How to write meta tags and descriptions

Meta descriptions are the 155-160 character snippets that appear below your page title in search results. Write them as if you're selling someone on clicking through—include the primary keyword naturally, make a clear value proposition, and end with a micro-benefit or call to action. For a local SEO service page, instead of "We offer SEO services in Chicago," write something like "Award-winning SEO agency in Chicago. Increase rankings and organic traffic for your business. Free audit available." The description should accurately reflect page content (Google will sometimes rewrite poor descriptions anyway), but the 160-character limit means you're essentially writing the most compelling 160 characters of your sales pitch. Your client's searcher intent matters here—someone searching "best pizza in Portland" needs different language than someone searching "pizza franchise opportunities."

Title tags are slightly more flexible at around 50-60 characters visible in search results, though the full tag can be longer for ranking purposes. Front-load your primary keyword, keep the brand name secondary, and avoid keyword stuffing. "Best Pizza in Portland | Anthonys Pizzeria" works better than "Best Pizza Pizza Pizzeria Restaurants Portland." These tags carry significant ranking weight, so balance user appeal with keyword strategy. Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs let you see how your titles and descriptions actually render across devices.

For header tags (H1, H2, H3), think of them as an outline of your page content rather than repeat title tags. Use one H1 per page, typically matching or closely related to your title tag, then organize content hierarchically with H2s and H3s that answer user questions. If you're writing about "improving WordPress site speed," your H1 might be that phrase, then H2s could cover "database optimization," "image compression," "caching strategies." These aren't hidden—users see them—so write them for both people and search engines. They should genuinely reflect what's in each section.

The practical workflow: nail the primary keyword research first, write the H1 and title tag together, then craft the meta description by extracting the most compelling benefit statement. Have your designer ensure everything displays properly on mobile since most searchers use phones. Test by searching your target keywords and comparing how your snippets look against competitors—if yours disappear or seem less compelling, revise.