Meta Description
An HTML meta tag that provides a brief summary of a page's content, typically displayed as the snippet text beneath the title in search results. Meta descriptions influence click-through rates but are not a direct ranking factor.
Meta descriptions are your advertisement in search results. While they do not directly influence rankings, a compelling meta description can significantly improve CTR, which indirectly impacts rankings through engagement signals. Google displays meta descriptions about 63% of the time and generates its own snippet from page content the rest of the time.
For content and growth teams, meta descriptions should be treated as conversion copy rather than SEO text. Write them to persuade searchers to click: include the primary keyword naturally, communicate the unique value of your page, and include a subtle call to action. Keep descriptions between 120-160 characters to avoid truncation in search results. For programmatic pages, create description templates that dynamically insert relevant entity data to create unique, compelling descriptions at scale. A/B test meta descriptions on high-traffic pages by tracking CTR changes in Search Console after updates. Pages without meta descriptions or with duplicate descriptions across multiple pages represent missed optimization opportunities.
Related Terms
Core Web Vitals
A set of three Google-defined metrics that measure real-world user experience for loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability. Core Web Vitals are a confirmed ranking factor in Google Search.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
A Core Web Vital that measures the time from page load start until the largest visible content element (image, video, or text block) is rendered on screen. Good LCP is 2.5 seconds or less.
Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
A Core Web Vital that measures the latency of all user interactions (clicks, taps, keyboard input) throughout the page lifecycle, reporting the worst interaction. Good INP is 200 milliseconds or less.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
A Core Web Vital that measures the total amount of unexpected layout shifts that occur during a page's entire lifespan. Good CLS is 0.1 or less, where layout shifts are calculated from the impact and distance of moving elements.
Time to First Byte (TTFB)
The duration from the user's request to the first byte of the server response reaching the browser. TTFB measures server-side processing speed and network latency, directly impacting all subsequent loading metrics.
Crawl Budget
The number of pages a search engine bot will crawl on your site within a given timeframe, determined by crawl rate limit and crawl demand. Crawl budget optimization ensures important pages are discovered and indexed efficiently.