Meta Description

Why It Matters

• It controls your first impression. The meta description is often the first (and only) text a potential visitor reads about your page. If it is vague, missing, or auto-generated, people skip your result and click on a competitor's.
• It improves click-through rates. A well-crafted description that matches what someone is searching for makes them more likely to click. Higher click-through rates can indirectly help your search visibility over time.
• Search engines highlight matching terms. When words from the search query appear in your meta description, search engines bold them in the results. This visual emphasis draws the user's eye directly to your listing.
• Missing descriptions get auto-generated. If you do not write one, search engines pull random text from your page to use as the snippet. That snippet rarely represents your page well and almost never sounds compelling.

How to Write a Great One

1. Keep it between 120 and 160 characters. Descriptions longer than about 160 characters get truncated in search results. Aim for the sweet spot where you have enough room to convey value without getting cut off.
2. Include your target keyword naturally. Work the primary keyword into the description in a way that reads naturally. Stuffing it in awkwardly does more harm than good — search engines bold matching terms, so natural inclusion already provides visual benefit.
3. Write a clear value proposition. Tell the searcher exactly what they will get if they click. What question does the page answer? What problem does it solve? Be specific and direct.
4. Include a call to action. Phrases like "Learn how," "Discover why," or "Find out" give users a reason to click. A subtle nudge can meaningfully improve click-through rates.
5. Make every page unique. Each page should have its own distinct meta description that accurately reflects its specific content. Duplicate descriptions across pages dilute their effectiveness and confuse search engines about which page to show.

Common Mistakes

• Leaving the description blank. This is the most common mistake and the easiest to fix. Every indexable page on your site should have a hand-written meta description. Auto-generated snippets rarely sell your page effectively.
• Writing generic descriptions. "Welcome to our website" or "We offer great services" tells the searcher nothing. Be specific about what the page covers and why it is useful.
• Stuffing keywords into the description. Repeating the same keyword three times looks spammy and turns readers off. Use the keyword once, naturally, and spend the rest of the characters providing genuine value.
• Using the same description on multiple pages. Copy-pasting one description across your entire site means search engines cannot differentiate your pages in results. Write unique descriptions that highlight what makes each page distinct.