Beginner Steps to SEO - What is Meta Description (Chapter 12)

The meta description tag in HTML is the 160 character snippet used to summarize a web page's content. Search engines sometimes use these snippets in search results to let visitors know what a page is about before they click on it.

Meta descriptions can be any length, but Google generally truncates snippets to ~155–160 characters. It's best to keep meta descriptions long enough that they're sufficiently descriptive, so we recommend descriptions between 50–160 characters. Keep in mind that the "optimal" length will vary depending on the situation, and your primary goal should be to provide value and drive clicks.

The Function of Meta Description is similar to Meta Title - It Explains to Google What This Page is About

Heads up: Search engines Isn't Always Using your Meta Description

In some cases, search engines may overrule the meta description a webmaster has specified in the HTML of a page. Precisely when this will happen is unpredictable, but it often occurs when Google doesn't think the existing meta description adequately answers a user's query and identifies a snippet from the target page that better matches a searcher's query.

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