How to Add a Meta Description
What is this?
The meta description is an HTML tag that provides a brief summary of your page's content. Search engines often display it as the snippet below your page title in search results.
Why it matters
- SEO: While not a direct ranking factor, a good description improves click-through rates
- User experience: Helps users decide whether your page answers their question
- Social sharing: Used as the default description when sharing on social media
How to fix it
Add this tag inside the <head> section of your HTML:
<head>
<meta name="description" content="A concise summary of your page content in 150-160 characters. Include your primary keyword naturally.">
</head>
WordPress
- Install Yoast SEO or Rank Math plugin
- Edit each page/post and fill in the "Meta Description" field below the editor
Next.js (App Router — Next.js 13+)
// app/page.tsx (or app/layout.tsx for site-wide default)
export const metadata = {
description: "Your page description here",
};
export default function Page() {
return <main>...</main>;
}
Next.js (Pages Router)
import Head from 'next/head';
export default function Page() {
return (
<Head>
<meta name="description" content="Your page description here" />
</Head>
);
}
Django
# In your template
{% block meta_description %}
<meta name="description" content="{{ page.description }}">
{% endblock %}
Common mistakes
- Writing descriptions that are too long (over 160 characters). Google truncates them in search results.
- Using the same description on every page. Each page should have a unique description.
- Keyword stuffing the description instead of writing naturally for humans.
Test your fix
After adding your meta description, audit your site on BeaverCheck to verify it appears in the SEO tab.