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Google Answers if Meta Description Matters for Rankings

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Google’s John Mueller answered the question about whether a meta description can be used to influence the search rankings.

It’s a good question because Google advises to use unique meta descriptions on web pages. So there is some kind of influence but is that influence related to rankings? John Mueller answers that question.

Meta Element

The meta tag is formally known as a meta element. The meta element is used to describe (represent) document-level information about a web page.

In order to describe different properties of the web page the meta element (like all HTML elements) has attributes which kind of extends the meta element so that it can provide a specific kind of information to a web browser or to a web crawler (like Googlebot).

For example:

  • A meta robots tag communicates to crawlers.
  • A meta refresh tag communicates to a browser.

There are many other meta tags that communicate directly to search engines and browsers:

  • meta name=”viewport”
  • meta http-equiv=”refresh”
  • meta name=”google-site-verification”
  • meta name=”googlebot” content=”notranslate”

Meta element data is information that is not meant for site visitors to directly see (although it can be seen indirectly via the search results).

Meta Description

The W3C is the standards-making body responsible for defining HTML (among other things)

The official W3C specification for the meta description tag says that the meta description is designed for use by search engines.

“The value must be a free-form string that describes the page. The value must be appropriate for use in a directory of pages, e.g. in a search engine.
There must not be more than one meta element with its name attribute set to the value description per document.”

Google’s Use of Meta Descriptions

Google’s documentation of snippets notes that meta descriptions are used for generating search results snippets.

If a meta description is properly used then the meta description displayed in the search results will communicate to the potential website visitor what the page is about and give them an idea of what to expect if they click the link and visit the website.

There is no limit on how long a meta description can be.

However there is a limit on how much of the meta description that search engines will choose to show. The limit is defined by how much can be shown on the user’s browser device.

Does Google Use Meta Description for Ranking?

The person asking the question was specifically asking about adding location name information to the meta description and if it would help rankings.

Google’s John Mueller answered with a broader scope than just adding the location name, his answer was about whether anything in the meta description affected rankings.

This is the question asked:

“Does adding the location name in the meta description matter to Google in terms of ranking if the content quality is maintained?”

John Mueller answered:

“So the meta description is primarily used as a snippet in the search results page.

And that’s not something that we would use for ranking.

But obviously, having a good snippet on a search results page, that can make it more interesting for people to actually visit your page when they see your page ranking in the search results.”

Meta Description and SEO

There’s a lot to know about HTML meta elements and this question is a good example of the value of understanding HTML and how they are used by browsers and search engines.

Understanding the background information about meta elements and the meta description tag in particular helps build a better understanding of how all the pieces fit together for SEO.

Citation

Does Meta Description Matter for Rankings?

Watch John Mueller answer the question at the 26:47 mark in the video:

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Google’s AI Overviews Avoid Political Content, New Data Shows

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Google's AI Overviews Avoid Political Content, New Data Shows

Study reveals Google’s cautious approach to AI-generated content in sensitive search results, varying across health, finance, legal, and political topics.

  • Google shows AI Overviews for 50% of YMYL topics, with legal queries triggering them most often.
  • Health and finance AI Overviews frequently include disclaimers urging users to consult professionals.
  • Google avoids generating AI Overviews for sensitive topics like mental health, elections, and specific medications.

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Executive Director Of WordPress Resigns

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WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy resigns,

Josepha Haden Chomphosy, Executive Director of the WordPress Project, officially announced her resignation, ending a nine-year tenure. This comes just two weeks after Matt Mullenweg launched a controversial campaign against a managed WordPress host, which responded by filing a federal lawsuit against him and Automattic.

She posted an upbeat notice on her personal blog, reaffirming her belief in the open source community as  positive economic force as well as the importance of strong opinions that are “loosely  held.”

She wrote:

“This week marks my last as the Executive Director of the WordPress project. My time with WordPress has transformed me, both as a leader and an advocate. There’s still more to do in our shared quest to secure a self-sustaining future of the open source project that we all love, and my belief in our global community of contributors remains unchanged.

