Meta Description

Definition

A meta description is a short summary of a web page's content, typically 150 to 160 characters, that appears beneath the page title in search results and influences whether users click through to the page. It is an HTML meta tag written in the section of a page. While meta descriptions are not a direct ranking factor, they affect click-through rate, which signals to Google whether users find the result relevant. A compelling meta description for the right query increases the number of people who visit the page from search.

How It Works

Meta descriptions are written in HTML as . Google displays them below the title in search results, though Google sometimes rewrites the meta description if it determines a different excerpt from the page better serves the user's query.

A good meta description accomplishes three things: it clearly summarizes what the page is about, it includes the primary keyword or phrase so it appears bolded in results, and it gives the user a reason to click. It should be specific rather than generic: "Emergency plumbing services available 24/7 in Tampa and surrounding areas. Licensed, bonded, and insured" is better than "We offer many plumbing services for residents of Florida."

Why It Matters

Meta descriptions are your ad copy in the search results. If the title gets someone to pause, the meta description determines whether they click. A blank or auto-generated description means Google chooses which excerpt to show, which may not be the most compelling framing. Taking thirty minutes to write thoughtful meta descriptions for your most important pages is one of the most cost-effective improvements to your search performance.

Example

A chiropractor's website has auto-generated meta descriptions that pull random sentences from each page. After writing custom meta descriptions for each service page, focusing on specific benefits and local context, the click-through rate from Google Search Console improves by 22 percent over the following two months, even though the pages did not change position in rankings.

Related Terms

Title Tag, On-Page SEO, SERP Features, Keyword Research, Intent Classification

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