Meta descriptions still matter, not as a ranking factor but as the ad for your page in Google: on a London location agency's site, IvI SEO found 1,618 of 2,015 property pages sharing one identical description, the company tagline, so none of them said a word about the property. Google says it doesn't use descriptions to rank pages. It does show them when they describe the page well, and a good one makes the right people click.
Do meta descriptions matter for SEO?
Yes, meta descriptions matter for SEO, but as the ad for your page in Google rather than a ranking factor. Google says it doesn't use the meta description to rank pages, and it shows your description when it describes the page better than Google's own snippet would. So a meta description's job is to make the right people click. In IvI SEO's view, that means an enticing lead into the topic and a clear call to action.
Rankings get you on the page. The description gets you the click.
Think about how you actually search. You type something in, scan a list of results that all look much the same, and pick one in a couple of seconds. The title tells you what the page is. The description is the bit that makes you choose it over the one underneath.
Most sites waste it. They either leave it blank, or they fill it with something like this:
Smith Plumbing offers boiler repair services in Harrogate. Contact us today for more information.
It's not wrong. It's just not trying. Compare:
Boiler packed in? Same-day boiler repairs across Harrogate, with a van full of parts so most jobs get fixed on the first visit. Book a callback today.
(Smith Plumbing is made up, by the way. There's no real business or real result behind either version.)
Anatomy of a meta description that sells
A made-up example: Smith Plumbing isn't a real business.
Same business, same page, same search. One reads like a directory entry. The other reads like someone who wants the job.
Are meta descriptions a ranking factor?
No, meta descriptions aren't a ranking factor, as far as Google has ever said: in 2009 Google stated that it doesn't use the description meta tag in its rankings, and nothing it has published since says otherwise. If they play any part at all, IvI SEO's view is that it's a tiny one. I still put the keyword in, though: there's no harm in it, and a description that matches the search is more likely to be shown and clicked.
Here's that 2009 post on Google's own blog. It's old, but I've seen nothing from Google since that says it changed its mind.
So why do so many SEO checklists still tell you to stuff your keyword in the description? Mostly habit. Use it once, naturally, inside your best sales line.
Does Google always use your meta description?
No, Google doesn't always use your meta description: it builds snippets mainly from the page's own content, and uses your description when it thinks it describes the page more accurately. Google can also show different snippets for different searches on the same page, so it may pick a line from the page for one search even when the description is accurate. A description that doesn't match the page or the search is more likely to be passed over, and one that's accurate, specific to that page and matches what people actually search for has the best chance of being the one shown.
Google's own help page on snippets says as much: snippets are "primarily created from the page content itself", and your meta description gets used when it gives a more accurate description of the page. That's Google's page on snippets.
The same page is blunt about two habits that get descriptions ignored:
- The same description on every page. Google says identical or similar descriptions across a site "aren't helpful".
- Keyword lists. Descriptions that are long strings of keywords are "less likely to be displayed as a snippet".
If Google swaps yours for its own, that doesn't automatically mean you got it wrong. Google picks the snippet search by search, and it can choose a line from the page that fits one particular search better even when your description is spot on. It's still worth checking that the description matches the page and what people are actually searching for, because those are the bits you control.
Your description is a strong suggestion, not a guarantee
How Google picks the snippet under your page, per its own help page
Google can also show different snippets for different searches on the same page.
How do you write a meta description that gets clicks?
To write a meta description that gets clicks, open with the problem or question the searcher has, show that the page answers it with one specific detail, and finish with a short call to action. Keep the main point in the first 120 characters. IvI SEO writes every description like a small ad: an enticing lead into the topic, one real proof point from the page, and a clear nudge to click.
The formula I use:
- The hook. The problem, the question or the thing they want. "Boiler packed in?" does more than "Boiler repair services".
- The proof. One specific, true detail from the page. A price, a time, a number, something the page actually does. Not "high quality" or "professional service". Everyone says that.
- The nudge. A short call to action that fits the page: "Book a callback", "Get a quote", "Read the guide", "See the prices".
On the location agency's site, every new description ended with who the space was for, matched to the page: "For filming and photoshoots" on most homes, "For filming" where a space didn't suit photoshoots, and "For hire" on studios. A guide doesn't need "Call now". A service page does.
And the don'ts:
- Don't make things up. Claims like same-day service or fixing it on the first visit are only usable when they're actually true of the business. If the page doesn't say "same-day", neither can the description. Google rewrites titles and snippets that don't match the page, and your customers notice too.
- Don't repeat the title. They sit right next to each other. Use the description to say something the title didn't.
- Don't stuff it. One keyword, used naturally. Nobody clicks on a list.
How long should a meta description be?
A meta description should be around 120 to 155 characters as a working guide, with the main point in the first 120, because Google shortens longer ones to fit the screen and less fits on mobile. Google doesn't set a limit itself. IvI SEO works to 105 to 155 characters and aims for 120 to 145, which usually shows in full on desktop and keeps the important bit visible on a phone.
Where things go in a meta description
Approximate. Google sets no fixed limit and cuts by screen width, and phones show less than desktops.
Google's own line is that there's no limit on how long a meta description can be, but the snippet gets "truncated in Google Search results as needed". It cuts by width on the screen, not by a character count, so there's no magic number.
That's why the main point goes first. If a phone only shows the first 120 characters or so, the hook and the proof need to be in there. The call to action at the end is a bonus if it fits.
Don't agonise over five characters either way. A great 160-character description beats a bland 140-character one every time.
What happens if a page has no meta description?
If a page has no meta description, Google writes a snippet from the page's own text, picking whichever part it thinks fits the search, which might not be the line you'd choose to sell the page. The same goes for a generic description copied across the whole site: Google says identical descriptions on every page aren't helpful, so the first impression is left to chance either way.
1,618 pages, one description
Property pages on a London location agency's site
Before, most pages carried the company tagline. After, each description says what the space looks like and where it is.
Sometimes Google's pick is fine. Sometimes it's a sentence halfway through a paragraph, or something from the top of the page that has nothing to do with the search.
Blank descriptions tend to hide on the pages nobody looks at: old blog posts, case studies, event pages, anything added in a hurry. A crawl of your site will list them in minutes.
Then fill them. If there are hundreds, you don't have to write them one by one. AI can rewrite every meta title and description on your site, as long as it only uses facts from each page and something other than the AI checks the result.
Want your meta descriptions working harder?
Titles and descriptions are the first thing anyone sees of your site in Google, and they're usually the most neglected. Rewriting them properly, page by page, is part of IvI SEO's local SEO service. It's typically one of the first things we do. If yours are blank, duplicated or just a bit flat, take a look at how I can help. I'll tell you honestly which pages are worth fixing first.