{"id":39703,"date":"2020-09-29T12:52:38","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T17:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=39703"},"modified":"2026-05-14T12:09:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T17:09:33","slug":"meta-description","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-description\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write the Perfect Meta Description"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"intro-txt\">The meta description is an HTML attribute used to describe what a page is about. It can appear in search results as a snippet under the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/title-tag-seo\/\">title tag<\/a> to provide more context.<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1286\" height=\"314\" class=\"wp-image-197003\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1-site-explorer-meta-description.png\" alt=\"1 site explorer meta description\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1-site-explorer-meta-description.png 1286w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1-site-explorer-meta-description-680x166.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1-site-explorer-meta-description-768x188.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1286px) 100vw, 1286px\"><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how the code snippet looks:<\/p>\n<p><code>&lt;meta name=\"description\" content=\"Site Explorer runs on a huge database of 12 trillion links and 402 million tracked keywords to give you the most complete SEO data about any website or URL.\"&gt;<\/code><\/p>\n<p>Even though the meta description attribute is <a href=\"https:\/\/webmasters.googleblog.com\/2009\/09\/google-does-not-use-keywords-meta-tag.html\">not a ranking factor<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-description-study\/\">Google shows it in search results only 37% of the time<\/a>, it\u2019s still a part of <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/on-page-seo\">on-page SEO<\/a> that content publishers often encounter.<\/p>\n<p>In this guide, you\u2019ll learn how to create great meta descriptions fast and how to audit them efficiently. But first, let me explain why meta descriptions still matter (and why their role has actually grown more interesting in the age of AI search).<\/p>\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-description\/#why-meta-descriptions-still-matter\">Why meta descriptions still matter<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-description\/#how-to-write-a-meta-description\">How to write a meta description<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-description\/#how-to-prioritize-meta-descriptions\">How to prioritize meta description creation and editing<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-description\/#meta-description-examples\">Great meta description examples<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h2><a id=\"post-197002-_ye52aqd0d5c0\"><\/a><div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\">Why meta descriptions still matter<\/div><\/div><\/h2>\n<p>Having a compelling meta description entices more people to click on your website in the search results. That\u2019s important, even though Google only shows meta descriptions around <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-description-study\/\">37% of the time<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"804\" class=\"wp-image-197004\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2-google-rewrites-meta-descriptions-study.png\" alt=\"2 google rewrites meta descriptions study\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2-google-rewrites-meta-descriptions-study.png 900w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2-google-rewrites-meta-descriptions-study-476x425.png 476w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2-google-rewrites-meta-descriptions-study-768x686.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"><\/p>\n<p>For example, if your page gets 50,000 impressions a month, Google shows the meta description for 18,500 of those impressions on average. Increasing your CTR from 4% to just 4.5% in this instance would result in almost 100 more clicks.<\/p>\n<p>But the case for writing a good meta description goes beyond Google search results. Here are four reasons to spend the time on&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-197002-_nve1h7lxejly\"><\/a>1. Meta descriptions influence click-through rates<\/h3>\n<p>Even at 37%, that\u2019s a meaningful number of impressions where your description is the deciding factor between a click and a scroll-past.<\/p>\n<p>Think of it as conversion copy, not SEO copy. Your job is to tell the reader exactly what they\u2019ll get and why it\u2019s worth their click, not to stuff it with keywords.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-197002-_nkvupo22bqul\"><\/a>2. Meta descriptions appear on every surface your page is shared or linked<\/h3>\n<p>When a page is shared on social media, it pulls the description from<a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/open-graph-meta-tags\/\"> Open Graph meta tags<\/a>. But if you haven\u2019t set a separate OG description, it falls back to the meta description. The same applies to link previews in Slack, Teams, Discord, and messaging apps.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"990\" height=\"1106\" class=\"wp-image-197005\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3-meta-description-social.jpeg\" alt=\"3 meta description social\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3-meta-description-social.jpeg 990w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3-meta-description-social-380x425.jpeg 380w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3-meta-description-social-768x858.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 990px) 100vw, 990px\"><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re only willing to set one of these tags, the meta description is the right&nbsp;call.