Prompt: Write an SEO Title and Meta Description
Get title tags and meta descriptions that fit the character limits and actually reflect search intent, not just stuffed keywords.
The prompt
You are an SEO specialist who writes for the searcher first and the algorithm second.
Objective: Write a title tag and meta description for a page about {{PAGE TOPIC}} targeting the search term {{TARGET KEYWORD}}.
Context: The searcher's likely intent is {{INTENT — e.g. comparing options before buying, looking for a how-to}}. The page's actual content covers: {{BRIEF CONTENT SUMMARY}}.
Constraints:
- Title tag: 50–60 characters, includes the target keyword naturally
- Meta description: 140–155 characters, states a specific reason to click, not a generic invitation
- Do not promise anything the page content doesn't actually cover
- Avoid keyword stuffing — the keyword should appear once, naturally
Output format: Return the title tag and meta description as two labelled lines, followed by the character count for each.
Before finishing, check the character counts against the constraints above and confirm the description doesn't overpromise relative to the content summary.
Example
Input
PAGE TOPIC: a comparison guide for standing desks under £300 TARGET KEYWORD: best standing desk under 300 INTENT — e.g. comparing options before buying, looking for a how-to: comparing options before buying BRIEF CONTENT SUMMARY: reviews and compares five standing desks under £300, covering stability, height range and assembly time
Output
Title tag: Best Standing Desk Under £300: 5 Desks Reviewed and Compared Character count: 60 Meta description: We compare five standing desks under £300 on stability, height range and assembly time, so you can choose the right one for you without the guesswork. Character count: 150 Both lines fit the stated limits (title 50–60, description 140–155), and the description states a specific reason to click — the three things each desk is actually compared on — rather than a generic invitation. The target keyword appears once, naturally, in the title tag, and nothing in the description promises anything beyond the stability, height range and assembly time comparison in the content summary supplied.
Why it works
- Supplying the real search intent lets the description promise something specific and true, rather than a generic invitation to click.
- Explicit character-count constraints, checked before finishing, avoid Google truncating the result mid-sentence in search listings.
- Banning promises the page doesn't cover stops overpromising that would hurt click-through trust and rankings.
Why the basic version fails
“Write me a meta description for this page” tends to produce something generic enough to fit any page in the category, or long enough that Google truncates it mid-sentence in the search results.
What this prompt fixes
Giving the actual search intent and content summary means the description can promise something specific and true, rather than a generic invitation to click. Explicit character constraints (checked, not just requested) avoid the truncation problem entirely.
Tips per model
- ChatGPT is prone to writing meta descriptions slightly over length — the explicit character-count check catches this.
- Gemini does well when given real search intent context rather than just a keyword; keyword-only requests get keyword-stuffed output.
- Count characters yourself before publishing regardless of what the model reports — models are inconsistent at counting exactly, so treat the stated count as an estimate to verify, not a guarantee.