How to write meta descriptions 2018

Meta descriptions in 2018 needed to balance technical requirements with actual user behavior, since Google had just started dynamically rewriting them more frequently in search results. The optimal length was approximately 150-160 characters for desktop and around 120 characters for mobile, though Google would sometimes ignore your description and pull text from the page if it deemed it more relevant to the query. You wanted to stay within these character limits to avoid truncation, but length alone didn't determine ranking—your description needed to actually convince people to click.

The best meta descriptions for 2018 included a compelling reason to click that directly addressed what someone searching would get from the page. Rather than keyword stuffing or writing generic summaries, you'd want to highlight the unique value or answer on that page. If you were optimizing for "best CRM software," the meta description should indicate whether your page compared options, listed pros and cons, or reviewed specific tools. Include a call-to-action when appropriate—phrases like "Learn how to," "Discover," or "See our guide" performed better than passive descriptions. Front-load the most important information since people scan quickly, and make sure your description matched what users would actually find on the page. Google penalized descriptions that misrepresented page content, and users would bounce immediately if the page didn't deliver what the description promised.

One practical 2018 approach was writing unique descriptions for every important page rather than letting CMS defaults or auto-generated summaries take over. Even if Google rewrote some descriptions, having a strong original version meant you'd at least win the rewrite battle when it mattered. For high-traffic pages or competitive keywords, spending the extra five minutes to craft a genuinely compelling 155-character description was worth the effort. You'd also want to avoid duplicate descriptions across multiple pages, as this wasted the opportunity to differentiate similar pages in search results. Testing different description angles—emphasizing different benefits or unique angles—helped identify which messaging actually drove clicks for your audience's particular needs.