Here’s a classic SEO debate: Do you actually need meta descriptions to rank?

For years, best practice has told us: yes. Write a clear, compelling meta description for every page to help drive clicks and control your SERP appearance.

But a recent experiment by an SEO consultant known as “SEO Rockstar” has thrown a spanner in the works, suggesting meta descriptions might not be as essential as we thought.

So, what’s the deal? Should you still write them? Or has Google evolved beyond them?

Let’s break it down.

What the Experiment Showed

SEO Rockstar ran a test: two nearly identical pages; one with a carefully written meta description, and one without.

The result?
The page with no meta description outranked the one that had one.

The conclusion drawn? Meta descriptions don’t impact rankings and might not be necessary at all.

It’s a bold claim, and it’s definitely raised eyebrows in the SEO community.

But before you start removing metadata from your site, let’s look at the bigger picture.

What Meta Descriptions Actually Do

Google has made it clear: meta descriptions are not a direct ranking factor.

But that doesn’t mean they’re useless.

Meta descriptions still serve a purpose:

• They influence click-through rate (CTR)
• They help users understand what to expect on the page
• They can act as a mini elevator pitch in search results
• In some cases, Google uses your meta as-is (rather than rewriting it)

In other words: they’re not there to rank your content, they’re there to entice clicks.

When Meta Descriptions Don’t Matter (Much)

There are definitely cases where leaving meta descriptions blank won’t hurt:

• Mass product pages: E-commerce sites with thousands of similar items may let Google generate descriptions dynamically.
• Auto-generated content: Pages that pull from databases or CMS templates may not benefit much from hand-written metas.
• Low-priority pages: Utility pages like login portals, FAQs, or internal tools likely don’t need user-facing descriptions.

In these cases, Google’s automated snippet generation might be just fine.

When Meta Descriptions Still Make a Difference

For most core pages and high-value content, they still hold weight, especially when competition is high.

Google often rewrites meta descriptions, yes. But when it doesn’t, a strong one can improve:

• SERP visibility (especially with rich snippets)
• User trust and clarity
• Click-through rate, which indirectly impacts rankings over time

And if your page is competing with 10 other blogs saying the same thing, your meta description might be the only thing that convinces someone to click yours.

What This Means for Your SEO Strategy

This isn’t a green light to ditch all meta descriptions, it’s a cue to be more strategic with your effort.

Instead of writing them for every single page:

• Prioritise key landing pages, cornerstone blogs, and service/product pages
• Skip them for low-value URLs, or where scale makes them unmanageable
• Test no-meta vs. meta scenarios when relevant and track the results

This is a great reminder that best practice doesn’t mean best for every case. It’s not about following rules, it’s about using the right tool for the job.

Meta Descriptions Still Have a Role—Just Not the One You Think

They may not move your rankings, but they do help win the click. And in a world where every result looks the same, that can make all the difference.

So, should you write meta descriptions?

Sometimes.

Write them when you need to stand out. Leave them out when it’s not worth the effort. SEO isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing what matters.