Google preview

What can you do with this preview?

Preview how your content will look in the search results

The search appearance preview in Yoast SEO allows you to see what your post or page will look like in Google’s search results before publishing it. You can see the desktop result, but you can also see what it will look like on mobile. Since Google presents the results differently on a desktop and a mobile device, it makes sense to check both previews before you publish a post.

Optimize your SEO title

The SEO title is the title of your page you’ll see in Google’s search results. With the Yoast SEO plugin, you can ensure your SEO title entices people to click your site in the search results.

Yoast SEO allows you to set a template for your SEO title. This means you can develop a template and won’t have to think about it anymore; your title will be optimized automatically! However, if you want to change or fine-tune something for an individual post or page, you can easily edit the SEO title in the Google preview.

Write an awesome meta description

The meta description is the short text you see below the SEO title. Yoast SEO allows you to optimize your meta description to include your focus keyphrase.

When you search for a specific phrase, Google will show that phrase in bold in the meta description in the search results. But it goes one step further. Once it has decided which pages will rank for your search, it tries to find part of the page that includes that exact term. If your meta description doesn’t contain the keyword searched for, it’ll grab a “random” snippet from your page that does.

This is one of the reasons why it helps tremendously if you know what the most searched-for keyword for a page is likely to be. So you can use it in your meta description!

Make sure your slug is short but clear

The slug is the part of a URL that identifies a particular page on a website in an easy-to-read form. It’s the part of the URL that explains the page’s content. In the example above, the slug is ‘keyword-research-ultimate-guide’. Yoast SEO allows you to optimize your slug in the Google preview.

Make sure your slug is as short as possible, but include the most essential words and, at least, the focus keyphrase. A short slug means it’s easier to share, and including the keyphrase will help Google and users to identify the topic of your post or page.

Liven up your content with emojis

Emojis are an indispensable communication tool. It’s no wonder people use them in their online content, and you sometimes even see them pop up in the search results! Yoast SEO Premium makes adding emojis to your titles and meta descriptions easy. Just click a button and search through the library!

It’s important to always consider your audience before deciding whether to use emojis. Do you think they’ll enjoy them? And do they fit your brand and the tone you want to set? If you add an emoji, remember to do it in moderation! More than one may make your content appear spammy and discourage people from clicking through your pages.