Overview
What it involves
Systematic sitewide rewrite of meta titles and meta descriptions for all main landing pages, combined with a page structure review (intro paragraph, subheadings, CTA placement). Unlike the page tweaks mapping (which produces a spec), this task is the execution — you open each page, write the new meta data, check the page structure, and publish the changes. Work through the keyword map page by page.
Why it matters
Meta titles and descriptions are the SERP ad copy — they drive click-through rate even when rankings don't change. A 1% CTR improvement compounds across every impression the site gets. Weak meta data also shows up immediately in any external SEO audit the client runs, so it's a credibility issue. Page structure (clear intro, CTA above fold) affects time-on-page and conversion rate.
Set Up the Spreadsheet
Create the change-tracking spreadsheet
Create a Google Sheet in the client's Drive folder titled "Client Name — Meta & Page Structure — [Month Year]".
Set up the following columns:
Audit Meta Titles
Audit existing meta titles
For each page in the keyword map, open the live page. View source (Ctrl+U) and search for <title>. Copy the exact text.
Check against these rules and record the current title, flagging any issues:
Title audit checklist
- Contains the target keyword?
- Keyword near the front of the title?
- Brand name present?
- Under 60 characters?
- Unique — not duplicated on another page?
Rewrite Meta Titles
Write new meta titles
Write the proposed title in the spreadsheet before opening the CMS — do not write in the CMS and then document. Write first, count, then apply.
Title rules
- 50–60 characters. Count every character including spaces and the pipe. Use a character counter.
- Keyword near the front — not after the brand name
- One primary keyword. No stuffing.
- Brand name at the end after a pipe (|) or dash (–)
- Each title must be unique — no two pages share a title
Audit Meta Descriptions
Audit existing meta descriptions
From the page source, search for name="description". Copy the content attribute value exactly. If missing, record "Missing".
Description audit checklist
- Between 140–160 characters?
- Contains the target keyword?
- Unique (not duplicated on another page)?
- Includes a value proposition and a CTA?
Rewrite Meta Descriptions
Write new meta descriptions
Description rules
- 140–160 characters. Count before recording.
- Target keyword present — Google bolds keyword matches in results, which improves CTR
- Ends with a soft CTA: "Get a free quote", "View our range", "Learn more"
- No keyword stuffing — reads naturally as a sales sentence
- Each description is unique
Page Structure Review
Do a quick page structure review for each page
For each page, do a 2-minute review of the page structure. Record notes in the Page Structure Notes column.
What to check
- Intro paragraph: Opens with a clear statement of what the page is about? Mentions the target keyword in the first 100 words?
- Subheadings: Are there H2s that organise the content? If the page is one wall of text with no subheadings, flag it for the heading fix task.
- CTA above the fold: Is there a call to action (phone number, enquiry button, quote form) visible without scrolling? On mobile?
Apply & Verify
Apply changes in the CMS
Work through the spreadsheet row by row:
Per-page process
- Open the page in the CMS
- Paste the new meta title from the spreadsheet. Do not retype — paste exactly.
- Paste the new meta description. Do not retype.
- Apply any page structure text edits noted in Step 6
- Publish / save
- Mark the row as "Live" in the spreadsheet
After all pages are done: verify 5–10 pages by viewing source and confirming the new titles and descriptions are live. Google may take a few days to pick them up in search results.
Share with client for records
Save the completed spreadsheet (with all current and proposed values) to the client's Drive folder.
Add a Zoho comment: number of pages updated, date completed, link to the spreadsheet, time logged.
Standards
Completion checklist
- Every page in the keyword map has a new, unique meta title under 60 characters
- Every proposed title contains the target keyword near the front
- Every page has a new, unique meta description between 140–160 characters
- Every description contains the target keyword and ends with a CTA
- Change spreadsheet saved to client Drive with before/after values
- Verified live on 5–10 pages after publishing
- Zoho comment posted
Mistakes
Common mistakes to avoid
| Mistake | What goes wrong | Correct approach |
|---|---|---|
| Writing meta descriptions in the CMS without counting characters first | You publish a 180-character description that gets truncated. It reads as "...see our full range of per" | Always write and count in the spreadsheet first. Paste into the CMS only after confirming the character count. |
| Putting the brand name at the start of the title | "Vergola — Pergola Installation Melbourne" — the first 8 characters are the brand name. Most searchers aren't searching for Vergola; they're searching for pergola installation. | Lead with the keyword: "Pergola Installation Melbourne | Vergola" |
| Making H1 and meta title identical | Two identical strings is a missed opportunity to cover slightly different keyword variants and reinforce the topic from two angles. | Same keyword, different phrasing between H1 and title. |
| Skipping the character count step | Every experienced SEO has at some point published a 75-character title that Google rewrites because they estimated rather than counted. | Count every title and description in a character counter. No estimating. |
| Applying changes without documenting the "before" state | If a client complains their rankings dropped after the rewrite, you have no way to prove what changed or revert specific titles. | Always record the current state before changing anything. |