Meta description checker
A meta description is the short summary search engines may show under your page title. Marlo flags pages with no description and descriptions over 160 characters, which search results often cut off. Paste your URL to check yours.
Free. No signup. Open source.
What Marlo checks
- A <meta name="description"> tag
- That it is not empty
- That it is 160 characters or fewer
How to write a meta description
<meta name="description" content="A plain sentence or two that says what the page is and who it is for.">- Add one description per page inside the <head>.
- Say what the page is in plain words. Keep it near 150 characters.
- Write a different one for each page. Search engines may still rewrite it.
How common is it?
In Marlo's own audits of 365 homepages (as of 26 October 2026), "Missing meta description" was found on 94 sites, 37% of the 251 sites with two or more findings. That group is filtered and the sites came from a few directories, so treat it as a snapshot, not a base rate for the web. See the full numbers.
Questions
Is the 160 character limit exact?
No. Search engines choose what to show and may rewrite or cut a description. 160 is a safe length that Marlo uses as its check.
Does a meta description affect ranking?
It is not a direct ranking factor, but a clear one can help people choose your result.
What is the right meta description length?
Aim for about 150 characters and stay under 160. Marlo flags anything longer, since search results often cut it off.
Can I use this as an online meta tags checker?
Paste your page address above. Marlo checks the meta description together with the title, headings, canonical and social tags in one run.
