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Wednesday, August 26, 2015

How 3 Mega E-Commerce Websites Approach Title Tag & Meta Description Optimization

ecommerce-shopping

Here’s a test: Google “fairy wings” right now. Your job is to quickly find which result will sell you a set of glitter fairy wings and preferably include free shipping.

Now that you’ve begun your search, how do you know which result will bring you to the most qualified products? One way is to visually scan the title and description snippets in your search results.

There are nearly 12 billion Google searches per month. Consumers conduct searches for products or services they need, and often use the snippets in search results as deciding factor on whether to click, or keep scrolling.

The examples below show how three mega e-commerce sites approach title tags and meta descriptions, what they’re doing right and some additional opportunities.

Alibaba.com

Alibiba.com takes a keyword-heavy approach to title tags and meta descriptions. Jam-packed with keywords, their title tags and meta descriptions often exceed recommended character counts and do not create compelling arguments for click-throughs.

What they’re doing right

Specifying title tags and meta descriptions on every page
Including keywords in title tags and meta descriptions
Using action-oriented meta descriptions to call readers to “Find quality [product name here]”

Strategic recommendations

Reduce title tag length: Lengths are consistently over 100 characters. Limiting the character count to 50-60 will reduce truncation in search results and allow Alibaba.com to reign in their optimization strategy to focus on 1-2 top priority keywords per page.
Reduce meta description length: Descriptions tend to be upwards of 200 characters on this site. Limiting the character length to 160 characters or less will allow Alibaba.com to lead with a complete, cohesive sentence in search results.
Draft unique and compelling meta descriptions: Meta descriptions on this site’s product pages simply reorder keywords listed in title tag and tend to trail off into lists of keywords for the bots to read. Draft descriptions for readers instead of search bots to improve click-through rates with concise, actionable language that emphasizes Alibaba.com’s value proposition.

alibaba meta example

Amazon

Amazon appears to take a minimalistic approach to title tags and meta descriptions. Template-style descriptions leave room for improvement in terms of providing useful and compelling reasons to click.

What they’re doing right

Specifying title tags and meta descriptions on every page
Not exceeding character limitations in most cases

Strategic recommendations

Draft more robust meta descriptions: Second level category pages such as Toys & Games or Electronics appear to have effortless, default meta titles and descriptions. Due to the incomplete description provided by Amazon in the example below, Google has opted to feed additional copy from the page that it feels better represents the content of the page. Amazon could take control of this lost meta description real estate by providing a detailed and compelling description.
Draft compelling title tags: Although “Toys & Games” may be the actual page title, this title tag does not compel a reader to click. It does not evoke interest, or curiosity, or excitement. We recommend drafting a title that highlights the value proposition or ties into an overarching brand voice.

Best Buy

Best Buy’s approach to meta titles and descriptions is the perfect mix of taglines, keywords and marketing objectives to provide attractive page snippets you can’t help but click.

What they’re doing right

Concise language that defines the benefit of shopping with them: In-store pickup, free shipping on thousands of products, expert service.
Appropriate lengths to avoid truncation in search results
Unique title tags and meta descriptions on every page

Strategic Recommendations

Keep rocking your mad meta skills!

best buy meta example

For years, optimization experts have been told that keywords within meta titles and descriptions do not effect organic ranking – and while Google’s ranking algorithm may not be reading these keywords, users are. They’re deciding which search result to click on based on their perception of the relevance of each result page.

How compelling are your title tags and meta descriptions? Ensure they follow recommended character limits, include 1-2 keywords most relevant to the page’s content and concisely pitch your value proposition. If you do, your glittery fairy wings should be flying off the shelves in no time.

For more real-life examples of search engine optimization strategies and results, check out TopRank Marketing’s integrated marketing case studies.

Header image via Shutterstock.

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