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 missing description removes one controlled summary from the page’s metadata. A good description can help people understand the result before opening it, but adding one does not guarantee rankings, traffic, or that exact text being shown.
How NOTABIS detects it
The missing-description rule is a page-scoped medium-severity finding when no controlled search snippet description is measured. 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.
When it may be intentional
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, multiple description tags, and description-length review findings.
Run a NOTABIS audit
NOTABIS can show which crawled pages lack a measured description and provide page-level evidence.