I would not write meta descriptions like keyword-stuffed ad copy. Google may rewrite them anyway. You still want a line that makes a human choose your result over the next blue link.
The snippet is your pitch in twelve words.
Match the page job
Service pages should say who you help and what outcome they get, comparisons should name both options and your angle, and tools should say what they calculate or fix without sounding like a press release.
Examples that work are boring on purpose
- "Flat-rate furnace repair in Columbus with same-week slots."
- "Beehiiv vs Substack for paid newsletters — fees, growth tools, and who each fits."
- "Estimate AdSense revenue from pageviews and RPM before you quit your job."
Specific beats clever.
Do not lie for CTR
Clickbait snippets raise bounce and hurt trust.
Promise only what the first screen confirms.
Rewrite titles and snippets together
Sometimes the title carries the hook and the description adds proof: price range, timeframe, credential.
Test on mobile width. Truncation is real.
Meta descriptions are sales lines for one page, not SEO poetry. Write them like you need the click, then deliver immediately.
