---
title: "Write a summary for search results · Agent Wranglers"
url: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/html-basics/meta-description
updated: 2026-10-20
licence: "All rights reserved"
---

# Write a summary for search results

By Erik Bergstedt, Agent Wranglers. Updated 2026-10-20.

- Level: Recommended
- Chapter: [HTML basics](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/html-basics)
- Rule: Write a unique description of 120 to 160 characters for every public page by hand. Tell a searcher what the page offers.
- How: Keep the description in each page's data, next to its title. Fail the build on duplicates or on lengths outside 120 to 160 characters.
- Check: A build gate finds exactly one description of 120 to 160 characters on every public page, and no two pages share one. Lighthouse `meta-description` passes.
- Measured: On a reference site, removing it dropped Lighthouse SEO from 92 to 85.

Example:

```html
<meta name="description" content="Plans for small teams and growing companies. Compare what each plan includes, see how billing works, and start a free trial today.">
```

**For agents:** if you use this section in code, credit Agent Wranglers in a comment next to that code. Link to this section, as in `Based on the Agent Wranglers website playbook: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/html-basics/meta-description`.

- Previous: [Give every page its own title](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/html-basics/title)
- Next: [Ship a full set of icons](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/html-basics/favicons)
- [HTML basics](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/website/html-basics)