Add a meta description
Your 150-character pitch shown under the title in search results.
What it means
The meta description is the summary text Google shows beneath your page title. It doesn't directly affect ranking, but it decides whether searchers click on you or the result above you.
Why it matters
With no description, Google picks random text from the page — often a menu or legal footer. A written description reliably raises click-through, which is free traffic for zero code.
How to fix it
- Write 140–160 characters: what the visitor gets + a reason to click ('See prices', 'Free trial').
- Include the words a searcher would type — Google bolds them in the snippet.
- In WordPress this is the 'meta description' field in your SEO plugin; on Shopify it's the 'search engine listing' on each product/page.
- Write unique descriptions for your top pages first — homepage, main services, best products.
Common mistakes
- Writing one description and reusing it across the whole site.
- Going over about 160 characters, so the end gets cut off in results.
- Describing the company instead of what this specific page gives the visitor.
How to check it worked
View the page source and search for name="description", or inspect the page in Google Search Console. Google may still rewrite the snippet, but a clear description is used far more often than a missing one.
Helpful tools
- Google Search Console
- SERP snippet preview tools
Not sure if this affects your site? Analyze your website for free or compare it with a competitor.
Related guides
- Write a proper page title: The single most important on-page SEO element — 50–60 characters that sell the click.
- Add Open Graph tags for social sharing: Control the title, description, and preview image shown when your page is shared.
- Add a clear call-to-action: One obvious button that tells visitors exactly what to do next.
- Use exactly one H1 heading: The H1 tells Google and visitors what the page is about — there should be one per page.