How Do You Write a Meta Description That Gets Clicks?

By Bill Stilwell · Last reviewed October 16, 2026

The short answer

A meta description is a one or two sentence summary of a page that Google or Bing may show under your title in search results. Write a unique one for each important page that says what the page offers and why it fits the searcher. Google doesn’t always use it. It often pulls text from the page instead, so your page content matters just as much.

What this means

The meta description is a line of code in the head of a page, like the page title. Visitors don’t see it on the page. It’s a suggestion to search engines for the short text under your blue title link. That short text is called a snippet.

Google says it mainly builds snippets from the page content. It uses your meta description when it describes the page better than the page text does. The snippet can also change based on what the person searched.

Say Bright Path Landscaping has a page on spring cleanups. A weak description is “Landscaping, lawn care, mulch, cleanup, Meridian.” That’s just a keyword list. A better one is “Spring yard cleanups in Meridian, Idaho. We clear beds, haul debris, and edge lawns. Book a free estimate, Monday to Saturday.” Google’s own help page gives a similar example, where a plain keyword list is rated poorly and a description with what the shop offers, its hours, and its location is rated better.

Why it matters

It helps people pick you. A clear snippet tells the searcher this page answers their need before they click.
Blank descriptions leave it to chance. Google will grab text from your page. Sometimes that’s a cookie notice or a menu.
Copied descriptions look lazy. If every page has the same description, it doesn’t help anyone tell them apart. Google says identical descriptions on every page aren’t helpful.

Google’s help page doesn’t say that meta descriptions affect rankings, so don’t write them to rank. Write them to earn the click.

Who this applies to

Every business with a website. Start with your home page, service pages, and location pages. Google suggests that if you’re short on time, you focus on your most important pages first. Small pages like a thank-you page can skip it.

How to do it

Use the same spreadsheet you made for page titles (see 19.4.1 Page Titles). Add a column for descriptions.
For each page, write one or two plain sentences that say what the page offers.
Include the details that help a local customer decide, such as the service, the area, and a fact like hours, a free estimate, or same-day service. Only include what’s true.
Keep it short. Google doesn’t set a length limit, but it cuts off long snippets to fit the screen. Put the most useful words first.
Write a different description for every page. Don’t copy and change one word.
Don’t write a list of keywords. Write a sentence a person would say.
Enter the description in your website builder’s search settings, usually called “meta description.” Search engine optimization (SEO) plugins may call it “SEO description.”
After Google recrawls the page, search for it and see what snippet shows. If Google picked other text, look at your opening lines. Make sure the page itself starts with a clear answer (see 19.4.3 Headings and Opening Lines).

What proof to keep

The page spreadsheet with each page’s description and the date it was written
Screenshots of your main pages in Google results after the update

Keep these in your website records folder with your title list.

Common mistakes

Copying the same description to every page. It’s faster, but it tells the searcher nothing about each page.
Writing for robots. “Best plumber Boise plumber near me cheap plumber” reads as spam to people.
Promising what you can’t deliver. “Guaranteed lowest price” or “24/7” when you don’t answer at 2 a.m. leads to angry calls and bad reviews (see 11.3.1 Truthful Advertising Claims).
Leaving old prices or offers. A spring special still showing in December hurts trust. Review descriptions when offers change.
Thinking Google ignored you because you did it wrong. Google often picks page text instead. That’s normal.

When to get help from a pro

An SEO specialist or copywriter: if you have many pages or your pages get seen in search but rarely clicked. Questions to ask:

Which of my pages show up in search often but get few clicks?
What snippet is Google showing for those pages right now?

Bill’s note

[Bill: add a short story or lesson here. For example, a page where Google showed a cookie notice or menu text as the snippet, and what fixed it.]

If you’d rather have this done for you, SiteSmarty writes titles and descriptions for every page it builds.

How I did this for SiteSmarty

[Date I did this:]
[What I actually did, step by step: how I wrote descriptions for SiteSmarty’s main pages]
[What it cost and how long it took:]
[What surprised me or what I’d do differently:]
[Screenshot or photo to add, with private info blurred: the meta description field for one SiteSmarty page and the snippet Google showed]
[Result so far:]

Questions people ask

How long should a meta description be? Google doesn’t set a limit, but it trims long snippets to fit the screen. One or two sentences works well.

Does Google always use my meta description? No. Google mostly builds snippets from the page content and uses your description when it fits the page better.

Do meta descriptions help rankings? Google’s help page doesn’t say they do. Their job is to help people decide to click.

Should every page have its own description? Yes. Google says identical descriptions across pages aren’t helpful.

What should a local business include? The service, the area, and a useful true fact like hours or a free estimate.

Audit check

Question: Do the home page, service pages, and location pages each have a unique, accurate meta description written for people?
Pass looks like: One or two plain sentences per page that name the service and area and include a true, useful detail.
Fail looks like: Blank descriptions, the same description on every page, keyword lists, or old offers and prices.
Evidence to collect: The page spreadsheet with descriptions and screenshots of the main pages in Google results.

Where this fits

Do this first: 19.4.1 Page Titles

Do this next: 19.4.3 Headings and Opening Lines

Sources

Google Search Central, "Control your snippets in search results" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Search Central, "SEO Starter Guide" (checked October 16, 2026)

This page explains general rules and Bill's own experience. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your situation.