How to write meta descriptions

Meta descriptions are HTML attributes that summarize your page content in roughly 155-160 characters. They appear below your page title in search results and serve two purposes: they influence click-through rates from search results, and they help search engines understand what your page is about. While they don't directly impact rankings, writing them well is essential because a compelling meta description can significantly increase clicks from organic traffic.

Start by identifying the unique value proposition or primary benefit of each page, then write a concise summary that speaks to user intent rather than just describing the content. For a service page, mention what problem you solve and include a call-to-action when relevant—"Learn how our SEO strategy increased client traffic by 40%. Contact us today" performs better than a passive description. For blog posts, hint at the answer or insight readers will gain: "Discover why most link building strategies fail and the framework that actually works." Keep the active voice, frontload your most important keywords naturally, and write with user benefit in mind, not search engines. Avoid keyword stuffing or repeating your title since Google often ignores redundant descriptions. Each description should be unique; duplicate meta descriptions across multiple pages waste this opportunity to differentiate them in search results.

For client work, audit existing descriptions across their site and flag any that are missing, duplicate, or under 120 characters. Most sites have poor descriptions on category and archive pages, not just individual content pages. When rewriting for your clients, consider their target audience's actual search intent—a local plumber's meta description should address urgency and location differently than a national software company's. Test variations if you have enough traffic to measure impact, and monitor changes over a few weeks since click-through rate shifts can take time to stabilize. One practical approach: write descriptions as if you're writing a preview email subject line—something that makes people want to click—rather than cramming in keywords. This mindset shift alone improves most descriptions considerably.