A meta description is the short snippet of information that appears below a link in search results. The purpose of a meta description is to attract a searcher by providing a compelling description of what they will find on your page.

To create a meta description, write a short sentence that tells the searcher what they will get by clicking through to your page using actionable language that includes keywords that are used on the webpage.

The target length for a meta description is between 150-160 characters. If a meta description exceeds the character limits, it will be cut off, so be concise.

Expert Tip:

While meta descriptions technically aren’t used in search engine ranking algorithms, there is a potential SEO related benefit that meta descriptions can provide. Google and other search engines use click through rate (CTR) to determine whether your page qualifies as a good search result. Receiving clicks on your link as result of a compelling meta description improves your page performance, which increases your chances of moving up in search results.


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