Write meta descriptions between 150–160 characters to avoid truncation in Google's desktop and mobile results. Going slightly over (up to 165) is acceptable, but anything beyond that gets cut off with an ellipsis, weakening your message. Include your primary keyword near the beginning because Google bolds matching terms in the search results, which draws the eye and signals relevance. But don't keyword-stuff. The meta description is advertising copy, not a place to cram variations. Focus on what makes someone want to click: a specific benefit, a question answered, or a clear differentiator from competing results. Google rewrites meta descriptions roughly 70% of the time, pulling text from your page content instead. This happens more often when Google decides your description doesn't match the searcher's query well enough, or when your page ranks for long-tail variations you didn't write for. That doesn't mean meta descriptions are worthless. When yours does display, a strong one can lift CTR by 2–5 percentage points, which compounds into significant traffic over time. Avoid duplicate meta descriptions across pages. Each page competes for different queries and needs its own hook. E-commerce sites with thousands of SKUs can use templated descriptions (brand + product type + key attribute), but service pages and blog posts deserve unique copy. Don't waste characters on your brand name at the end unless brand recognition drives clicks in your niche. Google often appends your site name automatically. Use that space for another benefit or urgency element instead. At Ottawa SEO, we write meta descriptions during content creation, not as an afterthought. We test variations on high-value pages using Search Console CTR data over 60–90 day windows. If a page ranks in positions 3–7 but has below-average CTR for that position, rewriting the meta description is usually the fastest fix before touching the content itself. Track impressions and clicks in Search Console to see whether your changes move the needle.