Meta tags still matter in 2025: How to optimize them fast

Every week someone says meta tags are dead. They're wrong. Title tags and meta descriptions are still the first thing users see in search results—and they directly impact click-through rate.

Here's the no-BS approach: write title tags under 60 characters with your primary keyword at the start. Descriptions should be 150-160 characters, include a call to action, and avoid quote marks (Google cuts them off). Use a template like Craft's meta audit to check your entire site in minutes.

I found 12 pages with duplicate titles on my own site using the template. Fixing those took an afternoon and improved CTR by 8%. That's the kind of win you can get without touching content.