How to write meta descriptions that get clicks

The meta description is the two lines of grey text under your title in Google. It is not a ranking factor — Google has said so for years. But it is your ad copy in the search results, and a good one can meaningfully lift click-through rate. More clicks from the same rankings is the cheapest traffic you'll ever get.

How long should a meta description be?

Google truncates by pixels, not characters, but in practice 140–160 characters is the safe range on desktop, and around 120 on mobile. Front-load the important words: if your description gets cut, the first half should still make the case on its own.

A formula that works

Most good descriptions follow the same shape:

• What the page offers — name the thing plainly: the guide, the tool, the product, the answer.
• Who it's for or what makes it different — "for small sites", "free, no signup", "with examples".
• A soft call to action — "Learn how", "Try it free", "See the checklist".

Example: "Generate valid XML sitemaps in seconds. Free tool with lastmod, changefreq and priority — no signup required." That's 108 characters, specific, and it tells the searcher exactly what they get.

Include the query — but naturally

Google bolds the searcher's words in your description, which draws the eye. Work your page's main keyword into the text where it reads naturally. Don't stuff variations — one clear mention is enough, and stuffing makes the snippet read like spam.

Why Google rewrites your description (and how to reduce it)

Google rewrites a large share of descriptions, usually because the one you wrote doesn't match the query, is duplicated across pages, is too short to be useful, or is stuffed with keywords. You can't prevent rewrites entirely, but you can reduce them: write a unique description for every important page, keep it in range, and make sure it actually describes the page's content.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Leaving it empty — Google will guess, and its guesses are usually worse than yours.
• Duplicating one description site-wide — every page competes for a different query; each deserves its own pitch.
• Writing for the algorithm — write for the person deciding whether to click. Clarity beats cleverness.
• Clickbait — if the description promises something the page doesn't deliver, visitors bounce, and that hurts you.

Try it yourself

Draft your description with the Meta Tag Generator — it counts characters live and gives you copy-ready HTML — then see exactly how it will look in Google with the SERP Snippet Preview. For the wider context of which meta tags still matter, read Meta tags that matter in 2026.