Meta Description

Meta descriptions are the pitch. They don't factor into Google's ranking algorithm, but they're the primary lever between ranking and getting clicked. A well-written description increases your click-through rate, which determines how much traffic your ranked position actually delivers. A page ranking third with a compelling description often outperforms a page ranking second with a generic one.

Google rewrites meta descriptions regularly — studies suggest it uses the page's own content in over half of search results, particularly when it judges the description doesn't match the specific query well. This doesn't mean you should stop writing them. It means your description should be written to match what your ideal searcher is looking for, not just stuffed with the target keyword. When your description matches the query intent, Google uses it. When it doesn't, Google finds something better in your content — or tries to.

Best practice: keep descriptions under 155 characters (Google typically truncates around 160), include the target keyword naturally, and give the searcher a specific reason to click. Treat it as a subtitle — it should expand on the title and name what the reader gets. "How to build a content calendar for B2B companies — step-by-step template included" is more useful than "Learn about content calendars."

The cost of neglecting meta descriptions: Google generates them automatically from whatever body text it finds first — often a sentence fragment, a navigation element, or boilerplate footer text. A custom description is almost always more compelling than what Google assembles from random page content.