Meta descriptions have zero direct ranking weight in Google's algorithm, confirmed repeatedly since 2009. They won't move you from position five to position three. However, they're critical for earning clicks once you do rank, and CTR is a behavioral signal Google watches closely. When users consistently choose your result over competitors at the same position, Google interprets that as relevance, which can improve rankings over time. The indirect SEO value is substantial. A well-written meta description that matches search intent can lift your organic CTR by 20–40% compared to letting Google auto-generate one from your content. Higher CTR means more traffic at the same ranking, and sustained CTR advantages often correlate with ranking improvements over weeks or months. Google also bolds query terms in your meta description, so including your target keyword naturally makes your result more visually appealing. Google rewrites meta descriptions roughly 60–70% of the time, pulling snippets it considers more relevant to the specific query. This happens more when your description is too short, too generic, or doesn't match what the user searched. That doesn't mean you should skip them. For your primary target keywords, Google usually respects a well-crafted 140–155 character description that directly addresses the query. At Ottawa SEO, we write unique meta descriptions for every page targeting competitive terms, treating them as ad copy. We focus on differentiation: what makes this result worth clicking versus the nine others? We include the primary keyword once, add a clear benefit or answer preview, and often a subtle CTA like "See the breakdown" or "Compare your options." For long-tail pages or deep product variants where traffic is minimal, we let Google handle it dynamically. The practical test: check Search Console for pages with impressions but low CTR. Rewrite those meta descriptions with stronger hooks, wait three weeks, and compare CTR changes. That's where meta descriptions prove their SEO value, traffic without ranking higher.