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Originally Posted by cass-hacks
The blog article does not state a LOT of things. That does not mean that all the things it does not state are true.
But, maybe the issue is what does "filter" mean that you are using? Do you mean by filtered pages only shown after the "view similar results" is clicked on?
If that is the case, the problem is not with the meta-description or whether or not the page even had one. The problem is that as good as Google is at comping up with its own snippets, it didn't have enough to work with to come up with a unique one for the page in question. That is not a problem of the meta-description or even not having one, that is a problem of poor page content.
On the other hand, if that is not what you mean by "filtering" could you please define it because I've seen so many people use the term "filter" in so many different ways that it is hard to figure out the context.
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You were the one who stated there was a contradiction in what I posted based upon what was not posted in the blog. It was you who assumed that what was not posted was true.
Ranking is a separate process from filtering. Ranking is the way a data set for a query is ordered for display to the end user. You need to understand how a query is processed.
Now, the meta description, as well as the title element, can cause a page to be placed into the SI. I've tested and retested it repeatedly. Perfectly useful and unique pages with plenty of content can move into and out of the SI on either of those 2 factors alone. The meta description does not affect the ranking of the site but being in the SI can.
You can add a unique phrase or word to the meta description and nowhere else on the page and that page will not show up anywhere at all in the search results on Google for that phrase or word. You can place that phrase or word on page and allow it to and allow it to be indexed then go back and add it to the meta description and the position in the SERP's will not change based upon doing so. Been tested and retested.
This is why reading carefully what is said (and not said) is important.
The meta description will not affect your rankings within the search results. This is what I posted and it is what the was cited by the blog. A page has to make the search results in order to be ranked.
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Sorry, I forgot to add, regarding Supplemental. If a meta-description effected whether one was in the Supplemental index or not, and one changed the meta-description and autmagically moved out of the Supplemental index and started ranking for relevant searches, that would seem to effect ranking then, i.e. no rank before, rank after, no?
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This is like saying that salt can cause high blood pressure which can cause a stroke therefore salt causes stokes.
No. Being in the supplemental index is what can affect ranking within the search results since a page there may not make the data set for a query to be ranked at all... for anything.
Dave