The meta description is a short summary in your page’s code. Google may show it as the snippet under your title in search results — and that is its whole job.
Key points
- Google may use your meta description as the snippet, or write its own from the page.
- It is a click lever, not a ranking lever.
- Write one unique, specific summary per page.
What it does
Google’s documentation on snippets says it may use the meta description when it describes the page better than other parts of the content. A good one tells the searcher, before they click, that this page answers their question.
What it doesn’t do
Stuffing keywords into it does not lift the page in the rankings. And Google can generate the snippet from the page text instead, especially when the query matches a different part of the article.
How to write one
- Describe what the page gives the reader, specifically.
- Keep it unique to the page — duplicated descriptions help nobody.
- Mention the target phrase naturally if it fits; don’t force it.
Frequently asked questions
How long should it be?
Google truncates snippets to fit the device width, so put the most useful words first rather than writing to a character count.
Sources
- Control your snippets in search results
Google Search Central - Influencing your title links in search results
Google Search Central