Meta descriptions live in your page's HTML head section, so visitors never see them while browsing your site. They show up in two main places: below your blue clickable title in Google search results (typically 150–160 characters on desktop, sometimes less on mobile), and as preview text when someone shares your URL on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. Google doesn't use meta descriptions as a ranking factor, but they directly impact click-through rate. A well-written description that matches search intent can lift CTR by 20–40% compared to a generic auto-generated snippet. If you leave the meta description blank or write something irrelevant, Google pulls text from your page content—often the first paragraph or a random sentence—which rarely sells the click as effectively. At Ottawa SEO, we write meta descriptions for every important page because CTR improvements feed back into rankings over time. Higher CTR signals relevance to Google, and more traffic means more engagement data. We keep them between 150–155 characters to avoid truncation, front-load the primary keyword naturally, and include a clear value proposition or call to action. Watch out for duplicate meta descriptions across pages—Google Search Console flags these under the Enhancements report. Each page needs a unique description that reflects its specific content. Also avoid keyword stuffing; Google sometimes replaces stuffed descriptions with its own auto-generated snippet, wasting your effort. One nuanced point: Google rewrites meta descriptions roughly 63% of the time based on the searcher's query, pulling different snippets to better match intent. That doesn't mean you should skip writing them—your crafted description still appears often enough to matter, and it controls your social share previews completely. Test different descriptions in Google Search Console's performance report by comparing CTR before and after changes to see what resonates with your audience.