An SEO meta description is a brief summary of what a webpage is about that appears under the title in search results.
It's a way for you to tell searchers what they can expect if they click through to your page.
Think of it like a movie trailer - it should entice people to want to learn more. Keep it clear, concise, and compelling, and make sure to use relevant keywords that will help your page show up in search results.
Find the meta description in your site source code (right click and choose "page source code"). It'll look like this piece of HTML code <meta name="description" content="This is your meta description">
What if you don't declare a meta description 👇
I looked at 100s of websites for this article. Famous ones. All of them had pages with poor or missing meta description—showing the business worlds lack of SEO expertise.
It's not the end of the world, Google's algorithm rewrites over 70% of meta descriptions based on the "relationship between the search query and the web page content" anyway.
From my analysis of the SERPs, usually Google rewrites meta descriptions to try and provide an answer to the search query. They summarize bullet points, or simply use the keywords included in the search term.
This approach shows page relevancy and drive clicks. As you can see from this example by Search Engine Journal, the system is more than a little flawed.
This does make meta description less relevant. But you still need to create compelling meta descriptions.
Why you still need to write a meta description
For one, you can expect the meta description you declare to appear 30% of the time.
If you don't declare an SEO meta description at all, search engines will generate an automated one that's likely off-brand, unexciting and inaccurate for your page.
For two, a carefully crafted meta description can increases your chances of Google using yours. If it's clear, descriptive and uses the keywords—you get to have a say over what Google shows the search user.
Let's take a look at how to write a great meta description:
How to write a great SEO meta description
Writing a great SEO meta description is all about providing a clear, concise, and compelling summary of what your webpage is all about.
"A meta description tag generally informs and interests users with a short, relevant summary of what a particular page is about."—Google
But that's not ALL they're about.
We want people to click our content and not our competitors and a meta description is one of the tools in our belt.
Compel clicks with the M.E.T.A acronym
Use the META framework to craft click-worthy meta descriptions:
M: Make it count
- You have 155 characters to convey your message on desktop. 115 on mobile. Anything else will overflow.
- Put your blog post URL into the Meta Tag website to verify that your descriptions don't overflow.
E: Explain
- A clear description of what's on your page will improve the quality of your traffic.
- It helps users understand if your page contains what they need, lowering frustration and bringing only relevant visitors to your content.
- Use your meta description to show your page WILL provide the information they searched for.
- Your description should match the main search terms people use to visit your page. Reduce the chance it gets rewritten by Google by using the keywords you want to win. [KEY POINT ✅]
T: Tantalise
- The goal of meta data (title's and descriptions) is to get the searcher to click on your website.
- Tantalise your reader by creating a curiosity gap with your meta description.
- The curiosity gap is the space between the information we're given (what we know) and the information that's initially withheld (what we don't know).
A: Active
- You've got 155 characters, so let's get to the point.
- Use active language to show confidence and clarity in your meta description.
- Instead of: "These strategies were used by leading companies to close more sales." try the active voice "Leading companies use these strategies to close more sales."
- This prevents your sentences from becoming too wordy or complicated.
20 click-worthy SEO meta description examples
Here they are:
Animalz.co
Why it's click-worthy: It creates a curiosity gap. It asks questions I didn't know I needed answered, but now I need to know.
How it could be improved: Use the most relevant keywords "storytelling in content marketing" to encourage Google to actually use it.
Search Engine Journal
Why it's click-worthy:
- It answers the question immediately. The main search term is "who has the most subscribers on youtube" and the meta description is short, contains the keywords, and it delivers an answer.
- There's also a curiosity gap because they only gave us the top 2 YouTubers, not all of them.
- They earned our trust with an upfront answer, now I want to see the rest.
- Did you see they also threw in a date? That's relevant to the search term, so double and the searcher now knows it's super relevant.
How it could be improved: N/A
Forbes
Why it's click-worthy:
- Uses a question to show they understand what the searcher is looking for "the mechanics behind crypto"
- Uses keywords related to crypto, like hash rates, to show they know more than the searcher and have something to teach
How it could be improved:
- Use the target keywords "what is crypto mining?" to encourage Google to actually use their meta description.
Lonely Planet
Why it's click-worthy:
- It's on brand. The meta description uses flowery, descriptive language that's evocative for someone looking to travel to Italy.
- It names two interesting things you can do in Florence. Showing the reader that this content could be worth their time.
- It uses the core keywords "day trips from Florence"
How it could be improved: N/A
Zapier
"habit tracker app"
Why it's click-worthy:
- Show they considered 40 (aka: did the work) and were picky "a lot fell short". This is an article I want to read.
- Contains the keywords "habit tracking apps"
How it could be improved: N/A
Buffer
Why it's click-worthy:
- "unexpected" and "research-backed" are typically the opposite of SEO articles. This ticks the tantalising box for sure.
How it could be improved:
- Include the keywords "happiness hacks" to encourage Google to actually use the meta description.
ASOS
Why it's click-worthy:
- It includes the core keywords "wedding guest dresses"
- It's a product category page for an eCommerce store. The use of "mini" "midi" and "maxi" styles in the meta description shows the reader they're going to get the wide variety of stock they're looking to browse (the intent behind "wedding dresses" is clearly to view a catalogue of options).
