What is the best way to write a meta description that gets clicks?
The short version of how to write a meta description that gets clicks: lead with what the reader gets, put the phrase people search for in the first 60 characters or so, and end with a clear action, such as "Check your score now." Add one specific detail the results around you probably lack: a number, a format, a price, or what's free. Then cut every word that doesn't help someone decide whether to click.
The "so what?" test
Before I publish any description, I read it and ask: "So what?" If the answer is "It's just another tool guide," I rewrite it. The description has to give the searcher a reason to pick your result over the others on the page. Instead of "We have a word counter," try "Count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs as you type, with a reading-time estimate."
If you're new to the tag itself, start with what a meta description is.
How to write a meta description step by step
This is the order I work in for an article, a product page or any other webpage:
- Write down the main query the page answers. Search Console's Performance report shows the queries a page already appears for; for a new page, use the phrase you'd type yourself.
- Write one sentence that says what the reader gets, starting with that phrase or a close version of it.
- Add the detail that a searcher compares between results: a price, a size, a format, a time, a location or what's free.
- Add a short action or a second detail if there's room.
- Cut filler words, then check the length. About 150 characters fits most desktop results; the meta description word count guide shows how many words that usually is.
- Read it next to the title. If it repeats the title, replace the repeated part with something new.
Five meta description examples: before and after
Each rewrite fixes a different problem. Character counts include spaces.
1. The keyword list
- Before (86 characters): "JSON formatter, JSON validator, JSON beautifier, JSON minifier, free JSON tool online."
- After (131 characters): "Free JSON formatter, no sign-up: paste JSON to format, validate or minify it in your browser, with 2-space, 4-space or tab indents."
Google says descriptions made of long strings of keywords "are less likely to be displayed as a snippet." The rewrite uses "JSON" twice instead of five times, and each use is attached to something the tool does. The indent options are the kind of detail a developer checks before clicking.
2. The empty opener
- Before (103 characters): "In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about compressing images for your website."
- After (144 characters): "Learn which JPG quality setting gets most photos under 200 KB, when to resize before compressing, and how to check the result before you upload."
"In this article, we will discuss" uses 33 characters to say nothing. The rewrite names the outcome the searcher wants (a file under 200 KB) and the two decisions the post helps with.
3. The missing practical details
- Before (82 characters): "Sewing supplies, yarn, colored pencils, sewing machines, threads, bobbins, needles"
- After (108 characters): "Get everything you need to sew your next garment. Open Monday-Friday 8-5pm, located in the Fashion District."
This pair comes from Google's own snippet documentation. A local shopper's next questions are "when?" and "where?", and the rewrite answers both.
4. The description that's too short
- Before (24 characters): "Waterproof hiking boots."
- After (145 characters): "Waterproof leather hiking boots with a grippy rubber sole, in sizes 5 to 13 with wide fits. Free returns within 30 days; ships in 2 working days."
Google's documentation uses "Mechanical pencil" as its example of a description that's too short. Shoppers compare material, sizes, returns and delivery, so those go in, as long as the product page backs them up.
5. The hype
- Before (142 characters): "Discover the secret to crafting jaw-dropping, high-converting meta descriptions that skyrocket your CTR and take your SEO game to new heights!"
- After (140 characters): "Five before-and-after meta description rewrites with character counts and the reason each change helps. Copy the pattern for your own pages."
The original promises results no page can guarantee and never says what's on the page. Phrases like "discover the secret", "jaw-dropping" and "skyrocket" are common in unedited AI drafts; generating meta descriptions with AI covers how to edit them out.
| Rewrite | Characters before | Characters after | Main fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Keyword list | 86 | 131 | Actions and details instead of repeats |
| 2. Empty opener | 103 | 144 | The outcome the searcher wants, first |
| 3. Missing details | 82 | 108 | Opening hours and location |
| 4. Too short | 24 | 145 | The facts shoppers compare |
| 5. Hype | 142 | 140 | What the page contains |
Four of the five rewrites are longer than the originals, because specifics take room. The meta description length guide covers how much room you have.