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-197002-_m6gj1gik9qz8\"><\/a>3. AI platforms can use meta descriptions when referencing your&nbsp;page<\/h3>\n<p>When ChatGPT retrieves a page as a source during a web search, it extracts a \u201csnippet\u201d from the page to represent it in its source list.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/chris-long-marketing_seo-tip-meta-descriptions-are-still-important-activity-7388555714991906816-D1Ys\/\">Chris Long<\/a>, this snippet can come from several places:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The meta description<\/li>\n<li>An introductory paragraph<\/li>\n<li>Content under a heading<\/li>\n<li>A bulleted list<\/li>\n<li>Or even be auto-generated by ChatGPT itself<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"917\" height=\"590\" class=\"wp-image-197006\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/chris-longs-image-of-chatgpt-pulling-meta-descrip.jpg\" alt=\"Chris Long's image of ChatGPT pulling meta description field for a piece of content\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/chris-longs-image-of-chatgpt-pulling-meta-descrip.jpg 917w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/chris-longs-image-of-chatgpt-pulling-meta-descrip-661x425.jpg 661w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/chris-longs-image-of-chatgpt-pulling-meta-descrip-260x166.jpg 260w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/chris-longs-image-of-chatgpt-pulling-meta-descrip-768x494.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 917px) 100vw, 917px\"><\/p>\n<p>However, your meta description is your most direct opportunity to influence how your page is represented when AI platforms cite it, since it functions as a neatly wrapped summary of the page\u2019s content.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-197002-_axr4z2c4d67g\"><\/a>4. If you don\u2019t write one, AI&nbsp;will<\/h3>\n<p>Google has always rewritten meta descriptions when it decides your version isn\u2019t a good match for the&nbsp;query.<\/p>\n<p>But lately, Google has been testing something new: fully AI-generated descriptions powered by Gemini, complete with the Gemini logo in the&nbsp;SERP.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1296\" class=\"wp-image-197007\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fully-ai-generated-descriptions-for-reddit-in-goog.jpg\" alt=\"Fully AI-generated descriptions for Reddit in Google search results\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fully-ai-generated-descriptions-for-reddit-in-goog.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fully-ai-generated-descriptions-for-reddit-in-goog-672x425.jpg 672w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fully-ai-generated-descriptions-for-reddit-in-goog-260x166.jpg 260w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fully-ai-generated-descriptions-for-reddit-in-goog-768x486.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fully-ai-generated-descriptions-for-reddit-in-goog-1536x972.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/p>\n<p>These don\u2019t pull from your page content at all. They\u2019re generated fresh.<\/p>\n<p>A weak or missing meta description is effectively an open invitation for the AI to write whatever it thinks best represents your&nbsp;page.<\/p>\n<p>So while you shouldn\u2019t obsess over meta descriptions as a ranking signal, it\u2019s still worth spending a minute on pages where \u2018yes\u2019 is the answer to at least one of these questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Is the page meant to drive organic traffic?<\/li>\n<li>Is it likely to be shared on social media or messaging platforms?<\/li>\n<li>Is the page being cited as a source by AI platforms?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><a id=\"post-197002-_8uj7qsjhlyr\"><\/a><div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\">How to write a meta description<\/div><\/div><\/h2>\n<p>Follow these five steps to create your meta descriptions quickly and easily:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-description\/#1-expand-title-tag\">Expand on your title&nbsp;tag<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-description\/#2-match-search-intent\">Match search intent<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-description\/#3-use-active-voice\">Use active voice<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-description\/#4-be-concise\">Be concise<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-description\/#5-deploy-meta-description\">Deploy the meta description<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Let\u2019s get into&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-197002-_4e6yh5bs3kmm\"><\/a>1. Expand on your title&nbsp;tag<\/h3>\n<p>Always think about the description as something that complements the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/title-tag-seo\/\">title tag<\/a>. Titles should summarize a page using a few main keywords that characterize the topic. The meta description offers a chance to expand on that further.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1294\" height=\"328\" class=\"wp-image-197008\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4-check-broken-links-meta-description.png\" alt=\"4 check broken links meta description\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4-check-broken-links-meta-description.png 1294w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4-check-broken-links-meta-description-680x172.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4-check-broken-links-meta-description-768x195.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1294px) 100vw, 1294px\"><\/p>\n<p>In the case above, the short description motivates users to click on <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/broken-link-checker\">our broken link checker<\/a> because:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It checks pages and websites.