Definition
A meta description is the short text, 150 to 160 characters long, shown under a page's title in Google search results; it does not affect rankings, but it plays a decisive role in how many searchers click through to your site.
In plain English
When a prospective client searches on Google, each result has three visible parts: a URL, a clickable title that works hand in hand with your heading tags, and below it a short descriptive paragraph. That paragraph is the meta description.
Contrary to popular belief, Google does not use it to decide where your page ranks in the SERP. It is your sales pitch: it convinces the searcher to click your result rather than the competitor's just above or below. A well-written meta description can significantly raise your click-through rate, even when you are not in first position.
Google reserves the right to rewrite it automatically when it judges that another excerpt from your page better matches the query. This happens in about 60% of cases, but it is no excuse to skip it: when your version does appear, it has to make people want to read the page.
For a law firm
An employment law firm writes a page on wrongful termination. Without an optimized meta description, Google shows the first two sentences of the text: "Wrongful termination claims are governed by a mix of federal and state laws. They follow strict procedures and deadlines."
With a carefully written meta description: "Wrongful termination: process, deadlines, compensation. Our firm has represented employees and employers in Chicago for 15 years. Free first consultation." This second version answers the search intent directly, mentions the location for local searches, and invites action.
The impact is measurable: for the keyword "wrongful termination lawyer Chicago," the optimized version earns 40% more clicks at the same position, because it reassures readers about the firm's expertise and makes the first contact easy.
The Hendy figure
Across the law firms we work with, an optimized meta description improves click-through rate by 25% to 35% on average compared with the snippet Google generates automatically, measured on a sample of 18 firms since 2026.
The ranking stays the same; what changes is the share of searchers who choose your result.
Key takeaways
- A meta description affects click-through rate, not Google rankings.
- Keep it to 150 to 160 characters and include a clear benefit for the prospective client.
- Google often rewrites it, but an optimized version improves your chances of being shown the way you want.