Meta title · Meta description

Where are the meta title and meta description used?

The meta title is the name written in the page code's <title> tag, and it's used for the blue title link in search results and on the browser tab. The meta description is the summary sentence in the <meta name='description'> tag, and it's a candidate for the description text (snippet) shown under the title in search results.

Neither appears in the page's visible content; they only show up in search engines and share previews. That makes them easy to forget during design work, and when pages are built by copying, it's common for every page to end up with the same text.

The preview that appears when you send a link on KakaoTalk or Instagram comes from Open Graph (og) tags. Naver says its search robots also refer to Open Graph information, so it's best to keep it consistent with your title and description.

Every website builder names the input field differently. The title and description fields are often under menus like "SEO settings," "Search visibility settings" or "Page settings," so make a habit of filling them in every time you create a new page.

How long should a meta title and description be?

Neither Google nor Naver sets a fixed character limit. Google says there's no length limit for either the title or the description, but they may be cut off to fit the device's screen width; Naver recommends keeping them short enough to display in search results.

So in practice, for Korean text, many people aim for roughly 25–35 characters for the title and 80–110 characters for the description. This isn't a rule, just a target so the key point shows before anything gets cut off. Putting the most important words up front matters more than length.

On phone screens, text can be cut off even shorter than on a PC. Write so the first half of the title and description makes sense on its own, and you'll lose little if it gets cut.

Do search engines show the title I wrote exactly as is?

Not always. When Google builds a title link, it looks not only at the <title> tag but also at the page's main heading (h1), the Open Graph title, the anchor text other pages use to link to it and more, then picks the best fit.

The same goes for descriptions. Google says it mainly builds the description text from the page content and uses the meta description when it describes the page more accurately. Naver also picks the most suitable sentence from the tags and body text to match the query and intent.

So your meta title, main on-page heading and first paragraph need to match. When all three say the same thing, the text you wrote is more likely to be used as is.

How do I write a good meta title and description?

A good title says first "what this page is about," and the description says "why someone should click." Even within the same business, each page targets different queries, so the text should differ page by page.

For example, for a cafe menu page, the title might be "Menu · Prices | Cafe Ohu, Mangwon-dong" and the description "Hand drip from KRW 6,000, dessert set discount when you order before 11 a.m. Decaf beans available too." For a craft studio class page, put party size, duration and price in the description.

Pick one separator for titles, either "|" or "-", and use it the same way on every page. Google also gives the example of adding the site name before or after the title with a separator on pages other than the front page.

• Hair salon price page · Title: "Men's Perm · Haircut Prices | Haneul Hair, Yeonnam-dong" / Description: "Down perm from KRW 40,000, haircut KRW 20,000. Open until 9 p.m. on weeknights; book instantly with Naver Booking."
• Craft studio class page · Title: "Couple Ring One-Day Class | Studio Ob, Seongsu" / Description: "2 hours for the two of you, silver rings with engraved initials. Two weekend sessions, morning and afternoon; finish and take them home the same day."

1. 01Assign one target query to each page.
2. 02Write the title in the order "main content + location or condition | business name." On the front page, it's fine to put the business name first.
3. 03Write the description as one sentence on what, where and for whom, plus one sentence with a reason to click, like price, hours or booking.
4. 04Compare all pages in a single list to make sure no text overlaps with another page.
5. 05Check that the title and description are read correctly with URL Inspection in Google Search Console and the URL check in Naver Search Advisor.

What are common meta title and description mistakes?

The most common mistake is using the same title and description on every page. Google says identical or similar descriptions on every page aren't helpful in search results, and Naver warns that a site whose pages all share the same tags may be penalized.

Naver also states that frequently changing your main page's title and description just for search visibility can be penalized. Write them well once, and only revise them when the numbers show you need to.

Businesses with advertising rules need extra care. Where superlatives are restricted, such as hospitals and clinics, check your titles and descriptions against the same standards as your page content.

• Leaving titles as "Home," "Main" or "Page 1"
• Listing keywords separated by commas in the description
• Pasting in the whole first paragraph, or writing the description exactly like the title
• Spending time filling in the meta keywords tag (Google doesn't use it)
• Mentioning discounts or events in the description that aren't on the actual page

How long until a new meta description shows up in search results?

It usually doesn't change right away, because search engines have to re-read the page first. Google says crawling can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, and Naver says it can take from at least a day to several weeks after a crawl request.

If you want it picked up sooner, request indexing once through URL Inspection in Google Search Console, and submit a web page crawl request in Naver Search Advisor. Note the date you made the change, then a few weeks later compare click-through rates over periods of the same length to see the effect.

KakaoTalk share previews show information Kakao has stored on its side, separate from search, so the old text may keep appearing for a while after you change it. When that happens, reload the URL in the Sharing Debugger on the Kakao Developers site.