In one sentence
A meta description is the short summary of a page that often appears under its title in search results, and a clear one tells shoppers what they'll find so more of them click through to your store.
How meta descriptions show up in search
The meta description sits in your page's code. Search engines may show it as the snippet under your title tag. Google often rewrites it with text from the page when it thinks that matches the search better.
It isn't a ranking factor on its own. Its job is to win the click once your page shows up in results.
How to write a meta description for a store page
- Say what the page offers in plain words.
- Include the detail a shopper is checking for: price range, materials, fit, shipping.
- Keep it around 150 to 160 characters so it isn't cut off.
- Write a unique one for every important page.
Example for a category page: "Shop cast iron skillets in 8 to 12 inch sizes, pre-seasoned and ready to cook. Free shipping over $50 and 60-day returns."
Where to edit meta descriptions in your store
Most platforms give each product, collection and page its own search preview field. On Shopify it's under "Search engine listing" on each page. If you leave it empty, the platform pulls text from the page, which is often the first lines of the description.
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