Think “Snippet Copy”

Posted on July 31st, 2008 by Larry Chase

“Snippet copy” refers to the 40-75 words you see after each site listing on search result pages. The strength of this copy is frequently the difference between a searcher clicking through to your site versus going on to the next search result. Yet snippet copy is often overlooked.

To see what your snippet copy says, search for your company using various search engines. See which piece of copy (and how much of it) each search engine picks up. Then you can figure out what to say in that copy that will get more people to click through. What to say depends heavily on your line of business, but generally, snippet copy should be more informational than marketing hype. Be straightforward. Don’t be cute.

You often have to balance the needs of visitors to your site with the needs of snippet copy. Sometimes they’re one and the same, sometimes they’re not. If they’re not the same, ask your webmaster about “server-side includes”. LC

The Internet Marketing Tip above originally appeared in Larry Chase's Web Digest For Marketers which you can subscribe to at no charge at www.wdfm.com.