The meta description is the snippet of text that appears below the title in Google's search results. It does not directly affect rankings, but it influences click-through rate (CTR), which is an indirect relevance signal.
Meta description best practices:
- Length: between 120 and 155 characters. Anything longer gets cut off by Google.
- Include the keyword: Google bolds the terms that match the search.
- Be specific: describe what the user will find on the page, not what your company does in general.
- Include a benefit or differentiator: "Guide with 12 proven strategies" is more appealing than "Everything about the topic".
- Use action verbs: "Discover", "Learn", "See how" create urgency.
One important detail: Google does not always use the meta description you wrote. If it decides another snippet from the page better answers the user's search, it replaces yours. Even so, writing a good meta description is essential because in most cases it is used.