The most effective meta description is a call to action that compels the user to click through, yet it also provides a brief, meaningful, and keyword-rich description of the website to which it belongs. Altavista, Go, Inktomi, and Excite all support the meta description tag. If it's not defined, the search engine defaults to using the first dozen or so words on the page. When optimizing web pages for high rankings, use the eight or ten most popular search engines. Disregard all the bit players.
Empirical evidence is the only way to uncover the basis for rankings on a given search engine.
Search engine optimization is a significant and ongoing challenge, but one that can produce huge rewards in the form of increased website traffic. About the Author Stephan Spencer is the founder and president of Internet Concepts LLC , a website development company. He is a frequent speaker at Internet conferences worldwide. All rights reserved.