short descriptions
Meta descriptions under 50 characters waste snippet space in search results
What it is
crawler.sh flags a page as having a short meta description when the <meta name="description"> content is fewer than 50 characters. This is check #6 in the SEO analysis.
Why it matters for SEO
Short meta descriptions underutilize the snippet space search engines provide:
- Wasted SERP real estate - Search results display up to ~160 characters of description. A 30-character description leaves most of that space empty or filled with auto-generated text.
- Lower click-through rate - Brief descriptions provide less context for users deciding which result to click.
- Missed keyword opportunities - More description space means more room to include relevant keywords that get bolded in search results.
Why it matters for AEO
AI answer engines use descriptions to quickly assess page relevance. A description like “Learn more” or “Welcome to our site” gives no useful signal. Descriptive summaries help AI systems understand your content and select it as a source.
How to fix it
Expand short descriptions to provide a meaningful summary:
| Before | After |
|---|---|
Our products page | Browse our full catalog of SEO tools, including site crawlers, rank trackers, and backlink analyzers. |
Guidelines:
- Aim for 50–160 characters
- Describe what the user will find on the page
- Include relevant keywords naturally
- Each description should be unique
What crawler.sh reports
In the CLI, short descriptions appear under the “Descriptions too short” section of crawler seo output. Each affected URL is listed. In the desktop app, they appear in the SEO Issues card.
