Google often ignores the meta description you write. That is exactly why you should write it carefully.
It sounds backwards, so here is the proof. Google has said for years that meta descriptions are not a ranking factor, which means a perfect one will not push you up the page. Google also regularly replaces them with text pulled from your page when it thinks that suits the search better. Yet meta descriptions for small business websites still earn their keep, because when yours is shown, it is the only sales pitch a stranger reads before deciding whether to click you or the business next to you.
This post covers what to write, where to put it and what to avoid. You can finish the important pages in an afternoon.
What a meta description actually is
A meta description is a short piece of text, written in the back end of your page, that can appear under your title in Google results. Think of the search result as a tiny shop window. The title is the sign above the door and the meta description is the line on the glass that tells people what is inside.
It sits alongside two other things people mix up:
- Title tag: the blue clickable headline in search results. This one does influence rankings.
- Meta description: the grey text under it. It does not directly influence rankings, but it influences whether people click.
- Page heading (H1): the big headline on the page itself, which visitors see after they arrive.
Most small business sites have a title tag of some sort, because the website builder fills one in automatically. The meta description is usually blank, or it says something like 'Welcome to our website'. Both are wasted chances.
Why Google rewrites them, and why you should still bother
Google builds each result around what the person typed. If someone searches 'emergency plumber Burleigh' and your meta description talks about your family history, Google will often grab a sentence from your page that mentions emergency call-outs instead.
That is the useful clue. Google swaps descriptions that do not match the search. It is more likely to keep one that does.
So a good meta description does three jobs:
- It answers the likely search in plain words, so Google has less reason to replace it.
- It gives the reader a reason to choose you, such as a service area, a licence, a turnaround time or an upfront price.
- It sets an honest expectation, so the people who click are the people who want what you sell.
Clicks matter because a page nobody clicks never gets the chance to win a customer. You are not writing for an algorithm. You are writing a very short ad that costs nothing to run.
Title tags first: the part that does affect rankings
Before you touch descriptions, fix your title tags. They are more important and take about the same time.
A decent title tag is roughly 50 to 60 characters, so it is not cut off in results. It puts the thing people search for near the front, includes your location if you serve a local area, and ends with your business name.
Before: Home | Smith and Sons
After: Emergency Plumber Burleigh | Smith and Sons
The first version tells Google and the customer almost nothing. The second says what you do, where you do it and who you are. Every page needs its own title. If your services page, contact page and home page all share one title, Google struggles to tell them apart.
How to write meta descriptions for small business pages
Aim for about 120 to 155 characters. Longer than that and Google will cut the end off, often right where your phone number or key promise was.
Use this simple structure:
- Start with the customer's problem or need, in the words they would use.
- Add one proof point: licensed, locally owned, same-day, fixed-price quotes, open Saturdays.
- Finish with a next step: call, book online, get a quote.
Before: Welcome to our website. We offer a range of quality services at competitive prices.
After: Blocked drain or burst pipe in Burleigh? Licensed local plumbers, upfront quotes and same-day call-outs. Call or request a time online.
The second one speaks to a person in a hurry. It also contains the words that person probably typed, which gives Google a reason to leave it alone.
Write each one for the page, not the business
A cafe's home page description and its catering page description should be different. So should a physio's page on sports injuries and the one on workplace claims. Describe what is on that specific page and what the visitor can do there.
The mistakes that waste them
Most poor meta descriptions fail in the same handful of ways.
- Duplicates. One description copied across every page. Google ignores them and you lose the chance to match different searches.
- Keyword stuffing. 'Plumber Gold Coast plumbing plumbers cheap plumber' reads like spam, because it is spam.
- Vague filler. 'Quality service you can trust' could describe any business in Australia.
- Promises the page does not keep. If your description says free quotes and the page hides them, people leave quickly.
- Running too long. Put the important part first, since the end may be cut.
- Leaving it blank. You hand the decision to Google, which will pick a random chunk of text, often a menu or a cookie notice.
Capital letters shouting at people and the occasional exclamation mark do not help either. Plain and specific beats loud.
Where to edit them, and which pages come first
The place to edit depends on your website platform. Most website builders have an 'SEO' or 'search appearance' section in each page's settings. WordPress sites usually use an SEO plugin that adds a box under the page editor. If you cannot find it, your web designer can point you to it in a couple of minutes.
Do not try to rewrite every page at once. Work in this order:
- Home page
- Your two or three main service or product pages
- Contact or booking page
- Any location pages
- Your best performing blog posts
If you have Google Search Console set up, look at which pages already get plenty of impressions but few clicks. Those are the best candidates, because people are seeing you and scrolling past.
Do this week
- Search your own business name and main service in Google, and note which of your pages show a blank or odd description.
- Rewrite the title tag and meta description for your home page and your top service page. Block out 30 minutes and use the three-part structure above.
- Check that every page has a different title and description, with no copied text.
- Read each description out loud. If it could belong to a competitor, add something only you can say.
- Check back in a few weeks in Search Console to see whether clicks on those pages have shifted. Results vary, so judge the trend rather than a single day.
If your site is full of blank or duplicated descriptions and you would rather have someone sort it out properly, have a look at our website design for small business approach, or send us a message and we will tell you honestly what needs fixing.