Meta Description
A brief HTML attribute that summarizes the content of a web page, typically displayed beneath the page title in search engine results.
A meta description is the short paragraph of text that appears below your page title in Google search results. It’s your chance to convince searchers that your page has the answer they’re looking for. While meta descriptions don’t directly influence your search rankings, they significantly impact your click-through rate — a compelling description can mean the difference between someone clicking your listing or choosing a competitor’s.
Effective meta descriptions are between 150-160 characters, include relevant keywords naturally, and clearly communicate what the visitor will find on the page. Think of them as mini advertisements for each page of your website. “Welcome to our website” is a wasted opportunity. “Get a free roof inspection from Denver’s top-rated roofing company. Licensed, insured, and 500+ five-star reviews” gives the searcher a reason to click.
For small businesses, writing unique meta descriptions for your most important pages — homepage, service pages, location pages, and top blog posts — is a high-impact, low-effort SEO task. If you don’t write a meta description, Google will pull a random snippet from your page content, which is usually less compelling than a purposefully crafted description.
Include a call to action in your meta descriptions when appropriate. Phrases like “Learn how,” “Get your free quote,” “Discover why,” or “Find out” encourage clicks. If you serve a specific area, include your location to attract local searchers. And always make sure the description accurately reflects the page content — misleading descriptions lead to high bounce rates, which hurts your SEO over time.