Search your business name on Google and look at the grey lines of text under your website’s title. That’s your meta description, and it’s often the deciding moment between someone clicking through and scrolling past. This guide shows you what it is, how to check yours in ten minutes, and how to write one that sounds like you.
What is a meta description?
A meta description is a short summary of a page, written in the page’s settings, that Google can show under the page title in search results. Think of the title as the headline and the meta description as the line underneath that says why it’s worth a click.
Google doesn’t always use it. Sometimes it pulls a different snippet from the page that better matches what someone searched for. [Karen: light confirm] That’s normal, and it’s still worth writing a good one, because it’s what Google shows most often when it’s clear and relevant.
Why your meta description matters for SEO
A meta description isn’t a ranking switch you flip. What it does is help the right person decide your page is the one they want. The reality is that two businesses can sit side by side in the results, and the one that says clearly what the page offers is the one that gets the click.
Here’s the thing: it also gives you a second chance to say what you do, in plain words, to someone who has never heard of you.
How to check your meta descriptions in ten minutes
You don’t need any tools for this. Just Google and a notepad.
- Open Google and type site:yourwebsite.com.au, using your own web address.
- Look at the results for your homepage and your two or three most important pages.
- Read the grey text under each title. Write down what you see.
- Ask yourself: if a stranger read only this, would she know what the page offers and who it’s for?
- Look for any that are cut off mid-sentence, empty, repeated across pages, or a jumble of keywords.
- Circle the one on your most important page. That’s the one to fix first.
Step five is where most people find something. Long ones get cut off, and that’s usually fine as long as the important part comes first. Repeated ones are the real problem, because every page then says the same thing.
How to write a meta description that gets clicked
Write it for one person, not for Google.
- Say what the page is. “Plain-English SEO for service businesses in Brisbane” beats “Welcome to our website”.
- Say who it’s for. A visitor who sees herself in the line is more likely to click.
- Lead with the important part. Keep it to roughly one or two short sentences, because Google cuts long ones off. [Karen: light confirm on length]
- Use the words your customer would use, including the main phrase for that page, once and naturally.
- Finish with a reason to click, like what she’ll find or what she can do next.
- Write a different one for each page. Copying the same line across your site is the most common mistake.
You can write meta descriptions in the settings of most website platforms or in an SEO plugin, usually in a box under the page title.
Before and after examples
These businesses are made up, to show the difference.
| Page | Vague meta description | Clearer meta description |
|---|---|---|
| Remedial massage therapist, services page | Welcome to our website. We offer a range of services to suit your needs. | Remedial massage for desk-bound backs and tight shoulders. See what a session involves and book online. |
| Bookkeeper for sole traders, homepage | Bookkeeping services. Contact us today for a quote. | Bookkeeping for sole traders who’d rather not think about receipts. Simple monthly packages, no jargon. |
| Pilates studio, timetable page | Pilates classes, timetable, pricing, bookings, Pilates Brisbane. | Small-group Pilates classes with a timetable that works around school drop-off. See what’s on this week. |
| Naturopath, about page | About us. We are passionate about health. | Meet the naturopath behind the clinic, how she works and who she helps. Book a first appointment. |
Meta descriptions and AI search
AI tools and Google’s AI answers read your pages to work out what you do. A clear, plain-English meta description is one more place that says it the same way as your page title, your headings and your Google Business Profile. [Karen: light confirm] The more consistent those are, the easier it is for any search tool, human or AI, to describe you accurately.
Your next step
Type site:yourwebsite.com.au into Google, find the weakest description on your most important page, and rewrite it in one or two plain sentences. One page, ten minutes.
If you’d like to go further, my free guide, How to drive more traffic to your website using your Google Business Profile, walks you through the rest of your online presence.
