Meta descriptions don't directly influence rankings — but they decide whether a ranked result actually gets clicked. A great description can double your CTR from the same SERP position.
Length: 150–160 characters, max
Google truncates descriptions around 160 characters on desktop and ~120 on mobile. Front-load the value proposition so it survives truncation.
Use the primary keyword once, naturally
Google bolds query matches in the SERP — but stuffing kills CTR. Use the keyword once in a way a human would actually write.
End with an implicit call to action
'Get the free template', 'See the full comparison', 'Try the calculator' — give the searcher a reason to click that's stronger than the next result's reason.