<\/li>\n<li>It takes internal and external links into account.<\/li>\n<li>The tool is&nbsp;fast.<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s not a lead generation trap; you can use it on the page right&nbsp;away.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Don\u2019t worry about shoehorning keywords here. It\u2019s more important that you create something that connects with the reader and entices the click. Use your USPs where suitable.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-197002-_b04mxar0o0lh\"><\/a>2. Match search intent<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/search-intent\/\">Search intent<\/a> is the \u2018why\u2019 behind a query. In other words, what are most people looking for when they search for your main keyword?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Do they want information?<\/li>\n<li>Do they want to buy something?<\/li>\n<li>Are they looking for a specific website?<\/li>\n<li>Do they want a quick answer to a question?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can use the search results as a proxy for this. Google strives to provide the most relevant results for searchers, so look for commonalities amongst the snippets of top-ranking pages.<\/p>\n<p>For example, almost every result for \u201cmeta description\u201d shows a definition in the snippet\u2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1294\" height=\"1476\" class=\"wp-image-197009\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5-meta-desciription-definition-snippets.png\" alt=\"5 meta desciription definition snippets\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5-meta-desciription-definition-snippets.png 1294w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5-meta-desciription-definition-snippets-373x425.png 373w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5-meta-desciription-definition-snippets-768x876.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1294px) 100vw, 1294px\"><\/p>\n<p>\u2026so we\u2019ll go with that as&nbsp;well.<\/p>\n<p>Other <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/serps\/\">SERPs<\/a> may not be as straightforward, but you can always pick up on some clues. Let\u2019s take a look at \u201chow to tie a&nbsp;tie\u201d:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1290\" height=\"1408\" class=\"wp-image-197010\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/6-how-to-tie-a-tie.png\" alt=\"6 how to tie a tie\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/6-how-to-tie-a-tie.png 1290w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/6-how-to-tie-a-tie-389x425.png 389w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/6-how-to-tie-a-tie-768x838.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1290px) 100vw, 1290px\"><\/p>\n<p>All the snippets talk about different types of knots, and most mention how the post includes step-by-step instructions. That tells us these things are probably important to searchers and are worth including in a meta description.<\/p>\n<p>Just be careful with mixed intent SERPs like \u201cstanding desk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1296\" height=\"1000\" class=\"wp-image-197011\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7-standing-desks-results.png\" alt=\"7 standing desks results\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7-standing-desks-results.png 1296w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7-standing-desks-results-551x425.png 551w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7-standing-desks-results-768x593.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1296px) 100vw, 1296px\"><\/p>\n<p>You can see that there\u2019s a mix of results here. Some are blog posts reviewing the best standing desks, and others are product category pages from online stores.<\/p>\n<p>In cases like this, you should take inspiration from the page snippets that most closely align with the type of content you\u2019re publishing. If you\u2019ve written a blog post about standing desks, look at the review and comparison posts. If you\u2019ve created an ecommerce category page, look at&nbsp;those.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-197002-_7uasfcuamo7\"><\/a>3. Use active voice<\/h3>\n<p>Active voice improves clarity and entices the click by addressing the searcher directly.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1286\" height=\"306\" class=\"wp-image-197012\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/activevoice-md.png\" alt=\"activevoice md\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/activevoice-md.png 1286w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/activevoice-md-680x162.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/activevoice-md-768x183.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1286px) 100vw, 1286px\"><\/p>\n<p>You can see that it starts with a verb and makes the searcher the subject of the sentence. In other words, it\u2019s the searcher who\u2019s performing the action.<\/p>\n<p>Compare that&nbsp;to:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1274\" height=\"308\" class=\"wp-image-197013\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-11.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-11.png 1274w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-11-680x164.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-11-768x186.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1274px) 100vw, 1274px\"><\/p>\n<p>Compared to the first example, it\u2019s dull and demotivating. That\u2019s because it\u2019s written in the passive voice.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, it\u2019s not always wise to write meta descriptions in an active voice. Case in point: definition-style descriptions. But as a general rule of thumb, passive voice is more the exception than the&nbsp;rule.