Merits Of Leaving Description Tag Blank

[doovde]

This may seem like a bit of a weird one but recently I set up a blog for my mum so she could share pictures and stuff with family and friends. She is also a published author and has written quite a bit on there about writing novels.

Its only been live about 2 weeks now and its starting to rank pretty well for some search terms. She has zero SEO knowledge whatsoever but the blog takes post titles and uses them as title tags. She doesn't even have custom urls - just the standard wordpress ones.

Anyway google is ranking posts that are often only semi related to the search term and is pulling its own descriptions up which I think might be helping the blog rank for many more things than it might with more targeted seo. Obviously this brings the blog more traffic than if posts only ranked for certain keywords.

Is there any merit to just making a title tag and then letting google rank your posts itself as opposed to trying to make it rank you for certain things?

Obviously if there is a phrase like online poker you want to rank for then this isn't going to work for you but for more long tail type articles or blogs it might work?

Dave

[NickM]

AFAIK, the description tag is relatively useless for SEO. The main impact a good description has is helping the click through ratio once someone sees your SE listing. It has little to nothing to do with actually ranking for terms.

[doovde]

AFAIK, the description tag is relatively useless for SEO. The main impact a good description has is helping the click through ratio once someone sees your SE listing. It has little to nothing to do with actually ranking for terms.

Is it possible that using them actually limits your ability to rank for a wider range of search phrases?

[321]

Not having a description tag is like not having a seat belt in your car. There is no benefit, great risk, and no reason not to have one.

[Trikkur]

Yea, it seems pretty rediculous to not have a description tag. There is almost no reason not too and the benefits are obvious. I'm 99% sure that Google uses it to rank the page and EVEN if they didn't, a good description tag will increase your clicks by a ton.

[Randy Ray]

What benefit do you think you might be achieving by NOT having a description tag?

[pipeline]

Description tags are definitely benefitial. Target your main keywords in your des. tag and let google make their own tailored snippet for random searches. Just because you have a des. tag doesnt mean G will show that specific desc. for every search.

[doovde]

What benefit do you think you might be achieving by NOT having a description tag?

Well I am seeing pages rank for a wider variety of search phrases and search phrases that are relevant but not ones I would have ever really thought to include in my description tag.

[pokermonger]

I view the description as a mini sales pitch used to convince the searcher to click to go to my site. Think about when you make searches. What makes you click on one link and pass by another? Now think how you can use a good description to make more people click on your listing.

[Randy Ray]

Do you think that the pages will stop ranking for that wider variety of phrases if you include a description tag?

Because that shouldn't be the case.

Well I am seeing pages rank for a wider variety of search phrases and search phrases that are relevant but not ones I would have ever really thought to include in my description tag.