No summary for Google to show under your link

Applies to

every page

Typical severity

low

Effect on conversions

medium

Effort to fix

Quick to fix

What to look for

Missing meta description.

Why it matters

The meta description is the short summary that often appears under your title in search results. It doesn't directly change your ranking, but it affects whether people click. Think of it as your sales line in the results page.

Without one, Google picks text from the page itself. That might be a cookie notice, a menu or a sentence out of context. You lose control of how you come across at the moment someone decides whether to visit.

What good looks like

The page has a meta description tag with content in it. We check that it exists. We recommend 120 to 155 characters that say what you offer and why someone should click. Google may still rewrite it for some searches, but a good one is used often.

How to check it yourself

1. View the page source (Ctrl+U, or Cmd+Option+U on a Mac) and search for description.
2. You should find a line like the code example below inside the head section.
3. Search Google for the page and compare the snippet shown with what you wrote.
4. Check your key pages one by one. Free browser extensions such as SEO META in 1 CLICK show the description without opening the source.

How to fix it

• Write a unique description for each important page.
• Say what the page offers, who it's for and one reason to choose you.
• End with a gentle prompt, such as Get a free quote or See prices.
• Keep it to around 155 characters so it isn't cut short.
• In most website builders, set it in the page's SEO or search settings.

<meta name="description" content="Gas Safe boiler servicing across Leeds. Fixed prices from £75, evening and weekend slots, and a reminder when your next service is due.">

Common mistakes

• Copying the same description onto every page.
• Repeating the title word for word.
• Writing a list of keywords rather than a sentence.
• Promising things the page doesn't deliver, which leads to quick exits.

AgoraScan measures this automatically on every page it audits, on desktop and mobile.

Based on

• Google Search Central