Meta Descriptions

A meta description is a short snippet of text — usually one to two sentences — added to a page's code that summarizes what's on it. Search engines sometimes show it under your title tag in results, though they'll also rewrite it on the fly if they think a different snippet answers the search better.

A meta description doesn't directly affect rankings, but it's often the deciding factor in whether someone clicks your result over a competitor's. A vague or missing one can mean a page ranks well but still gets skipped over.

In our SMB Web Practices Study, homepages with a meta description went with slightly higher Google Maps ranks, but only just beyond what chance would produce. An earlier, smaller sample found no association. Treat it as unproven, and as a reason to write one for the clicks it can earn, not for ranking.

Does having a good meta description help my rankings?

Not directly — it's not a ranking factor — but it can meaningfully affect your click-through rate, which is worth just as much in practice.

Can datanephew check which of my pages are missing meta descriptions?

Yes — ask it to audit your pages and it can flag which ones are missing a meta description or have one that's too short or too long to display properly.