Meta Description

A meta description is a page-level summary supplied in an HTML `<meta name="description" content="…">` element. Search engines may use it when generating the descriptive snippet for a result, but they can instead select page text that better matches the query. The element is normally placed in the document head and is not part of the visible page body.

Why it matters: Write an accurate, page-specific summary that helps the intended visitor decide whether the result meets their need. Include the offering or answer and the most useful distinguishing detail; avoid keyword lists, generic brand boilerplate, invented claims, and descriptions reused across unrelated pages. There is no fixed Google character limit: snippets are truncated as needed for the device and result, so keep the essential information early and do not damage the sentence to hit an exact count. Programmatic descriptions are appropriate at scale when they use complete, human-readable, page-specific data. Google primarily creates snippets from visible page content and may show different text for different queries, so keep the opening copy useful too. The description is not a direct Google ranking signal and cannot guarantee a higher click-through rate. After recrawling, review actual snippets and query-level impressions, clicks, and CTR rather than checking the source tag alone.