Meta descriptions presentWhat it checks and how to fix it

What it checks

Reads the page's <meta name="description"> tag. It fails when the tag is missing or empty, warns when the description is shorter than 50 or longer than 160 characters, and passes when it is between 50 and 160 characters.

Why it matters

The meta description is usually the snippet shown under your title in search results, so it is your pitch for the click. Without one, search engines pick text from the page themselves, often a menu label or a cookie notice. One that is too long gets cut off mid-sentence, and one that is too short leaves most of the snippet unused.

How to fix it

Add one unique description per page inside <head>, roughly 140 to 160 characters, that says what the page offers and why to click.

<head>
  <meta name="description" content="Compare our three plans side by side, see what each includes, and start a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.">
</head>

In Rails, set it per view and render it in the layout:

<%# app/views/pages/pricing.html.erb %>
<% content_for :meta_description, "Compare our three plans side by side and start a 14-day free trial." %>

<%# app/views/layouts/application.html.erb %>
<meta name="description" content="<%= content_for(:meta_description) %>">

Do not reuse the same description across pages, and do not stuff it with keywords: write it for a person reading the search results.