<\/p>\n<p>Learn more about the difference between active and passive voice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grammarly.com\/blog\/active-vs-passive-voice\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-197002-_2d1g0cyct0lk\"><\/a>4. Be concise<\/h3>\n<p>Meta descriptions are not a place for storytelling. Every word matters because users quickly decide what to click on by skimming the results, and because descriptions truncate after a certain length.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"748\" class=\"wp-image-197014\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/10-tie-knots-snippets.png\" alt=\"10 tie knots snippets\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/10-tie-knots-snippets.png 1320w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/10-tie-knots-snippets-680x385.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/10-tie-knots-snippets-768x435.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1320px) 100vw, 1320px\"><\/p>\n<p>Right now, that length is 920px (~160 characters) on desktop and 680px (~120 characters) on mobile.<\/p>\n<p>Your best bet to keep them within length is to use a tool like <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.spotibo.com\/meta-description-length\/\">this one<\/a>, or a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress\/\">WordPress SEO plugin<\/a> like Yoast with the functionality built&nbsp;in.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1186\" height=\"1414\" class=\"wp-image-197015\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/11-meta-description-length.png\" alt=\"11 meta description length\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/11-meta-description-length.png 1186w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/11-meta-description-length-356x425.png 356w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/11-meta-description-length-768x916.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1186px) 100vw, 1186px\"><\/p>\n<p>Whether you\u2019re better off optimizing for mobile or desktop users depends on your audience. If you generally go for longer descriptions for desktop users, make sure to get to the point by \u00be of the length, so even mobile users can see&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s the takeaway here? Be concise for users, not search engines. The length limit is a good signal that there might be unnecessary words.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-197002-_it052xyazaqj\"><\/a>5. Deploy the meta description<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re using a CMS, this is super easy. In Wix, Squarespace, <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/shopify-seo\/#on-page-seo\">Shopify<\/a>, and most others, you\u2019ll find a place to type or paste your meta description in the backend.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1160\" class=\"wp-image-197016\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/12-squarespace-meta-description.png\" alt=\"12 squarespace meta description\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/12-squarespace-meta-description.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/12-squarespace-meta-description-586x425.png 586w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/12-squarespace-meta-description-768x557.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/12-squarespace-meta-description-1536x1114.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>In WordPress, plugins like Yoast and RankMath add this same functionality.<\/p>\n<p>If you don\u2019t use a CMS, just paste the meta description tag into the &lt;head&gt; section of your HTML&nbsp;code.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"374\" class=\"wp-image-197017\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/13-meta-description-code.png\" alt=\"13 meta description code\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/13-meta-description-code.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/13-meta-description-code-680x159.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/13-meta-description-code-768x180.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/13-meta-description-code-1536x359.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"recommendation\"><div class=\"recommendation-title\">Recommendation<\/div><div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n<p>If you\u2019re adding the meta description straight into the code, don\u2019t use quotation marks in the description itself because it will break things. Instead, use the HTML entity <code>&amp;quot;<\/code> so it looks like&nbsp;this:<\/p>\n<p><code>&lt;meta name=\"description\" content=\"Just showing how to use &amp;quot;quotation marks&amp;quot; in meta description.\"&gt;<\/code><\/p>\n<p>If you use quotation marks when adding a meta description in CMS and plugins, they will usually take care of the HTML transcoding for&nbsp;you.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<h2><a id=\"post-197002-_dqqk493d1f7j\"><\/a><div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\">How to prioritize meta description creation and editing<\/div><\/div><\/h2>\n<p>During the publishing process is not the only time you should take meta descriptions into account. You might already have pages that have a bad meta description or none at&nbsp;all.<\/p>\n<p>You can find these pages in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/webmaster-tools\">Ahrefs Webmaster Tools<\/a>. Just make a free account, run a crawl with <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a>, then go to Page Explorer and apply these filters:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"706\" class=\"wp-image-197018\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/14-site-audit-page-explorer-filters.png\" alt=\"14 site audit page explorer filters\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/14-site-audit-page-explorer-filters.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/14-site-audit-page-explorer-filters-680x300.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/14-site-audit-page-explorer-filters-768x339.