Summary Field

A little summary goes a long way.

Nestled between the Title and Teaser fields when editing in Cascade, the Summary field is unique in that it appears only on news story, announcement, and feature listing pages. Even though it doesn't appear on every page, that little field packs many benefits, making it a valuable one not to skip. 

Benefits

Improve search results

The Summary field should include what you'd like Google to show in search results — including the W&M Search, which is powered by Google. What do you want people to know about your page when they see it in search results? Add it to your Summary field. While the summary can be any length, Google generally shortens it to about 120 characters on mobile and 150 on desktop, so keep it brief with the most valuable information up front. 

Note: Google may select a different snippet of text from the page based on its algorithm and what visitors are searching for.

Improve social media link previews

When a link to your page is shared on social media, a link preview typically displays a photo, the page title, and the summary. If you do not enter a summary, the link preview may use the next available content on the page. Note: For pages with long titles, the Summary field text may not be displayed in the link preview.

Improve Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The Summary field only provides indirect SEO improvements. Compelling summaries can boost click-through rates in search and on social media, thereby improving your page's SEO performance. Try including calls to action or clear reasons why a visitor should click through to your page.