Meta Description is a short piece of text defined in a page’s HTML with the <meta name="description" content="..."> tag that summarizes the page. It appears below the title in search results and is not a direct ranking factor, but it significantly affects click-through rate (CTR).
Characteristics of a good meta description:
- Length: 150-160 characters (Google truncates it after ~920 pixels)
- Clearly communicates the page’s value proposition
- Includes the target keyword (Google bolds the parts that match the query)
- Includes a call to action (CTA): “Explore now,” “Try for free”
- Is unique on every page
If the meta description is left blank, Google automatically generates a snippet from the page content. However, a manually written description is often more marketing-focused and clickable.
Tip: Review the meta descriptions of pages in Search Console that get high impressions but low CTR. Even a small text change can increase click-through rate by tens of percent.