Meta Description

SEO

Also: Meta Desc · Search Snippet Description

What it isThe summary under your search result

LengthAround 155 characters

Watch forGoogle rewriting it anyway

Optimise forClicks, not ranking

Quick definition

A meta description is a short HTML tag that describes what a page contains. It appears under your page title in search results. Google uses it to help searchers decide whether to click. It does not directly affect search rankings but strongly influences click-through rate.

How it varies across Australia

Across Australian websites we've reviewed, missing or duplicate meta descriptions are among the most common on-page issues. The pages most often rewritten by Google are those with descriptions that don't match the search query well or run well over the character limit.

See on-page SEO patterns across Australian industries →

What it actually means

The meta description is the short paragraph under your page title in Google search results. It's the last piece of copy between a searcher and a click, or between them and the result below yours.

It doesn't influence your ranking position. Google has confirmed this clearly and repeatedly. The SEO benefit is entirely through click-through rate: a description that speaks to what the searcher actually wants produces more clicks, and more clicks on the same ranking position is a meaningful traffic gain.

The practical limit is around 155 characters on desktop before Google truncates with an ellipsis. Mobile truncates earlier, typically around 120 characters. The important content belongs in the first 120 to cover both.

The part that frustrates most teams: Google rewrites meta descriptions whenever it decides the original doesn't match the search query well enough. It pulls from page body copy instead. This happens most often when the description is too generic, too keyword-stuffed, or simply doesn't answer what the searcher typed.

Writing a good meta description still matters. If Google uses yours, it's doing exactly the job you wrote it for. If Google rewrites it, that's useful feedback that your page and description aren't well-aligned.

Google rewrites roughly half of all meta descriptions. Write a good one anyway, because the other half still runs.

How it shows up

The meta description lives in the HTML head of a page as a meta tag. In the page source it looks like: <meta name="description" content="Your description here.">. In search results, it appears as the grey text below the blue title link. In Google Search Console, click-through rate data shows you which pages are getting impressions without clicks, a reliable signal that title and description aren't compelling enough for the queries they're showing for.

The Australian context

Australian businesses selling locally often leave strong click-through gains on the table by writing generic descriptions that don't mention location, local credentials or Australian-specific context. A description that says 'serving Sydney businesses since 2008' earns more trust from a Sydney searcher than one that says 'we provide solutions for businesses.' The meta description is one of the cheapest places to make the local signal explicit.

Where people get this wrong

Writing the meta description for rankings, not for clicks.Google has confirmed meta descriptions don't affect ranking. Stuffing keywords into them wastes the copy's only real job, which is earning a click from a human.

Using the same description across multiple pages.Duplicate descriptions tell Google and the searcher nothing about what makes each page different. Google almost always rewrites them, which means you've given up control of that copy.

Writing past 155 characters and burying the point.Google truncates long descriptions mid-sentence. If the most compelling part of your description lands after character 120, most mobile searchers never read it.

Common questions

Does a meta description help with SEO rankings?

Not directly. Google has confirmed it is not a ranking signal. The indirect benefit is real though: a well-written description earns more clicks, and higher click-through rate on a given ranking position sends a positive signal back to Google over time.

Why does Google keep rewriting my meta description?

Google rewrites descriptions when it decides the original doesn't match the search query well enough. Common causes are descriptions that are too generic, too short, too long or keyword-heavy without answering what the searcher actually wants. The fix is writing descriptions that match the page's actual content and the likely query intent.

How long should a meta description be?

Aim for 120 to 155 characters. Desktop results show up to around 155 characters, mobile truncates closer to 120. Put the most important information in the first 120 characters to cover both. Shorter is fine if the description is specific and compelling.

Do I need a meta description on every page?

Not strictly, but leaving it blank gives Google full control over what it pulls from your page to display. For any page you care about ranking, write one. For low-priority pages like terms or privacy policy, leaving it blank is a reasonable call.

Keep exploring

About New Rebellion

New Rebellion is a marketing intelligence consultancy. We build tools, score Australian businesses on how their marketing actually performs, and publish Debrief every day. This dictionary is part of how we work in the open.

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