What is Meta Description?

Meta description is a tag that describes the content of a web page (usually 120-160 characters), which is selected by search engines to display under the title (title). It is not a direct ranking factor, but has a strong impact on click-through rate (CTR). When clearly describing the benefits, containing keywords that match the query, users tend to click more, good CTR helps your page be "favored" more over time.

Three basic principles before writing

Stick to search intent, clear benefits, and concise length. Users are looking for quick answers to their problems, you need to show them “Why should they click on this page now?”. The ideal length should be around 140-155 characters to provide enough information without being cut off in search results. Avoid vague, general descriptions or keyword stuffing.

7-step meta description optimization process

Step 1: Identify search goals and primary keywords

Choose a primary keyword that accurately reflects the user's search intent. For knowledge blogs, these are often keywords in the form of “what is”, “how to…”, “instructions…”. For sales pages/landing pages, prioritize transactional keywords (“price…”, “buy…”, “service…”). Without a keyword research tool, you can type keywords into Google to see the suggestions, “people also ask” and titles of the top pages, and then deduce the language that real searchers use.

Step 2: Identify the reader and the benefit 1 sentence

Write out a sentence describing who will read it and the specific benefit they will receive when clicking on the page. For example: “New shop owner doing SEO” + “get a 5-minute checklist”. This benefit sentence is the “soul” of the meta description, helping you avoid getting bogged down in a dry feature list.

Step 3: Choose a suitable writing “formula”

You can use the following sentence frames (fill in the blanks), then edit the text to make it smooth:

• Problem → Solution → Results + CTA: “Hard to increase CTR? Learn how to write SEO-standard meta descriptions that stick to search intent to attract clicks. See detailed instructions now.”
• Audience → Benefits → Difference: “For small businesses: Optimize meta descriptions step by step, with real-life examples and fill-in forms Fast. Apply in 10 minutes.”
• Features → Benefits → CTA: “SEO-standard meta description: Standard length, natural keywords, compelling CTA. Download the template and start optimizing today.”

Step 4: Write a draft of 140-155 characters, including the main keyword early

Write 2-3 different versions, in which the main keyword appears naturally in the first half of the sentence. Each version holds 1 outstanding benefit, don't try to cram too many ideas.

Example (for this post):

“What is a meta description? Step-by-step guide to writing a SEO-standard description, matching search intent, helping to significantly increase CTR for blogs/landing pages. See now.”

Step 5: Add a soft CTA to motivate clicking

End the description with an invitation that makes the reader see “what you get when you click”: “See now”, “Download the template”, “Apply in 5 minutes”, “Learn step by step”. CTA should be concise, not too salesy, and appropriate to the context of the content.

Step 6: Attach the description to the page and check the display

In HTML, insert:

<meta name="description" content="What is Meta description? Step-by-step instructions for writing SEO-standard descriptions that match search intent and significantly increase CTR. See now.">

If you use CMS (WordPress, Shopify...), go to the SEO/Meta description section of each page.

Step 7: Monitor CTR and optimize periodically

After publishing, open Google Search Console → Performance → Pages, select the page you just optimized to see Impressions/CTR/Clicks. If after 2-4 weeks CTR is still low compared to the query average, go back to Step 4 to try a different description: Emphasize the benefit more, shorten the wording, or adjust the CTA. Repeat the write-tag-measure cycle until CTR improves.

Quick Practice: Write Meta Descriptions for 4 Types of Pages

Knowledge Blog Page

Suggested Formula: Clear Topic + Learned Benefits + CTA.

Example: “What is a Meta Description? 7-Step Process for Writing SEO-Friendly Descriptions, with Quick Fill-In Forms and Real-Life Examples. Apply Now to Increase CTR.”

Product/Service Page

Suggested Formula: Problem → Benefits → Trust Factor + CTA.

Example Example: “Complete SEO service to increase organic traffic, optimize technical & content safety. Transparent quote, clear contract. Get advice.”

Category page

Suggested formula: Product range + selective benefits + guaranteed signals.

Example: “SEO-standard landing page template, optimized for conversion for SMEs: clear layout, fast loading, easy to edit. Explore the latest template set.”

GTG CRM landing page

Suggested formula: Key features + quick operation benefits + CTA.

Example: “Create landing page and write SEO-standard meta description right in GTG CRM. Preview snippets, publish quickly, track performance easily.”

Checklist 60 seconds before clicking “Publish”

• Length around 140-155 characters, read seamlessly
• Contain 1 main keyword in a natural way, prioritize appearing early
• State the benefits, avoid vague slogans (“top quality”, “good price”)
• Have a soft CTA (view now, download sample, apply quickly…)
• Each page has a different description, no repetition between pages
• Release the actual content on the page 

Common mistakes and quick fixes

Your ad may not be optimized if it commits the following mistakes:

1. Many descriptions are cut off midway because they are too long, shorten the last clause or remove the redundant qualifier

2. Others stuff keywords, making the sentence stiff and unconvincing, keep one main keyword and turn the rest into specific benefits

3. The most serious mistake is duplicating descriptions on multiple pages, making it difficult for Google to distinguish, prioritize descriptions according to the specific intentions of each URL

4. Finally, don't promise that the page doesn't have one - Google can automatically generate another description if yours doesn't match the content

GTG CRM - Helps you deploy SEO-standard advertising content

If you need to write a blog to run ads but don't have time to research or test multiple versions, try GTG CRM - A platform that helps you advertise on Google easily with just a few steps.

Instead of having a headache thinking about how to write SEO-standard Titles and Meta descriptions that are attractive enough, you can let GTG CRM's AI take care of it. Your job is simply to click, and the content optimization part has an automatic suggestion and completion system.

Conclusion

Meta description does not rank for you, but it brings users to your page. Stick to intent, state benefits clearly, add soft CTA, keep the length just right and most importantly, measure to rewrite better. GTG CRM is the tool that helps you prepare SEO-standard Meta description