…I still believe that open source is an idea that can transform generations. I believe in the power of a good-hearted group of people. I believe in the importance of strong opinions, loosely held. And I believe the world will always need the more equitable opportunities that well-maintained open source can provide: access to knowledge and learning, easy-to-join peer and business networks, the amplification of unheard voices, and a chance to tap into economic opportunity for those who weren’t born into it.”

Turmoil At WordPress

The resignation comes amidst the backdrop of a conflict between WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg and the managed WordPress web host WP Engine, which has brought unprecedented turmoil within the WordPress community, including a federal lawsuit filed by WP Engine accusing Mullenweg of attempted extortion.

Resignation News Was Leaked

The news about the resignation was leaked on October 2nd by the founder of the WordPress news site WP Tavern (now owned by Matt Mullenweg), who tweeted that he had spoken with Josepha that evening, who announced her resignation.

He posted:

“I spoke with Josepha tonight. I can confirm that she’s no longer at Automattic.

She’s working on a statement for the community. She’s in good spirits despite the turmoil.”

Screenshot Of Deleted Tweet

Josepha tweeted the following response the next day:

“Ok, this is not how I expected that news to come to y’all. I apologize that this is the first many of you heard of it. Please don’t speculate about anything.”

Rocky Period For WordPress

While her resignation was somewhat of an open secret it’s still a significant event because of recent events at WordPress, including the resignations of 8.4% of Automattic employees as a result of an offer of a generous severance package to all employees who no longer wished to work  there.

Read the official announcement:

Thank you, WordPress

Featured Image by Shutterstock/Wirestock Creators

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8% Of Automattic Employees Choose To Resign

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8% Of Automattic Employees Choose To Resign

WordPress co-founder and Automattic CEO announced today that he offered Automattic employees the chance to resign with a severance pay and a total of 8.4 percent. Mullenweg offered $30,000 or six months of salary, whichever one is higher, with a total of 159 people taking his offer.

Reactions Of Automattic Employees

Given the recent controversies created by Mullenweg, one might be tempted to view the walkout as a vote of no-confidence in Mullenweg. But that would be a mistake because some of the employees announcing their resignations either praised Mullenweg or simply announced their resignation while many others tweeted how happy they are to stay at Automattic.

One former employee tweeted that he was sad about recent developments but also praised Mullenweg and Automattic as an employer.

He shared:

“Today was my last day at Automattic. I spent the last 2 years building large scale ML and generative AI infra and products, and a lot of time on robotics at night and on weekends.

I’m going to spend the next month taking a break, getting married, and visiting family in Australia.

I have some really fun ideas of things to build that I’ve been storing up for a while. Now I get to build them. Get in touch if you’d like to build AI products together.”

Another former employee, Naoko Takano, is a 14 year employee, an organizer of WordCamp conferences in Asia, a full-time WordPress contributor and Open Source Project Manager at Automattic announced on X (formerly Twitter) that today was her last day at Automattic with no additional comment.

She tweeted:

“Today was my last day at Automattic.

I’m actively exploring new career opportunities. If you know of any positions that align with my skills and experience!”

Naoko’s role at at WordPress was working with the global WordPress community to improve contributor experiences through the Five for the Future and Mentorship programs. Five for the Future is an important WordPress program that encourages organizations to donate 5% of their resources back into WordPress. Five for the Future is one of the issues Mullenweg had against WP Engine, asserting that they didn’t donate enough back into the community.

Mullenweg himself was bittersweet to see those employees go, writing in a blog post:

“It was an emotional roller coaster of a week. The day you hire someone you aren’t expecting them to resign or be fired, you’re hoping for a long and mutually beneficial relationship. Every resignation stings a bit.

However now, I feel much lighter. I’m grateful and thankful for all the people who took the offer, and even more excited to work with those who turned down $126M to stay. As the kids say, LFG!”

Read the entire announcement on Mullenweg’s blog:

Automattic Alignment

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