Front-loading the value
People skim search results quickly. If your value proposition sits at the end of the sentence, many of them won't get that far. For tool pages, I put modifiers like "Free" or "No sign-up" right at the start.
Check what the first 60 characters say on their own. In rewrite 1 they are "Free JSON formatter, no sign-up: paste JSON to format, valid", which already covers what the tool is, what it costs and what you do with it. In the hype example, the first 60 characters end at "crafting jaw-dropping, high-convertin" without naming anything you could use.
Meta description templates by page type
A template is a starting point; fill it with facts from the page and rewrite anything that sounds stiff. The filled examples are made up.
How to write a product meta description
Template: [Product] with [main feature], [spec]. [Second feature or option]. [Delivery, returns or price].
Example (147 characters): "Hand-thrown stoneware mug, 350 ml, dishwasher safe. Made in Cornwall in four glazes. Free UK delivery on orders over £30, dispatched within 2 days."
Article or blog post
Template: [Outcome the reader wants]: [question 1], [question 2] and [question 3].
Example (146 characters): "Learn how to repot a snake plant without hurting the roots: when to do it, which pot and soil to use, and how to water it for the first two weeks."
Local business or service page
Template: [Service] in [place] for [jobs]. [Price or offer], [availability]. [Trust detail you can prove].
Example (149 characters): "Plumber in Leeds for leaks, boilers and blocked drains. Fixed call-out fee of £60, same-day visits Monday to Saturday. Gas Safe registered engineers."
If you have hundreds of pages, Google says programmatic descriptions built from page-specific data "can be appropriate and are encouraged", as long as they stay readable and varied. A template filled from your product database is that kind of description. For drafting one page at a time, the AI Meta Generator gives you several variations to edit.
Match the words people search for
Google says snippets "emphasize and preview the page content that best relates to a user's specific search." My working assumption is that a description written in the words of the page's main query has a better chance of being shown for that query. The Performance report in Google Search Console lists the queries your pages appear for.
What to leave out
- One description reused across many pages. Google's example of a bad one is a news site using "Local news in Whoville, delivered to your doorstep. Find out what happened today." on every article.
- Claims the page doesn't support, such as prices, ratings or features you don't have.
- Unescaped double quotes. The tag's text sits inside
content="...", so a double quote in the sentence ends it early. Write"or use single quotes.
Before publishing, check the length in the Character Counter and preview it with your title in SERP Preview.
Checking whether a rewrite worked
Search Console's Performance report shows clicks, impressions, average position and CTR (click-through rate, which is clicks divided by impressions), grouped by page if you like. After changing a description, wait for Google to recrawl the page, then compare a few weeks after the change with the same length of time before it.
With made-up numbers: a page with 4,000 impressions and 120 clicks has a CTR of 3.0%. If the next four weeks bring 4,100 impressions and 164 clicks, CTR is 4.0%, a third higher. Check that the average position stayed about the same, because a move up or down the page changes CTR by itself.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use emojis in meta descriptions?
Google's snippet documentation doesn't mention emoji, so there's no guarantee one will be shown. I use them sparingly, if at all (a single checkmark at most), because a row of symbols looks like spam.
Does every description need a call to action?
No. For tools and products, a short action ("Check your score now") tells people what they can do when they arrive. For an informational post, saying clearly what the reader will learn usually does the same job.
Should the description repeat the title?
No. The title sits right above it in the result, so repeating it wastes space. Use the description for the detail the title had no room for. How to write title tags covers the line above.
How to write a meta description in WordPress
WordPress has no description field of its own. An SEO plugin such as Yoast SEO or Rank Math adds one below the editor, and the steps above apply to whatever you type there. Check the page source afterwards to confirm there is only one description tag.
