title, also known as the page title, is the main heading of a web page that appears in the SERP. It should be descriptive and concise, and it should contain the primary keyword for the page. The ideal length for a meta title is between 50 and 60 characters, including spaces. If the meta title is too long, it will be truncated in the SERP, which may result in a lower click-through rate (CTR) because users cannot see the entire title. On the other hand, if the meta title is too short, it may not provide enough information to users about the page.
Meta Description Length
The meta description is a short summary of a web page that appears below the meta title in the SERP. It should be a compelling and informative summary of the page’s content, and it should contain the primary and secondary keywords for the page. The ideal length for a meta description is between 155 and 160 characters, including spaces. If the meta description is too long, it will be truncated in the SERP, which may result in a lower CTR because users cannot see the entire description. On the other hand, if the meta description is too short, it may not provide enough information to users about the page.
Meta Tag Length
In addition to the meta title and meta description, there are other meta tags that provide information to search engines about a web page, such as the meta keywords and meta robots tags. However, the meta keywords tag is no longer used by Google, and the meta robots tag is mainly used to control the indexing and crawling of a web page. Therefore, the meta title and meta description are the most important meta tags for SEO.
In conclusion, the meta title and meta description are crucial for SEO, and their length should be optimized to improve the CTR of a web page. The ideal length for a meta title is between 50 and 60 characters, including spaces, while the ideal length for a meta description is between 155 and 160 characters, including spaces. By following these guidelines, webmasters can create effective meta tags that provide valuable information to users and search engines.
