How to Write a Meta Description (12 Examples)

To write a meta description, summarise what the page offers in one or two plain sentences, include the main keyword naturally, add one specific detail (price, location, format or benefit) and end with a reason to click. Keep the key information early, because Google truncates long snippets by width. Google may still rewrite it, so make sure the page content matches what you promise.

What a meta description is

A meta description is an HTML tag in the <head> of a page that suggests a short summary for search results. Searchers see it below your title link. It does not appear on the page itself.

Google's snippet documentation says the snippet is generated mainly from page content, and that Google may use the meta description when it describes the page more accurately than on-page text. In practice that means:

• Your description is a suggestion, not a guarantee.
• Google may show different text for different queries.
• A description that matches the page and the search intent is more likely to be used.

How long should a meta description be?

There is no fixed character limit. Snippets are truncated by available width, which changes between mobile and desktop. Two practical rules work better than a hard number:

1. Put the main point and keyword in the first sentence, so a cut-off snippet still makes sense.
2. Keep it short enough to read at a glance. Many tools, including the Codesala AI Meta Description Writer, aim for under 160 characters as a working target.

Before publishing, preview your Google snippet to see how the title and description may look and where truncation could fall.

A 5-step meta description formula

1. State what the page is. Product, service, guide, recipe, tool.
2. Add the main keyword once. Use it naturally, the way a person would type it.
3. Add one specific detail. Price, city, delivery time, number of steps, cooking time, free plan.
4. Give a reason to click. What the reader gets, learns or saves.
5. Check it against the page. Every claim must be true on the page. If the page does not mention free delivery, the description should not either.

A simple template: [What it is] + [keyword] + [specific detail]. [Benefit or next step].

12 meta description examples

All brands below are fictional. Each example follows the formula above and is between 125 and 142 characters long.

Notice the pattern. Each one names the thing, includes a concrete detail and closes with an action or benefit. None of them stuffs keywords.

If you need a first draft quickly, the AI Meta Description Writer creates options from a topic. Edit the output so every claim matches your page.

How to add a meta description in HTML

Place the tag inside <head>, once per page:

<head>
  <title>Vegetable Biryani Recipe (One Pot, 45 Minutes)</title>
  <meta name="description" content="Easy vegetable biryani ready in 45 minutes, made in one pot with basmati rice and whole spices. Includes a pressure cooker method.">
</head>

If your description contains double quotes, write them as " so they do not break the attribute. To generate the full set of tags, including Open Graph and Twitter tags, use the Meta Tags Generator.

How to add a meta description in WordPress

WordPress core does not include a meta description field.

1. With an SEO plugin. Yoast SEO and Rank Math both add a description field below the editor or in a sidebar panel. Fill it in for each post, page, product and category.
2. With theme code. If you do not use an SEO plugin, you can print the post excerpt as the description from your theme's functions.php:

add_action( 'wp_head', function () {
    if ( is_singular() && has_excerpt() ) {
        $desc = wp_strip_all_tags( get_the_excerpt() );
        echo '<meta name="description" content="' . esc_attr( $desc ) . '">' . "\n";
    }
} );

Do not combine this snippet with an SEO plugin, or your pages will output two description tags.

Common meta description mistakes

• Duplicates across pages. A CMS template that repeats one description on every page gives searchers no reason to choose a specific result.
• Keyword stuffing. Lists of keywords read badly and do not describe the page.
• Promises the page does not keep. Offers, prices or features that are not on the page lead to quick exits.
• Missing descriptions. Google will pick text from the page, which may be a menu label or a cookie notice.
• Important details at the end. If the price or location sits in the last few words, it may be cut off.
• Broken quotes. An unescaped double quote ends the content attribute early.

After publishing, analyze your title and meta tags to confirm the tag is present, appears only once and matches what you wrote. To check the rest of the page, work through our SEO audit checklist.

Next steps

1. List your 20 most important pages and check which have missing or duplicate descriptions.
2. Rewrite each one with the 5-step formula.
3. Preview each snippet before publishing.
4. Add or update the tag in HTML or your SEO plugin.
5. Review Search Console Performance data after a few weeks and rewrite descriptions for pages with many impressions and few clicks.