Meta descriptions, explained simply
5 min read · Updated
When your website shows up in Google, people see three things: the page title, the web address, and a short summary underneath. That summary is usually your meta description. It’s the closest thing you have to an ad in Google’s free results, and most small business websites waste it.
What happens when you don’t have one
If a page has no meta description, Google picks some text from the page itself. Sometimes that works. Often it’s a random sentence from the footer, a cookie notice, or the middle of a paragraph that makes no sense on its own. Compare:
Home | About | Services | Contact © 2024 All rights reserved. Website by…
with:
Blocked drain in Parramatta? We’re usually there within 2 hours. Upfront pricing, no call-out fee, and 5-star reviews from 200+ locals.
Both pages might rank in exactly the same spot. The second one gets far more clicks.
Where to add one
You don’t need to touch any code:
- WordPress: SEO plugins like Yoast or Rank Math add a meta description box under each page.
- Shopify: scroll to “Search engine listing” at the bottom of each page or product.
- Squarespace and Wix: look in each page’s SEO settings.
If you can’t find it, your web person can add it in minutes.
How to write a good one
A good meta description does three things in about 150 characters.
1. Says what the page offers. Be specific. “Emergency plumber” is better than “quality plumbing services”.
2. Includes where, if you’re local. People are searching for someone nearby. Name your suburb or area.
3. Gives a reason to click. Fast response, free quotes, years in business, great reviews, clear pricing. Pick one or two.
A simple formula that works for most small businesses:
[What you do] in [where]. [Why choose you]. [What to do next].
For example:
Family dentist in Chatswood. Gentle care, bulk billing for kids and weekend appointments. Book online in 2 minutes.
Common mistakes
- Using the same description on every page. Each page should describe that page. Your hot water page and your blocked drains page need different descriptions.
- Stuffing in keywords. “Plumber Parramatta plumbing Parramatta best plumber” reads as spam, and people skip it.
- Writing too much. Anything past about 155 characters gets cut off.
- Promising what the page doesn’t deliver. If the description says “prices online” and the page doesn’t have prices, people leave straight away.
Where to start
You don’t have to do every page at once. Start with the pages that matter most:
- Your homepage
- Your main service or product pages
- Your contact or booking page
Your free scan flags pages that are missing meta descriptions, alongside the other SEO basics like titles and headings. Learn more about the SEO audit, or read how Google decides what to show for the bigger picture.
Want the full picture? See what our free SEO audit checks
Common questions
Do meta descriptions help my Google ranking?
Not directly. Google doesn't use them to decide where you rank. They affect how many people click your result, which is what actually brings you customers.
Why does Google show different text from the description I wrote?
Google sometimes rewrites descriptions to better match what someone searched for. A clear, relevant description gets used more often.
How long should a meta description be?
Around 120 to 155 characters. Longer ones get cut off with an ellipsis, especially on mobile.