What is a Meta Description?
A meta description is an HTML tag that provides a brief summary of a webpage’s content. It appears below the title tag in search engine results and is meant to help users understand what the page is about before clicking.
While meta descriptions do not directly influence rankings, they play a key role in encouraging users to visit your site by making your listing more compelling and relevant.
Meta descriptions are typically between 150–160 characters in length and should include important keywords naturally.
Why Meta Descriptions Matter
Although not a ranking factor, a well-crafted meta description can significantly improve your click-through rate (CTR) from search engine results. Search engines often use the meta description to generate the text snippet shown in SERPs.
A strong meta description helps:
- Summarise the content clearly and concisely
- Attract the right audience by aligning with search intent
- Increase CTR and overall visibility
- Set expectations for what users will find on the page
Search engines may sometimes override the meta description and display other content from the page if they believe it is more relevant to the query.
Example in Use
For a page about home workout tips, a good meta description might be:
“Explore 10 easy home workout tips for beginners. Improve fitness without equipment and stay active at home with these expert-backed ideas.”
This description is informative, relevant to the topic, and designed to draw clicks by highlighting value.