Meta descriptions do not directly influence where you rank in Google's algorithm. Google confirmed this multiple times, most clearly in 2009 and again in subsequent years. The meta description tag is purely informational for the SERP snippet, not a ranking signal like title tags or content quality. That said, meta descriptions matter immensely for indirect ranking impact. When your snippet is compelling and matches search intent, you get higher click-through rates. Google tracks CTR as a user engagement signal. If your page consistently outperforms competitors in CTR for a given query, Google interprets that as a relevance signal and may promote your ranking. We've seen pages climb 3-5 positions after rewriting meta descriptions that better aligned with user intent, even though the page content stayed identical. Google doesn't always use your meta description. It rewrites snippets roughly 60-70% of the time, pulling text from your page that better matches the specific query. This happens more often when your meta description is generic, too short (under 120 characters), or doesn't address what the user searched for. Writing multiple variations targeting different keyword angles in your content gives Google better snippet options. At Ottawa SEO, we write meta descriptions for every important page because the 30-40% of the time Google does use them, they're your direct sales pitch in the SERP. We aim for 140-155 characters to avoid truncation on mobile, front-load the primary keyword naturally, and include a clear value proposition or call to action. For local pages, we add the city name even if it's in the title. The ranking benefit comes from the CTR lift, not the tag itself. A page ranking fourth with a 12% CTR will often outrank a third-position page with 8% CTR within weeks. Focus on writing for humans who are scanning ten blue links, not for an algorithm. Answer their implicit question: why click yours instead of the result above or below it?