Hey guys, This question has been nagging on me for a while. When im creating a meta description for a site do all of the words in the meta-description have to be in that pages content? Another words, can i create my own words for the description that better describes or sells my site yet is very similar to the content i have on my page ?
Yes, you can. The greatest value of the meta description tag, IMHO, is that it allows you to create the snippet of text that will be shown below the hyperlink in the search engine results. That description in the SERPs is critically important as far as how many surfers will find that link interesting enough to click. So write an eyecatcher that essentially describes that page and has enough appeal to generate a click.
Thank you so much JIM, one more question is I may pick your brains again. So i wont be penalized by the search engines for this?
No, there's no reason the SEs would penalize you for trying to write the most accurate, explanatory description to help the web surfers. Should be perfectly safe. By and large, many search engines nowadays pay little if any attention to the description meta tag. But, as said above, it gives you some control over what appears on the SERPs pages.