How to Write a Meta Description and Meta Title
To write a meta description, summarize what the page gives the searcher in one or two plain sentences, starting with the words of their query, and add the one detail that makes your page worth the click. Keep it around 110 to 160 characters so it isn’t cut off, make it unique to the page, and describe only what the page contains. It won’t lift your rankings by itself; its job is to earn the click. The meta title (the title tag) sits above it: 60 characters or fewer, with the query first.
Below: what a meta description does, a simple formula, length, how to write the title tag, the reasons search engines rewrite both and examples for different page types.
What is a meta description for?
It’s the short summary under your title in search results, when the search engine chooses to show it. Google’s documentation on snippets says it may use your meta description. It does so when the description fits the page better than text taken from the page itself.
Google has said for years that the meta description isn’t a ranking signal. What it can change is whether someone clicks. Two results with similar titles compete on the line beneath them, and the clearer one tends to win the reader who wants exactly that.
What makes a good meta description?
Three things: it matches the search, it says what’s on the page, and it gives a reason to choose this page over the next result.
| Element | What to write | Example (for shape only) |
|---|---|---|
| Match the query | Start with the words the searcher used | “How to write a meta description:” |
| Say what’s inside | Name the specific things the page covers | “a formula and the length limits” |
| Give a reason | The detail other results lack | “including why search engines rewrite yours” |
| Stay true | Only what the page delivers | No “ultimate guide” on a 600-word post |
A useful formula: [query or its answer] + [what the page covers] + [what’s different]. Write it as a sentence, not a keyword list.
This post’s own description follows it. It starts with the query, names what the page covers and the length range, then ends with why Google rewrites some descriptions.
How long should a meta description be?
Aim for roughly 110 to 160 characters. Search engines don’t publish a fixed limit. Snippets are cut by display width, which varies by device, so anything much longer is likely to end mid-sentence. Much shorter, and you leave space unused that a competing result will fill.
Put the most important words first. If the description does get cut, the part that survives should still make sense.
Our house rule is 110 to 160 characters for every post, and our blog post structure guide shows where the description sits in the full template.
How long should a meta title be?
Keep the meta title, the <title> tag, to about 50 to 60 characters. Like the description, Google cuts titles by display width (roughly 580 pixels on desktop), not by a character count. A title of wide letters gets cut sooner than one of narrow ones. Sixty characters is a safe ceiling that fits most titles whole.
| Meta title (title tag) | Meta description | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it shows | The blue link in search results, the browser tab | The gray text under the link |
| Length | About 50 to 60 characters | About 110 to 160 characters |
| Ranking signal | Yes, it helps search engines understand the page | No |
| Job | Match the query and win the click | Confirm the match and give the reason to click |
| Rewritten by Google | Sometimes | Often |
How do you write a title tag for SEO?
Put the query in the first few words, say what the page gives, and stop before 60 characters. One title per page, unique across the site, and close to the page’s H1 so they promise the same thing. “How to Write a Meta Description and Meta Title” is this page’s.
Google may replace a title that is too long, stuffed with keywords or the same as other pages’ titles. When it does, it often uses the H1 or another heading instead. A plain, accurate title that matches the H1 is the best way to keep yours. The headline guide covers writing the title itself, and search intent covers matching it to what the searcher wants.
Why does Google rewrite meta descriptions?
Because it decided another passage from your page answers the search better. That happens most often when:
- The description doesn’t match the query. A page can rank for many searches, and one description can’t fit all of them.
- The description is generic or duplicated across many pages.
- It’s a list of keywords instead of a sentence.
- It promises something the page doesn’t contain.
You can’t prevent rewrites entirely, and for long pages that rank for many queries they’re often fine. What you can do is write a description that fits the page’s main query so well that it’s the best option for that search.
How do you write meta descriptions for different pages?
The formula stays the same; the reason to click changes.
- Blog post: answer or promise the answer, then name what’s inside. “Keyword cannibalization explained: how to confirm it in your data and which fix to use.”
- Product page: the product, who it’s for and one concrete differentiator, like a material or a guarantee. Our guide to product descriptions covers the page itself.
- Category page: what’s in the range and how to choose within it.
- Home page: what you sell and for whom, in plain words. Skip the slogan.
Every indexable page should have its own. Duplicated descriptions across a site give search engines a reason to ignore them and give searchers no reason to pick one page over another. Our guide to keyword cannibalization covers the related problem of pages competing for one query.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Stuffing keywords. One natural use of the query is enough. Repeating it reads like spam.
- Hype. “Best”, “ultimate” and exclamation marks make a careful reader trust the result less.
- Clickbait. A description that oversells raises your clicks and your bounce rate together.
- Leaving it blank on key pages. The search engine will pick a passage for you, which may be a cookie notice or a navigation label.
- Writing it last, in a hurry. The description is the first sentence most searchers read from you. Give it the care you’d give a headline.
If an AI drafts your descriptions, check each one against the page. Models tend to describe what a page on that topic usually covers rather than what yours covers. Our post on making AI writing sound human covers the hype words they lean on.
Do you need a tool to write meta descriptions?
For a small site, no. A character counter and the formula above do the job.
The trouble starts when your AI drafts them for you, post after post. It tends to write the average description: the query buried mid-sentence, a line that runs past 160 characters, a promise the page doesn’t keep. That’s the step a check catches.
Copix Complete runs that check inside the AI you already write with: Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Claude Code. The SEO Engine’s check_draft mode reads the title and description from a draft’s front matter and checks both. The title should be 60 characters or fewer with the query first, and the description 110 to 160 characters. In the same call it checks the rest of the draft and runs an on-page audit. For a post that’s already live, page mode audits what’s published.
- A monthly or yearly plan. Complete comes with credits every month, and unused ones roll over.
- Already on Basic? What’s left of your Basic month is credited to your next bill.
- 14 days free, so you can try it on your own posts first. Cancel before the trial ends and nothing is charged.
See what Copix Complete includes
FAQ
What is the right meta title length?
About 50 to 60 characters. Google cuts by width rather than a fixed count, so keep the important words at the start in case the end is cut.
Does the meta description affect rankings?
Google has said it doesn’t use the meta description as a ranking signal. It can affect how many searchers click your result, which is why it’s worth writing well.
What happens if I don’t write a meta description?
The search engine picks a passage from the page to show instead. Sometimes that works; sometimes it’s a fragment that doesn’t describe the page at all.
Should the meta description include the keyword?
Yes, once, near the start, and only where it reads naturally. Search engines often bold the words that match the search, which can help the result stand out.
Can two pages have the same meta description?
They can, but they shouldn’t. Each page answers a different question, so each needs its own description.
How often should I update meta descriptions?
When the page changes, or when a page ranks well but gets few clicks. A low click rate on a good position is the clearest sign the description isn’t doing its job.