Write meta descriptions for humans first, search engines second. Google doesn't use them for ranking, but a well-crafted description can boost your CTR by 20–30% compared to a generic or auto-generated one, and CTR does influence rankings indirectly. Start with the primary keyword in the first half of the description so it appears in the visible snippet on mobile. Then clearly answer what the page is about and what value the user gets. Avoid fluff like "we are the best" or "learn more here." Instead, be specific: mention a benefit, a number, or a unique angle. If you're targeting local searches in Ottawa or Toronto, include the city name naturally. Keep it between 150–160 characters. Google truncates around 155–160 on desktop and often shorter on mobile. If you go over, your key message might get cut off with an ellipsis, killing the click. Some SEOs write shorter descriptions (120–140 characters) to guarantee full display across devices, which works if you can deliver the hook fast. Don't duplicate meta descriptions across pages. Google will often rewrite them anyway if they think they can do better, especially for long-tail queries, but giving them a solid starting point improves your odds. For product pages, include price or stock info if relevant. For blog posts, tease the main takeaway or stat. At Ottawa SEO, we A/B test meta descriptions on high-traffic pages by updating them quarterly and watching Search Console CTR data. A 2% CTR gain on a page getting 10,000 impressions per month means 200 extra visits without changing rankings. We also avoid keyword stuffing—one natural mention is enough. If the description reads like spam, users bounce, and that tanks your performance long-term. Finally, remember Google rewrites about 60% of meta descriptions depending on the query, so don't obsess. Write a strong default, monitor what Google actually shows, and adjust if they consistently ignore yours.