- It's on-brand "make an entrance" is a colloquialism that suits ASOS's target audience well.
How it could be improved: N/A
Why it's click-worthy:
- Clear and concise
- Focuses on outcomes of the page
- Also tantalises with a note about the experience of the page: "book with confidence"
How it could be improved:
- The core keywords for this page are "Google Flights". Because they are Google Flights, they don't need to include those keywords to get the meta description used. This is a similar theme when you search for a brand name.
TripAdvisor
Why it's click-worthy:
- It's keyword optimised, including "restaurants" "best dining in Bath".
- It includes TripAdvisors competitive differentiator, the volume of reviews "179,666 traveller reviews".
- It tantalises with "search by cuisine, price, location" showing this page is a useful resource.
How it could be improved: An personal preference would be to remove "Somerset" and add a full stop there. It's a little too busy at the moment.
Patagonia
Why it's click-worthy:
- It's keyword optimised for "hemp workwear"
- It's on brand, containing Patagonia's guarantees of "comfort" "versatility"
- It has purchase points like "ironclad guarantee" and "free shipping" to show value.
How it could be improved: N/A
Nerdwallet
Why it's click-worthy:
- It answers the search query upfront. A good way to get Google to use your description in the SERPs.
- It leaves a curiosity gap. While the title notes "5 things" the meta description gives just two. We now want to know more.
- It contains the target keyword "CareCredit Card"
How it could be improved:
- It could contain something about NerdWallet and their brand. For those who have never heard of them, why should we trust their site?
Investopedia
Why it's click-worthy:
- Investopedia agitates the reader's pain with "end up penniless" and offers a solution: their article.
- The meta description shows that this article empathizes with the reader—understanding their true needs: "learn the potential traps you may fall into".
How it could be improved: N/A
Aura
Why it's click-worthy:
- Aura's meta description gets to the point. "Here's what will happen if you don't read up on loan fraud". That tantalises the reader while clearly demonstrating the article will help stop these things.
- It uses the keywords.
How it could be improved:
- Include the answer to "what is loan fraud?". That's clearly the intent of the search term, not "how to stop it happening". This will help them get their meta description into the SERPs.
Backlinko
Why it's click-worthy:
- It's clear and descriptive about what the reader can expect from the article.
- It makes a note that the article is still relevant now—and isn't outdated.
- It contains the core keywords "build high quality backlinks".
How it could be improved: N/A
Ahrefs
Why it's click-worthy:
- They use the meta description to define affiliate marketing. That matches the knowledge level of the audience for this article—beginner.
- They use it to describe what's on the page—and something not included in the title "7 simple steps"
How it could be improved:
- The meta description could be more on brand for Ahrefs. There's no mention of content or SEO in relation to affiliate marketing.
GQ
Why it's click-worthy:
- GQ uses their meta description to tease the reader with two FAQs. That clearly shows the reader can expect to get the answer if they read on.
- They note something unexpected: The "dos" but also the "don'ts"—showing this is going to be a good read.
How it could be improved: N/A
Guardian
Why it's click-worthy:
- The Guardian uses the meta description to give the headline answer as to who won the Grammys.
How it could be improved:
- It could be more descriptive to explain what else we can expect as a reader. Which categories, for example.
- It could contain the keywords "grammy award winners"
Atlassian
Why it's click-worthy:
- It defines what SMART goals are upfront and describes clearly what to expect in the article.
- The core keyword for this term is "SMART goals" which is likely a definition-intent keyword. Using the meta description to add a definition helps it get used in the SERPs.
How it could be improved:
- It could be more tantalising. "here's how to write them" is a bit meh. "Here's what people usually get wrong!" would've been more interesting.
MoonPay
Why it's click-worthy:
- It answers the question straight away, and with an unusual answer: a credit card. This speaks to MoonPay's value proposition of making it easy to buy cryptocurrencies.
How it could be improved: N/A
IBM
Why it's click-worthy:
- This is another definition-intent keyword. IBM uses their meta description to provide a definition—matching the intent well.
How it could be improved:
- It could definitely be more tantalizing. With a definition so succinct, we hardly need to read the article.
Two reasons Google rewrites meta descriptions
I mentioned previously that Google rewrites up to 70% of meta descriptions. Google's John Mueller gave us insight into why in 2020.
1/ It's not very good
"The other thing there is that we need to be able to, I guess, trust the meta description on the page so that it looks kind of reasonable...Then that’s something that our systems might look at and say well, this doesn’t look that useful for users. So they’ll try to rewrite something else."
2/ They want it to better match the search query
"And most of the time when it tries to rewrite something, it’s based on the content on the page itself.”
If you're struggling because Google is serving the wrong content in meta descriptions, take a look at how it changes and why. Then, adjust your on-page elements to make sure they match the intent of the highest volume queries to improve click-through rate.
Common Meta Description Mistakes
- The same meta description for every page
One common mistake I see with clients is having a site wide meta description set. This means that all your web pages have the same description on Google, regardless of the content of that page.
Each of your pages needs a unique description that abides by the following rules.
- It simply pulls from the introduction
The meta description default for a lot of websites seems to be to use the intro paragraph. So often that makes the meta description undescriptive and uninteresting to the reader.
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