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/14-site-audit-page-explorer-filters-1536x678.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>Next, click on the \u201cManage columns\u201d button and select \u201cOrganic traffic,\u201d \u201cMeta description,\u201d and \u201cMeta description length\u201d:<\/p>\n<p>Finally, sort the pages by their organic traffic:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1128\" class=\"wp-image-197019\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16-page-explorer-organic-traffic.jpeg\" alt=\"16 page explorer organic traffic\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16-page-explorer-organic-traffic.jpeg 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16-page-explorer-organic-traffic-603x425.jpeg 603w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16-page-explorer-organic-traffic-768x541.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/16-page-explorer-organic-traffic-1536x1083.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>Now you\u2019re looking at your most important meta descriptions. Check for those that aren\u2019t great or that are missing entirely.<\/p>\n<p>While I recommend this \u201ccatch-all\u201d method, you can also choose only to check missing meta descriptions.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s even easier as they\u2019re reported directly in the Content report:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1352\" height=\"842\" class=\"wp-image-197020\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-19.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-19.png 1352w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-19-680x423.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-19-768x478.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1352px) 100vw, 1352px\"><\/p>\n<p>Click on the \u201cView affected URLs\u201d button to open the report and sort the pages by organic traffic to get the prioritization right:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"922\" class=\"wp-image-197021\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/18-meta-description-empty-error.png\" alt=\"18 meta description empty error\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/18-meta-description-empty-error.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/18-meta-description-empty-error-680x392.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/18-meta-description-empty-error-768x443.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/18-meta-description-empty-error-1536x885.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve identified which pages need attention, you can fix meta descriptions directly in Ahrefs without touching your CMS or involving a developer.<\/p>\n<p>Site Audit\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/patches\/\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/site-audit-patches\/\"> Patches<\/a> feature lets you write and publish updated meta descriptions straight from the issue report.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"367\" height=\"583\" class=\"wp-image-197022\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-21.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-21.png 367w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-21-268x425.png 268w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 367px) 100vw, 367px\"><\/p>\n<p>Just click \u201cPatch it\u201d next to any flagged page, enter your new description, and publish.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1112\" height=\"493\" class=\"wp-image-197023\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-22.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-22.png 1112w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-22-680x301.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-22-768x340.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1112px) 100vw, 1112px\"><\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"post-197002-_2xbx6xrcnxwp\"><\/a><div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\">Great meta description examples<\/div><\/div><\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s wrap things up with a few examples of well-crafted meta descriptions across industries and search intents.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-197002-_dz2wu9wjha80\"><\/a>1. Healthline<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"918\" height=\"330\" class=\"wp-image-197024\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-23.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-23.png 918w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-23-680x244.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/word-image-197002-23-768x276.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 918px) 100vw, 918px\"><\/p>\n<p>Most searchers are seemingly looking for a definition here, so that\u2019s what this meta description shows. It then prompts the reader to learn more about the benefits of glycine by clicking. Simple and efficient.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-197002-_ipfeh5d3wp4h\"><\/a>2. Patagonia<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1298\" height=\"356\" class=\"wp-image-197025\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/21-patagonia-meta-description.png\" alt=\"21 patagonia meta description\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/21-patagonia-meta-description.png 1298w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/21-patagonia-meta-description-680x187.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/21-patagonia-meta-description-768x211.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1298px) 100vw, 1298px\"><\/p>\n<p>Here, the searcher is looking for sale items. I like the urgency signal; it feels more original and less aggressive than these tend to be. Then you see an affirmation of what you came for, ending with Patagonia\u2019s distinctive asset: supporting sustainability and conservation.