Quick answer
Add a concise, page-specific <meta name="description"> to public pages where a useful search snippet description is appropriate. Treat it as descriptive metadata, not a guaranteed snippet.
What the issue means
A meta description is an HTML head element containing a text summary of the page. It is distinct from visible introductory copy and from the title. Search systems may use it, rewrite it, or choose other page text.
Why it matters for SEO
A meta description gives the page a summary that search systems can consider when generating a result snippet. Google often builds snippets from page content and may use the description when it better matches the query; it can rewrite the text, and adding a description does not guarantee rankings, traffic, or that exact wording will appear. See Google’s snippet guidance.
How NOTABIS detects it
The missing-description rule is a page-scoped medium-severity finding when no meta description is measured in the crawled HTML. It concerns presence, not a universal ideal character count or a promise that a description will be displayed verbatim.
How to check it yourself
View the delivered source and search for a meta element whose name is description. Confirm there is one intended value after server-side variables are resolved and that it describes the current URL.
How to fix it
Add one escaped, page-specific description in the shared page template or CMS field. Summarise the actual benefit or subject, avoid duplicate boilerplate, and keep claims accurate. Verify the response after deployment.
For a product page, name the product and one useful detail instead of repeating a store-wide slogan:
<meta name="description" content="Waterproof women's trail shoes with a grippy sole. Compare sizes, fit notes, and delivery options.">
When this is intentional or does not need fixing
Some private, utility, non-indexable, or non-HTML responses do not need search-facing metadata. If a page is intentionally excluded from indexing, review the finding in that context rather than adding marketing copy automatically.
Related issues
Compare duplicate descriptions and description-length findings.
Run a NOTABIS audit
NOTABIS can show which crawled pages lack a measured description and provide page-level evidence.