Meta descriptions have zero direct ranking weight in Google's algorithm, but dismissing them as irrelevant is a mistake. They're your sales pitch in the search results—the difference between a 2% CTR and a 5% CTR on page two, or between position four and position one when users consistently choose your result over higher-ranked competitors. Google rewrites meta descriptions roughly 60–70% of the time, pulling text from your page that better matches the query. This doesn't make writing them pointless. When Google does use your meta description, you control the message. When it doesn't, having clear, benefit-driven copy on your page gives Google better material to pull from. Either way, you win. A strong meta description is 140–155 characters, answers the searcher's intent in the first sentence, and includes a clear reason to click. Avoid keyword stuffing—write for humans. For commercial pages, mention the specific benefit or differentiator. For informational content, promise a clear answer or outcome. We test meta descriptions at Ottawa SEO the same way we test ad copy: does it increase CTR without inflating bounce rate? The indirect ranking impact is real. When your result gets clicked more often than competitors at the same position, Google interprets that as relevance. Over weeks or months, higher CTR correlates with ranking improvements, especially in competitive niches where algorithmic signals are close. We've seen pages move from position 6 to position 3 after meta description rewrites, with no other changes. Ignore meta descriptions on thin pages or deep archive content where traffic potential is minimal. Prioritize them on commercial pages, high-volume informational content, and anywhere you're competing for position 1–5. If you're ranking but not getting clicks, rewrite the meta description before you touch the content. It's the fastest lever you can pull.