How to Write a Meta Description

Write a 120 to 160 character meta description that states what a page delivers, add the tag to the head, and keep it unique so Google uses it.

The line of text under a page title in Google results is usually the meta description. Google writes its own when a page has none or when the one provided does not fit. Writing a good one gets the text you want under your listing.

Add the tag to the head

Inside <head>, one per page:

<meta name="description" content="Replace a kitchen tap in under an hour with a wrench, plumber's tape, and these step-by-step instructions.">

Only the content attribute matters. The tag has no visible effect on the page itself.

Keep it between 120 and 160 characters

Google truncates around 155 to 160 characters on desktop and fewer on mobile. Under 120 leaves space unused. Count characters, not words, and put the important part in the first 100 characters in case the rest is cut.

State what the page delivers

Describe the outcome or content in concrete terms: what someone gets by clicking. "Step-by-step instructions to replace a kitchen tap, with the tools you need and how long it takes" beats "Welcome to our plumbing blog." Write it as a sentence, not a list of keywords.

Include the main phrase naturally

Use the phrase the page targets once, the way a person would say it. Google bolds query terms in the snippet, which draws the eye to your listing. Repeating the phrase two or three times reads as spam and adds nothing.

Write a different one for every page

Descriptions duplicated across pages get replaced by Google. Each page needs its own, matching that page's content. If the description does not match what is on the page, Google rewrites it from the page text, so describe what is actually there rather than what you wish the page said.

Not a ranking factor. The meta description does not affect where a page ranks. It affects whether people click once the page is shown, which is worth the two minutes per page.

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