For most auto mechanics, the language of search engine marketing can be foreign. While the definition for “title” may seem like common sense, we know what you’re thinking – what are meta descriptions? When we refer to titles and meta descriptions, we’re talking about the clickable title and brief description that show up in Google search results when a someone searches keywords related to your auto repair shop.

As we have discussed many times before in blogs such as “5 Quick Tips to Improve Your Auto Repair SEO,” consistently publishing high-quality content to your website is a great way to improve your auto shop’s search engine rankings. But with every new page posted on your website, you will need to make sure that each page has a well-written title and meta description to ensure these high rankings.

Title

The title is the part of the Google search entry that specifies the name of the webpage and serves as a clickable headline for a given result.

Although there is no official limit on how many characters can be included in your title, Google recently suggested that titles stay under 70 characters for full readability. You can make your auto shop’s title tag as long or short as you want, but be advised that containing under 70 characters will ensure that Google searchers are able to view your full and complete title without any of it running off the page. While keeping your titles brief in length, you want to make sure that your title summarizes the most important information that will be found on that specific webpage (i.e. you auto shop’s name and slogan or most important attributes).

Meta Description

A meta description is a short summary of the content that is on a webpage, and basically serves as a peek into what there is to see on the webpage before users actually navigate to your page.

Having a concise yet informative meta description is the best way to let potential customers know whether or not your website contains their desired information. Just like titles, there is no official character limit for meta descriptions, but it is suggested that your meta description stay between 150 and 160 characters. If your meta description is any shorter than 150 characters, it may be hard for customers to get all of the information they need from a glance. If your meta description is any longer than 160 characters potential customers may consider it too lengthy to read or it can even lower your ranking on the results page (i.e. your listing might get pushed to the bottom of the page).

To be most effective, your auto shop’s meta description should include a call-to-action. A call-to-action is something that encourages a desired action from the viewer. For example, ameta description could phrases such as “schedule your next oil change today” or “learn more at our website.” This lets the viewer know what you would like them to do and then encourages them to perform that action

You should also include keywords that potential customers are searching for in both your meta descriptions. Words like “auto,” “car,” and “repair” would all be great words to include because all three words are things that people search for when they are looking for an auto repair shop. By having those keywords in your meta description, there is a better chance that your auto shop’s web page will come up higher on the search results page and that potential customer will be more likely to view your page as relevant to their needs.

Using a captivating title and an interesting, action-driven meta description are both awesome ways to improve your ranking on the Google search results page and increase the number of potential customers that click on your site. We hope we’ve help shed some light onto the importance of having a well written title and meta description and if you’d like more information on how to make your website mobile-friendly, don’t hesitate to give CarCareCONNECT a call!

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