{"id":39703,"date":"2020-09-29T12:52:38","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T17:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=39703"},"modified":"2023-10-05T03:02:16","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T08:02:16","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>&nbsp;to provide more context.<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1286\" height=\"314\" class=\"wp-image-39688\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/1-site-explorer-meta-description.png\" alt=\"1 site explorer meta description\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/1-site-explorer-meta-description.png 1286w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/1-site-explorer-meta-description-680x166.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/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<pre>&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;<\/pre>\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\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">not a ranking factor<\/a>&nbsp;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\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/on-page-seo\/\">on-page SEO<\/a>&nbsp;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 despite their seemingly low SEO importance.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#why-meta-descriptions-still-matter\">Why meta descriptions still matter<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#how-to-write-a-meta-description\">How to write a meta description<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#how-to-prioritize-meta-descriptions\">How to prioritize meta description creation and editing<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#meta-description-examples\">Great meta description examples<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"hub-link\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Beginner's guide to on-page SEO\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/svg\/3.svg\"><div class=\"hl-title\">New to on-page SEO? Check out&nbsp;our<\/div><div class=\"hl-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/on-page-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\">Beginner\u2019s guide to on-page SEO<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<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\" data-anchor=\"Why meta descriptions still matter\" data-section=\"why-meta-descriptions-still-matter\">\n<h2>Why meta descriptions still matter<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\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 in <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-39691\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/2-google-rewrites-meta-descriptions-study.png\" alt=\"2 google rewrites meta descriptions study\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/2-google-rewrites-meta-descriptions-study.png 900w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/2-google-rewrites-meta-descriptions-study-476x425.png 476w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/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.&nbsp;Increasing your CTR from 4% to just 4.5% in this instance would result in almost 100 more clicks.<\/p>\n<p>So while you shouldn\u2019t obsess over meta descriptions, it\u2019s still worth spending a minute of your time 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?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That second question probably needs an explanation.<\/p>\n<p>You see, 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>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"990\" height=\"1106\" class=\"wp-image-39697\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/3-meta-description-social.jpg\" alt=\"3 meta description social\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/3-meta-description-social.jpg 990w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/3-meta-description-social-380x425.jpg 380w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/3-meta-description-social-768x858.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 990px) 100vw, 990px\"><\/p>\n<p>But if you haven\u2019t set an OG or Twitter description, it pulls the meta description instead. So if you\u2019re only willing to make an effort to set one of these tags, it should be the meta description.<\/p>\n<p>Onto the creation process.\u2026<\/p>\n<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\" data-anchor=\"How to write a meta description\" data-section=\"how-to-write-a-meta-description\">\n<h2>How to write a meta description<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Follow these five steps to create your meta descriptions quickly and easily:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#1-expand-title-tag\">Expand on your title&nbsp;tag<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#2-match-search-intent\">Match search intent<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#3-use-active-voice\">Use active voice<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#4-be-concise\">Be concise<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#5-deploy-meta-description\">Deploy the meta description<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Let\u2019s get into&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"1-expand-title-tag\">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-39695\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/4-check-broken-links-meta-description.png\" alt=\"4 check broken links meta description\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/4-check-broken-links-meta-description.png 1294w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/4-check-broken-links-meta-description-680x172.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/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>&nbsp;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 id=\"2-match-search-intent\">2. Match search intent<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/search-intent\/\">Search intent<\/a>&nbsp;is the \u2018why\u2019&nbsp;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-39701\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/5-meta-desciription-definition-snippets.png\" alt=\"5 meta desciription definition snippets\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/5-meta-desciription-definition-snippets.png 1294w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/5-meta-desciription-definition-snippets-373x425.png 373w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/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 SERPs 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-39685\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/6-how-to-tie-a-tie.png\" alt=\"6 how to tie a tie\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/6-how-to-tie-a-tie.png 1290w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/6-how-to-tie-a-tie-389x425.png 389w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/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-39693\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/7-standing-desks-results.png\" alt=\"7 standing desks results\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/7-standing-desks-results.png 1296w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/7-standing-desks-results-551x425.png 551w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/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 id=\"3-use-active-voice\">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-39687\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/activevoice_md.png\" alt=\"activevoice md\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/activevoice_md.png 1286w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/activevoice_md-680x162.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/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>Now look at&nbsp;this:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-39712\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/passive-voice.png\" alt width=\"1274\" height=\"308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/passive-voice.png 1274w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/passive-voice-680x164.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/passive-voice-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<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div> I wrote that as a bad example to make the point. It\u2019s not a real description.&nbsp;<\/div>\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\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"4-be-concise\">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-39684\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/10-tie-knots-snippets.png\" alt=\"10 tie knots snippets\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/10-tie-knots-snippets.png 1320w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/10-tie-knots-snippets-680x385.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/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. Your best bet to keep them within length is to use a tool like <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.spotibo.com\/meta-description-length\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this one<\/a>, or a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress\/\">WordPress SEO plugin<\/a>&nbsp;like Yoast with the functionality built-in.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1186\" height=\"1414\" class=\"wp-image-39692\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/11-meta-description-length.png\" alt=\"11 meta description length\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/11-meta-description-length.png 1186w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/11-meta-description-length-356x425.png 356w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/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 id=\"5-deploy-meta-description\">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-39682\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/12-squarespace-meta-description.png\" alt=\"12 squarespace meta description\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/12-squarespace-meta-description.