Webness

Think More about Click-Throughs, less about SEO

Meta description tags, while not important to search engine rankings, are extremely important in gaining user click-through from search engine result pages (SERPs). These short paragraphs are webmasters opportunity to advertise content to searchers and let them know exactly what the given page has with regard to what they’re looking for.
SEOmoz

The meta description tag won’t help you rank, but it will often appear as the text snippet below your listing, so it should include the relevant keyword(s) and be written so as to encourage searchers to click on your listing.
21 Essential SEO Tips & Techniques

Tips for Improving Search Engine Result Click-Throughs

An often neglected value of meta descriptions is the fact that you can craft your descriptions to be calls to action. Here are some tips you can employ when writing your meta descriptions:

• The power is in the language. How you phrase your descriptions can make or break your search engine result. Add words that describe value in your description. Give searchers a good reason to click on your result.
• Write calls to action! Try adding language like “click here”, “learn more by clicking here” and “click on this result”. Obviously the context of the webpage will determine what wording you choose like: “download here”, “view video” etc.
• Test them! – If you have certain landing pages that receive a decent amount of organic traffic, consider testing different variations of meta descriptions to see if you can get a lift in click-throughs. Try different description lengths, phrasing and positioning of your keywords.

[via KISSmetrics]