So what in the world are "meta descriptions and keywords" and why should you care? Good questions! Meta descriptions and keywords are words or phrases that visitors to your site never see but are hidden in the underlying code of your site.

Why do they matter then? Meta keywords matter because they're used by search engines to find your site. The meta description matters because it shows up in search results like Google to help identify your site.  How should you choose them? 

For the meta description, it's best to have a simple phrase or sentence that sums up your organization or site. Using your organization's motto or tagline is perfect.

As for keywords, here are a few guidelines:

1. Keep your list of keywords or keyword phrases down to 10 - 15 unique words or phrases
2. Do not repeat words or phrases
3. Put your most important word or phrases at the beginning of your list
4. Stick with words or phrases that are most relevant to your site
5. The goal is to think about the kind of people you want to visit your site and then come up with keywords they might use when searching. Although most of the keywords will be near to your organization's heart, some of the words and phrases you choose may be antithetical to the work you do--an organization that works for peace might include "war" as one of its keywords, a political campaign might use their candidate's opponent's name, etc.

How do the meta description and keywords get updated? That's our job! Once you've decided on them, create a new request to send them over and we'll finish the job!

Not sure what meta description and keywords your site has?  Peek under the hood of your website with the help of this topic to find out!