What is a Meta Description? SEO Best Practices

Definition

A meta description is a short HTML attribute (<meta name="description" content="...">) that summarizes a web page. While it is not a direct ranking factor, search engines often display it as the snippet under the page title in search results — making it one of the most important pieces of copy for click-through rate.

Best practices

• Aim for 140–160 characters — Google often truncates beyond this on desktop and mobile.
• Include the primary keyword naturally; matching terms get bolded in SERPs and attract clicks.
• Write a clear value proposition — answer "what's in it for the user" within the first sentence.
• Use active voice and a verb (Discover, Learn, Compare) to invite the click.
• Make every page's description unique — duplicates dilute relevance signals.

Why Google sometimes rewrites them

Google may replace your meta description with text it extracts from the page when:

• the existing description is too short, too long, or generic;
• the page content matches the query better than the description;
• the description is duplicated across many pages.

A strong meta description is one of the cheapest CTR optimizations available. Audit yours regularly — and make sure pages that earn clicks are not also producing broken links by scanning your site.