Under every search result in Google there is a short description. That is the meta description. It does not directly affect where you rank, but it does decide whether someone clicks on your result instead of your competitor's.
A good meta description can double your click-through rate (CTR). A bad one costs you visitors.
What is the ideal length?
- 140 to 160 characters: perfect. Fully visible on all devices.
- Over 160 characters: Google cuts it off with '...'.
- Under 80 characters: too short, and Google often fills in something itself (sometimes badly).
What makes a good description?
A strong description contains:
- What the searcher will find: a concrete answer to their question
- A reason to click on your result in particular: a USP, price, years of experience, a guarantee
- A call to action: "book now", "see what we offer", "request a quote"
- Persuasive words: "discover", "free", "instant", "proven", "exclusive"
Example: bad vs good
Bad: "Welcome to the website of Jansen Bakery. We are a bakery in Utrecht."
Good: "Fresh bread and pastries every morning from 07:00. In Utrecht-Noord for 40 years. Place an order online or just walk in."
Important: Google sometimes ignores your description
Google increasingly picks a piece of text from your page that matches the search query, instead of showing your meta description. That is not a problem: it just means the description is a suggestion, not a guarantee. What you can do: make sure the rest of your page also contains good text that can serve as a preview.
Where do you set it?
Same as the meta title: in WordPress with an SEO plugin you simply fill in a field. Without a plugin: <meta name="description" content="..."> in the head of your HTML.