Do You Need to Write Meta Descriptions Anymore? Probably Not.

"Seven out of ten snippets we write never reach a single searcher."

"We spend hours modifying and perfecting these descriptions," a frustrated client told us last month, pointing to their freshly updated product pages. When we checked the SERPs together, not a single description matched what they'd written. 

Just last Thursday, a team member tried six different searches in Chrome. Each reload showed a new description for the same URL. None matched the copy the client had implemented earlier. We checked across thousands of keywords in SeerSignals, and it’s clear: Google has quietly taken the wheel with meta descriptions. 

Quick caveat before we dive in: All figures come from SeerSignals (April 2025) and internal time-tracking data. Results will vary by site and query set. We will keep updating thresholds as fresh data rolls in!

We’re not talking just about this one customer call or refreshing out search a few times. 70% of tracked queries surfaced Google-written descriptions. It's not just occasional tweaking, either. Individual pages displayed 2–11 different snippets in a single month. Layer on AI overviews and other new and evolving features… and that space for your handcrafted copy shrinks faster than your SEO team can revise it.

When was the last time you checked whether your meta descriptions were actually showing up? And if they’re not... why are you still spending time writing them?

We Rethought Metadata After Seeing This Data (You Probably Should Too)

• Rewrite rate: 70% of queries
• Snippet variations per page: 2 – 11
• CTR tests (manual vs. GPT vs. blank): no version beat another by more than 2 percentage points
• Field proof: Steve Toth pasted Google's own predictive text under an H1 and won a featured snippet within days

💡 Put simply: The precision we’ve been chasing with meta data doesn’t meaningfully move the needle anymore. 

What it costs in human hours

Junior specialists still log double-digit hours every month on bulk metadata tickets. At standard bill rates that equals the budget for a technical audit or new content piece - work with clearer paths to revenue.

Sure, saving time is nice… but does it translates to the bottom line? For one e-commerce client, we tracked 22 hours spent on meta descriptions in Q1 2025. When we redirected those hours to product page content improvements, they saw a 13% lift in organic traffic to their category pages. Time reallocated is opportunity captured.

A data-first triage you can copy today

(Our team is currently using rewrite frequency along with keyword tags inside SeerSignals to apply this matrix for clients).

So… do Meta Descriptions Matter at All? 

Aren't there exceptions where manual descriptions still matter? Absolutely.

For brand-new pages Google hasn't fully analyzed, fresh launches without established patterns, or legal/medical content with compliance requirements, human oversight is still valuable. The key is being selective rather than automatic and applying the time where it will have the most impact.

And Here's What You'll Notice

1. Leaner project plans. Fewer mass-rewrite tickets; more time for work that moves revenue
2. Clear dashboards. You see live rewrite rates by page, not anecdotes
3. Selective craftsmanship. Human polish stays where it changes outcomes
4. Practical automation pilots. For example, our product team is testing AI descriptions that echo Google's own rewrites, speeding deployment without hiding risk

A healthcare client recently asked why we'd stopped including meta description rewrites in our monthly deliverables. After showing them their 83% rewrite rate and the content improvements we delivered instead, they told us: "This is the first time an agency has shown us what not to do — and backed it with data."

How you can adapt this week

• Audit first. Grab SERP snapshots and compare to on-site tags (Screaming Frog or your tool of choice )
• Order pages by business value. Focus on URLs tied to revenue, leads, or compliance
• Watch the clock. Even reclaiming twenty percent of meta description hours bankrolls deeper research or experimentation

💡 Recheck quarterly. Search result pages shift fast; today's "stable page" might churn by holiday season.

The most valuable updates aren't always the ones you publish. Sometimes they're the ineffective tasks you consciously eliminate.

What it All Comes Down to

Time is finite. When seventy percent of our handiwork disappears before users see it, redirecting effort is prudent. We are letting data, not habit, decide where human writing still matters.

Curious how your site stacks up? Wondering which pages actually benefit from handcrafted descriptions? Let’s talk! We're happy to compare dashboards and help you find your own meta description tipping point.