Back to Glossary
On-Page SEObeginner

Meta Description

An HTML tag that provides a brief summary of a page, displayed as the snippet in search results.

In Depth

Understanding Meta Description

A meta description is an HTML meta tag that provides a concise summary of a web page content. It typically appears as the descriptive text snippet below the title in search engine results pages (SERPs). While meta descriptions are not a direct ranking factor, they significantly influence click-through rates. A well-written meta description should be 70-160 characters, include your target keyword naturally, contain a clear value proposition, and end with a call to action. Google sometimes overrides your meta description with content it considers more relevant to the user query, especially if the provided description does not match the search intent.

Ready to Transform Your SEO?

Track meta description and more with Optic Rank

Get AI-powered SEO intelligence that puts glossary knowledge into actionable insights.