Meta description
Also known as: meta description tag, SEO description, description meta tag
A meta description is an HTML tag that summarizes a page in roughly 150–160 characters. Search engines often show it as the snippet under the title in results. It is not a direct ranking factor, but a clear, relevant description improves click-through.
- A <meta name="description"> tag in the page head
- Often shown as the search-result snippet
- Not a ranking factor, but drives click-through
What the meta description does
The meta description lives in the page <head> as `<meta name="description" content="...">`. Search engines frequently use it as the gray snippet beneath the blue title link, giving searchers a preview of what the page offers.
It is not a ranking signal on its own, but it strongly affects whether people click. A vague or missing description hands the search engine free rein to generate its own snippet from page text — often less compelling than one you write.
Writing and length
Aim for roughly 150–160 characters so the text is not cut off, lead with the page benefit, and match the searcher intent. Each page should have a unique description; duplicated descriptions waste the snippet and can be flagged in SEO audits.
Search engines may still rewrite your description to better match a specific query, so treat it as a strong suggestion rather than a guarantee of what appears.