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-197002-_4s4p0tk6xatz\"><\/a>3. Nordstrom<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1296\" height=\"308\" class=\"wp-image-197026\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/22-nordstrum-meta-description.png\" alt=\"22 nordstrum meta description\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/22-nordstrum-meta-description.png 1296w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/22-nordstrum-meta-description-680x162.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/22-nordstrum-meta-description-768x183.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1296px) 100vw, 1296px\"><\/p>\n<p>This is the epitome of a great ecommerce category page in the search results. It\u2019s probable that Nordstrom lists their most popular types of coats and brands here. Free shipping is also likely a USP in these SERPs, as only one other result mentioned it.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-197002-_y3ix9n9wnyr3\"><\/a>4. Shopify<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1140\" height=\"788\" class=\"wp-image-197027\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/23-shopify-meta-description.png\" alt=\"23 shopify meta description\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/23-shopify-meta-description.png 1140w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/23-shopify-meta-description-615x425.png 615w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/23-shopify-meta-description-768x531.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px\"><\/p>\n<p>Our last example is a homepage. This is a category of its own because you have to reflect your brand and what you do. Shopify does this well. It\u2019s clear and prompts you to try the service for&nbsp;free.<\/p>\n<p>Your homepage is the only page where I\u2019d advise spending more time on the meta description because it mostly appears for branded queries where the intent is clear. As a result, Google is more likely to show the meta description in the&nbsp;SERPs.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"post-197002-_us2fpd87y5zn\"><\/a>Final thoughts<\/h2>\n<p>Meta descriptions are among the first topics most people encounter in the world of&nbsp;SEO.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, it\u2019s also one of the easiest to understand and implement if you follow these basic principles:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Write it for the reader, not the algorithm<\/li>\n<li>Consider it a clear, compelling one-sentence pitch describing your&nbsp;page<\/li>\n<li>Keep it short and front-load the value in case it gets truncated<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For more things that move the needle in SEO, check out our list of <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-tips\/\">actionable SEO tips<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s how the code snippet looks: &lt;meta name=\u201cdescription\u201d content=\u201cSite Explorer runs on a huge database of 12 trillion links and 402 million tracked keywords to give you the most complete SEO data about any website or URL.\u201d&gt; Even though the<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":39704,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[413],"tags":[],"coauthors":[375,458],"class_list":["post-39703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-on-page-seo","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Write the Perfect Meta Description<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The meta description is an HTML attribute that describes what a page is about. It&#039;s used in AI search, and can appear in search results as a snippet under the title.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-description\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Write the Perfect Meta Description\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Follow these five steps.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-description\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-09-29T17:52:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-14T17:09:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/fb-meta-description.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"990\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michal Pec\u00e1nek, Despina Gavoyannis\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Follow these five steps.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@michalpecanek\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ahrefs\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/meta-description\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/meta-description\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michal Pec\u00e1nek\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b66ba944c48e71d0abac1af2f11265ec\"},\"headline\":\"How to Write the Perfect Meta Description\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-29T17:52:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-14T17:09:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/meta-description\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2050,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/meta-description\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/fb-meta-description.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"On-Page SEO\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/meta-description\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/meta-description\\\/\",\"name\":\"How to Write the Perfect Meta Description\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/meta-description\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/meta-description\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/fb-meta-description.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-29T17:52:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-14T17:09:33+00:00\",\"description\":\"The meta description is an HTML attribute that describes what a page is about. 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