Often, there's no middle ground when newcomers to SEO (and even some seasoned vets) work with meta description tags. As Stoney deGeyter says, "They are often either considered to be more
valuable than they really are, or dismissed as near irrelevant." But while meta description tags are a less important on-page element than say, a title tag or keyword density, they can definitely
affect the way a site appears in the SERPs.
"For many searches performed, the meta description on the page will display just below the clickable title," deGeyter says. "This gives
you a bit of branding and message control."
To best leverage meta description tags, make sure there's a different one for each page and keep in mind that you have about 150 characters available (with spaces). Make your description count--not by stuffing it with keywords, but by creating an informative sentence that can draw the searcher in.