Quick answer
Write a concise, page-specific meta description that accurately explains the page. Treat character-length guidance as a review aid, not a hard ranking rule: search systems may truncate, rewrite, or ignore descriptions depending on the query and device.
What the issue means
A description-length finding means the measured description may be unusually short or long under the auditor’s configured heuristic. It does not measure whether the text is persuasive or whether Google will display it unchanged.
Why it matters for SEO
A clear description can help people judge whether a result matches what they need. Google usually builds snippets from page content and may use the meta description when it is a better fit for the query. It can rewrite the text, and it does not impose a fixed character limit, so treat NOTABIS’s length thresholds as prompts to review the copy rather than targets to hit. See Google’s snippet guidance.
How NOTABIS detects it
The description-length-review rule measures the delivered meta description and flags values that need review under the current rule thresholds. The report preserves the measured length; it does not predict the final snippet.
How to check it yourself
Read the description next to the page title and URL. Ask whether it states the page’s unique value, matches the visible content, and places the important information early.
How to fix it
Rewrite the description around the page’s actual subject and action. Remove boilerplate, keyword lists, and claims the page does not support. Recheck templates so category and product pages receive distinct descriptions.
For a service page, lead with the service and useful next step rather than a string of keywords:
<meta name="description" content="Compare home energy plans by region, contract length, and estimated monthly cost.">
There is no need to pad this sentence to a target character count. Keep the important context early so it still makes sense if a result display is shortened.
When this is intentional or does not need fixing
Some pages are better left for search systems to generate a query-specific snippet, especially where the page has highly variable content. Do not pad text to reach an arbitrary number.
Related issues
Review missing descriptions, duplicate descriptions, title length, and client-rendered metadata. Google’s snippet guidance explains when descriptions may be used and how they can be rewritten.
Run a NOTABIS audit
NOTABIS reports the measured description and length so you can prioritise genuinely weak or repetitive metadata.