Meta description tags

rules, usage,and overkill

[logoex]

I am optimizing a recent client website I just finished designing.

I am adding title, description, and keyword (although I hear keyword tags are not as important anymore?) tags to the html/css pages.

Is there a rule of how long an "ideal" description tag should be?

Do you need custom descriptions for every page? even if they are very related to one another.. i.e. 3 contact pages?

any advice would be helpful

thanks

[webdoctor]

Is there a rule of how long an "ideal" description tag should be?

Do you need custom descriptions for every page? even if they are very related to one another.. i.e. 3 contact pages?

The basic "rule" is "build your site for visitors, not for search engines". How about an example - let's take news.bbc.co.uk:

<meta name="keywords" content="BBC, News, BBC News, news online, world, uk, international, foreign, british, online, service" />

<meta name="description" content="Visit BBC News for up-to-the-minute news, breaking news, video, audio and feature stories. BBC News provides trusted World and UK news as well as local and regional perspectives. Also entertainment, business, science, technology and health news." />

No keyword stuffing, and the description reads like something even dmoz.org would accept.

[pageoneresults]

System: The following 2 messages were spliced on to this thread from: [webmasterworld.com...] by engine - 12:18 pm on Dec. 19, 2006 (utc 0)

Hello logoex. Here's a previous topic discussing the finer details of the meta description element...

Building the Perfect Page - Part III - The Basics [webmasterworld.com]
Developing an effective META Description Tag.

[edited by: engine at 12:19 pm (utc) on Dec. 19, 2006]