Meta descriptions have zero direct ranking weight in Google's algorithm, confirmed multiple times by Google representatives since 2009. They won't move you from position 5 to position 3. However, they matter enormously for SEO outcomes because they control what searchers see before they click. The indirect SEO value comes through click-through rate. When your meta description is compelling and matches search intent better than competitors at similar positions, you earn more clicks. Google interprets sustained CTR improvements as a quality signal. We've seen pages climb 2-4 positions over 4-8 weeks after rewriting meta descriptions that increased CTR by 15-30%, though correlation isn't always causation. Google rewrites meta descriptions roughly 63% of the time according to recent studies, pulling text from your page content instead. They rewrite more often when your meta description poorly matches the specific query or exceeds the display limit of approximately 155-160 characters on desktop, 120 on mobile. Even when rewritten, having a solid default meta description ensures Google has good source material to pull from. At Ottawa SEO, we write meta descriptions for every important page because the 37% of times Google does show them, they're your only ad copy in organic results. We focus on three elements: include the primary keyword naturally, promise a specific benefit or answer, and add urgency or differentiation where honest. For local Toronto or Ottawa clients, we include location when geographic intent exists. The pages where meta descriptions matter most are commercial pages, category pages, and informational content competing in crowded SERPs. Homepage meta descriptions get shown more reliably than deep content pages. For large sites with thousands of pages, programmatic meta descriptions using templates are acceptable for less important pages, but your top 50-100 revenue or traffic pages deserve custom attention. Skip meta descriptions entirely only if you're extremely resource-constrained and the page has clear, front-loaded content that Google can excerpt well. Otherwise, you're leaving CTR optimization to chance.