Meta description missing, too short or too long
Medium priorityOn-page SEO
The page has no meta description, or it is under 70 or over 160 characters, so Google writes its own snippet or cuts yours off.
What triggers this issue
- Meta description is missing: there is no
<meta name="description">tag, or it is empty. - Meta description is short: under 70 characters.
- Meta description is long: over 160 characters, so it will be truncated.
Why it matters
The meta description doesn’t directly affect rankings, but it is often the grey text under your result, which works like an ad for the page. A clear, specific description wins more clicks from the same position.
Without one, Google picks text from the page, often a menu item, cookie notice or a sentence out of context.
How to fix it
- Add one
<meta name="description">tag to the page’s<head>. - Write 120–155 characters that summarise the page, include the main keyword naturally and give a reason to click.
- Keep it unique to this page.
<meta name="description" content="Compare 12 handmade leather wallets by size, price and colour. Free UK delivery and a 2-year guarantee on every order.">