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/12-squarespace-meta-description-586x425.png 586w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/12-squarespace-meta-description-768x557.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/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 <code>&lt;head&gt;<\/code>&nbsp;section of your HTML&nbsp;code.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"374\" class=\"wp-image-39681\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/13-meta-description-code.png\" alt=\"13 meta description code\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/13-meta-description-code.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/13-meta-description-code-680x159.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/13-meta-description-code-768x180.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/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 &amp;quot; 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<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\" data-anchor=\"How to prioritize meta description creation and editing\" data-section=\"how-to-prioritize-meta-descriptions\">\n<h2>How to prioritize meta description creation and editing<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\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>There\u2019s no point in auditing your whole website for meta descriptions. Instead, focus on pages that get the most search traffic. That\u2019s when a better meta description can make a real difference.<\/p>\n<p>You can find these pages&nbsp;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 <strong>Page Explorer <\/strong>and apply these filters:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"706\" class=\"wp-image-39696\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/14-site-audit-page-explorer-filters.png\" alt=\"14 site audit page explorer filters\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/14-site-audit-page-explorer-filters.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/14-site-audit-page-explorer-filters-680x300.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/14-site-audit-page-explorer-filters-768x339.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/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><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-39709\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/site-audit.gif\" alt width=\"1396\" height=\"774\"><\/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-39690\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/16-page-explorer-organic-traffic.jpg\" alt=\"16 page explorer organic traffic\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/16-page-explorer-organic-traffic.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/16-page-explorer-organic-traffic-603x425.jpg 603w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/16-page-explorer-organic-traffic-768x541.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/16-page-explorer-organic-traffic-1536x1083.jpg 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. And that\u2019s even easier as they\u2019re reported directly in the <strong>On-page<\/strong>&nbsp;report:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1368\" class=\"wp-image-39689\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/17-page-explorer-on-page.png\" alt=\"17 page explorer on page\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/17-page-explorer-on-page.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/17-page-explorer-on-page-497x425.png 497w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/17-page-explorer-on-page-768x657.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/17-page-explorer-on-page-1536x1313.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/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-39698\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/18-meta-description-empty-error.png\" alt=\"18 meta description empty error\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/18-meta-description-empty-error.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/18-meta-description-empty-error-680x392.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/18-meta-description-empty-error-768x443.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/18-meta-description-empty-error-1536x885.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p>That was a pretty easy audit, right? What about some more writing inspiration?<\/p>\n<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\" data-anchor=\"Great meta description examples\" data-section=\"meta-description-examples\">\n<h2>Great meta description examples<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Let\u2019s wrap things up with a few examples of well-crafted meta descriptions across industries and search intents.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Healthline<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1294\" height=\"310\" class=\"wp-image-39700\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/19-healthline-meta-description.png\" alt=\"19 healthline meta description\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/19-healthline-meta-description.png 1294w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/19-healthline-meta-description-680x163.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/19-healthline-meta-description-768x184.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1294px) 100vw, 1294px\"><\/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>2. TimeOut<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1290\" height=\"304\" class=\"wp-image-39686\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/20-timeout-meta-description.png\" alt=\"20 timeout meta description\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/20-timeout-meta-description.png 1290w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/20-timeout-meta-description-680x160.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/20-timeout-meta-description-768x181.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1290px) 100vw, 1290px\"><\/p>\n<p>I thought that I would see mixed results of neighborhoods and hotels here, but the search results predominantly focus on Prague\u2019s areas. And this description matches intent perfectly. It offers a solution in a concise, lighthearted, and actionable manner. Mentioning \u201cfive best \u201cneighborhoods also tells the search they won\u2019t have to spend an age reading it.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Patagonia<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1298\" height=\"356\" class=\"wp-image-39699\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/21-patagonia-meta-description.png\" alt=\"21 patagonia meta description\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/21-patagonia-meta-description.png 1298w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/21-patagonia-meta-description-680x187.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/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 initially; 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>4. Nordstrom<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1296\" height=\"308\" class=\"wp-image-39702\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/22-nordstrum-meta-description.png\" alt=\"22 nordstrum meta description\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/22-nordstrum-meta-description.png 1296w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/22-nordstrum-meta-description-680x162.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/22-nordstrum-meta-description-768x183.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1296px) 100vw, 1296px\"><\/p>\n<p>This is the epitome of a great e-commerce 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&nbsp;a USP&nbsp;in these SERPs as only one other result mentioned it.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Shopify<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1140\" height=\"788\" class=\"wp-image-39694\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/23-shopify-meta-description.png\" alt=\"23 shopify meta description\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/23-shopify-meta-description.png 1140w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/23-shopify-meta-description-615x425.png 615w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/23-shopify-meta-description-768x531.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px\"><\/p>\n<p>Our last example is a homepage. This 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 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/serps\/\">SERPs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Final thoughts<\/h2>\n<p>Meta descriptions are one of the first topics most people encounter upon entering the world of SEO. Luckily, it\u2019s also one of the easiest to understand and master, so you won\u2019t ever have to spend much time on&nbsp;it.<\/p>\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<p>Got any questions? Feel free to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/michalpecanek\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ping me on Twitter<\/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],"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 v27.3 - 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 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=\"2023-10-05T08:02:16+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\" \/>\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\":\"2023-10-05T08:02:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/meta-description\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1797,\"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\":\"2023-10-05T08:02:16+00:00\",\"description\":\"The meta description is an HTML attribute that describes what a page is about. 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