Providing Your Website with Effective Titles and Summaries for Google and Social Media (Title, Abstracts, and Meta Descriptions)

Providing Your Website with Effective Titles and Summaries for Google and Social Media (Title, Abstracts, and Meta Descriptions)

A majority of consumers use Google to find what they are looking for. So how does Google find BYUI departments, contact information, services, and events? What does it look like when someone tries to share information on social media from a department's website? Pages on byui.edu have a couple of simple fields that need to be filled out to help with both.

Content Google Gives to Consumers

Here is what a simple search in Google for "BYUI MarComm" shows:

Image of what it looks like when people search for byui marcomm on Google.

These are two fields that can be updated in Ingeniux on the page details:

Screen capture of Google search for byui marcomm showing what a Page Title and Abstract is.
Fields to change in Ingeniux:

Image of the title and abstract for MarComm in Ingeniux 10.

Note: Google doesn't always show the abstract. Sometimes Google shows text from your page if it deems the content is more relevant. However, the abstract shows fairly often, especially when it has relevant search words that consumers type in. Also, your webpage should have relevant text on it, outside of pictures, to help being found as well.

How Social Media Shows Content

This is how the same information looks like on social media (Facebook).

Sharing byui.edu/marcomm on Facebook:

Screen shot of how Facebook shows byui.edu/marcomm when it is shared.

Same fields in Ingeniux

Image of the title and abstract in the metadata in Ingeniux 10.

Note: You can also change out the default university logo image that Facebook uses for your page to make it more engaging. (Learn how)

When this page http://www.byui.edu/online/why-teach-for-byui is shared the following is displayed:

Image of Facebook sharing the site byui.edu/online/why-teach-online

Tips

When you write an "Abstract," make use a statement that best describes individual pages, what the consumer will find and can accomplish. Consider the following abstract examples:

  1. Make it informative - Example 1: Instead of saying "Page about financial aid," use "Learn about financial aid, scholarships, and other options to help you at BYU-Idaho."
  2. Invite consumer to act - Example 2: "Apply now for scholarships and other financial aid options at BYU-Idaho."
  3. Include search terms that consumers might type in - Example 3: "Learn about scholarships, job opportunities, FAFSA, student loans, and financial aid deadlines at BYU-Idaho."

Make your page even more useful to consumers with a simple page name and title.

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