The Birth of Meta Descriptions
For years, meta descriptions were considered one of the foundational elements of on-page SEO. If you were building or optimizing a website, it was SEO 101 to write a unique meta description for every page. These short HTML snippets were meant to summarize what the page was about and help search engines understand the content. More importantly, they were expected to influence how your pages appeared in Google search results.
Marketers and site owners spent hours crafting the perfect meta description to encourage clicks. While they were never a direct ranking factor, meta descriptions played a crucial role in search visibility because they showed up in the snippet of search engine results pages (SERPs), right under the blue link. A well-written description could be the difference between a user clicking on your link or scrolling past to a competitor. They gave you a small but meaningful opportunity to control your messaging in search results and increase your organic click-through rate.
In the past, meta descriptions were especially useful in competitive spaces. Marketers would optimize them carefully by including keywords, value propositions, and calls to action like “Free shipping on orders over $50” or “Call today for a free consultation.” This wasn’t just fluff—it was a proven strategy. If your meta description was more compelling than the others on the page, you might not need to rank first to win the click. It gave SEOs a bit of control in an environment where so much else is left up to Google’s algorithms.
The Death of Meta Descriptions
But that control has slowly eroded. Over time, Google has started ignoring or rewriting meta descriptions in favor of automatically generated snippets that better match the user’s query. This shift became more noticeable in recent years, and today, it’s become the norm. In fact, research and case studies, like the Meta Description research from SearchPilot, show that Google rewrites the majority of meta descriptions—often more than 70 percent of the time. Their study even found that removing meta descriptions altogether had little to no impact on click-through rates. In some cases, Google’s AI-generated snippets actually performed better than the handcrafted ones.
As Mark Williams-Cook highlighted in a recent LinkedIn post, the era of carefully writing meta descriptions for SEO benefits is essentially over. The reason is simple: Google is now far better at understanding page content and intent. It builds dynamic snippets on the fly that are customized to match the user’s search terms and context. That means even if you write the best meta description imaginable, there’s a high chance it won’t be shown. You’re no longer writing for users; you’re writing for an algorithm that may ignore your input altogether.
Avoid Lawsuits and Boost Rankings
This shift raises a bigger question: where should we be focusing our efforts now? What parts of a website still give us the ability to influence search performance and user experience meaningfully?
The answer lies in areas that are often overlooked: alt tags and title tags. These two elements are not just still relevant—they are becoming more critical by the day, especially in terms of accessibility, usability, and legal compliance.
Excellent Alt Tags Win Big
Alt tags, or alternative text, are used to describe images on a page. They were originally developed to help people using screen readers understand what an image depicts. For users with visual impairments, alt tags provide a crucial way to access content that would otherwise be invisible to them. They are also useful in situations where an image fails to load or when a user is browsing on a limited device or connection.
What many site owners overlook is that alt tags serve a dual purpose. They are also read by search engines, helping them understand image content and context. This improves your visibility in image search and can contribute to overall relevance signals on a page. More importantly, alt tags are required under the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which many regions and industries have adopted as legal standards. In the United States, websites that fail to meet accessibility standards, including missing or inadequate alt tags, are increasingly being targeted in lawsuits. This isn’t a theoretical risk. Businesses of all sizes, from small retailers to large corporations, have faced litigation for failing to provide accessible web experiences.
Title Tags Are Vital For Rankings
Title tags are another essential area of focus. Unlike meta descriptions, title tags are still treated as ranking signals by Google. They also serve as the headline for your listing in search results and appear in browser tabs, bookmarks, and when your page is shared on social media. A clear, concise, and relevant title tag helps users understand what your page is about at a glance. It builds trust, improves click-through rates, and reinforces your brand.
Poorly written or misleading title tags can confuse users or even trigger Google to rewrite them. The key is to write titles that are specific, accurate, and genuinely useful. If you’re running an agency, an e-commerce site, or a local business, every title tag is an opportunity to speak directly to your audience in a meaningful way. It’s also a chance to ensure your site remains competitive, especially when Google is automatically rewriting so many other page elements.
Evolving With SEO
In this new SEO landscape, it makes more sense to focus your efforts on what you can actually control. That means letting go of the outdated habit of obsessing over meta descriptions and redirecting your attention to making sure every image on your site has thoughtful, descriptive alt text. It means crafting clear, effective title tags that convey value and relevance. These elements not only help with SEO, they make your site more usable and more legally compliant. They are the rare combination of practical, ethical, and strategic improvements.
Meta descriptions served their purpose in a previous era of search. But their time has passed. If you want to future-proof your website and your SEO strategy, invest where it matters: in the content that users and algorithms still actually see and rely on. That means alt tags, title tags, and everything that helps make your site accessible, understandable, and trustworthy.
If you’re still spending hours writing and tweaking meta descriptions for every page, stop. You’re playing a game that Google no longer wants to play. Shift your energy to accessibility, relevance, and clarity. The results will speak for themselves.
Need help auditing your site’s alt and title tags? That’s where we come in.
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