What is Meta Description?
The short summary shown under a page title in Google search results.
Written by DidYouSEO Team·Updated April 2026
Definition
A meta description is an HTML element (<meta name='description' content='...'>) that provides a brief summary of a webpage's content. Search engines often display this text in the SERP snippet below the page title and URL. While meta descriptions are not a direct ranking factor, they significantly influence click-through rates - a compelling description gets more clicks than a generic or missing one.
Why it matters for SEO
A missing or auto-generated meta description means Google writes one for you - usually pulling random text from the page that may not be compelling. A well-written meta description acts as ad copy for your search result. It should include the target keyword naturally, communicate the page's value, and end with a subtle call to action. Optimizing meta descriptions is one of the lowest-effort, highest-impact on-page SEO tasks.
How to check meta description
DidYouSEO checks every page for a meta description, validates its length (between 120-160 characters is optimal), and flags missing or too-long descriptions as Critical or Warning issues. The SERP preview tool shows exactly how your title and description will look in Google.
Check it on your site - free
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