How to write a meta description
The meta description is a short summary of the page that Google often shows under your title in search results. It doesn’t directly affect rankings, but it strongly affects how many people click.
Why it matters
A clear, specific description works like an ad for your page. Without one, Google picks a snippet of text from the page, which is often a menu, cookie notice or an unhelpful sentence.
Descriptions longer than about 155–160 characters are cut off with “…”. Very short ones miss the chance to explain why someone should click.
How to fix it
- Add one
<meta name="description">tag to the<head>of every important page. - Write 120–155 characters that summarise the page and include the main keyword naturally; Google bolds words that match the search.
- Add a reason to click: a benefit, a number, or what makes the page different.
- Keep descriptions unique per page. Remove any duplicate description tags added by plugins.
<meta name="description" content="Compare 12 handmade leather wallets by size, price and colour. Free UK delivery and 2-year guarantee on every order.">