Key takeaways
- A good meta title (max ~60 characters) and description (max ~155) will increase your click-through.
- Put your most important keyword at the front and make it inviting.
- Every page deserves a unique title and description.
- Think of it as your free advertisement in the search results.
The meta title and meta description are the blue title and gray text that you see in Google. It is in fact your free advertisement: they do not determine whether you are found, but whether people click on your result instead of that of the competitor. Two good sentences can significantly increase your clicks. This guide shows you how to write them, with examples.
What exactly are they?
- Meta title — the clickable title in search results. The most important signal for both Google and the searcher.
- Meta-description — the short description underneath. It does not directly determine your position in Google, but good text ensures that more people click on your result — and that does help indirectly.
You enter them in your webshop platform or SEO plugin. If you don't do it, Google will make up text from your page itself — usually less convincing than what you could have written.
The meta title: the rules
- Keep it under ~60 characters, otherwise Google will truncate it with “…”.
- Put your keyword at the front — it stands out and carries weight.
- Add your brand name at the back, separated with a dash or pipe.
- Make every page unique — no two titles are the same in your shop.
Example: `Leather backpack brown – handmade | Brand name`
The meta description: the rules
- Keep it under ~155 characters.
- State the benefit or reason for clicking — not just what it is, but why it's worth it.
- Process your keyword (Google makes it bold if it matches).
- End with a soft call: “Order today”, “Free shipping”, “View the collection”.
Examples: weak versus strong
Weak
Strong
“Backpacks in our webshop”
“Handmade leather backpack with laptop compartment. Timeless, sturdy and free shipping from €50. View the brown collection.”
“Welcome to our page about coffee”
“Fresh specialty coffee beans, roasted weekly in the Netherlands. Trial package from €9.95 — ordered before 4:00 PM, delivered tomorrow.”
The strong version mentions the product, a concrete advantage and a reason to click now.
Each page has its own approach
Each page targets a different keyword, so each meta text is different:
- Product page: the specific product + benefit + reason to click. See product page SEO.
- Category page: the product group + the breadth of your offering.
- Blog article: the promise of the article — what answer or help the reader will receive.
Common mistakes
- Leave fields empty and let Google come up with it itself.
- Paste the same title/description on multiple pages.
- Writing too long causes Google to cut off.
- Cramming the keyword in without a readable, enticing sentence.
Frequently asked questions
Does a meta description help my position in Google?
Not directly, but a good description ensures that more people click on it — and more clicks indirectly help your position.
How long can they be?
Keep the title under ~60 characters and the description under ~155 characters, otherwise Google will truncate them.
What if I don't fill them in?
Google then generates a title and description from your page — often less convincing than your own text.
Should my keyword be included?
Yes, preferably at the beginning of the title. Google makes matching words in the description bold, which is noticeable.
Should every page have a unique meta text?
Yes. Duplicate titles and descriptions confuse Google and cost you clicks.
Get started
Go through your most important pages — homepage, top categories, best-selling products — and write a unique title (<60 characters) and description (<155 characters) for each with keyword, benefit and a reason to click. You determine which keyword is central to each page with keyword research. For the bigger picture see SEO for your webshop.
