Audit: Issues with Meta Tags and Headings
Meta tags and markup (in the report, this category is called "Meta and On-Page") are one of the most numerous categories in the audit: 20 checks out of 65. They almost never block indexing but directly affect how the page appears in search results and whether the search understands what it is about.
Title: five checks
| Finding | Level | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Missing Title | Error | Add: without it, the search will come up with a title on its own |
| Duplicate Title | Error | Make it unique — identical titles hinder distinguishing pages |
| Longer than 60 characters | Warning | Shorten, the main point should be at the beginning |
| Shorter than 10 characters | Warning | Expand to 40–60 characters with the key phrase |
| Multiple title tags | Warning | Keep one: usually the second is added by a plugin |
How to check the appearance in search results before publication — snippet preview.
Description
Five checks: missing, duplicate, longer than 160, shorter than 50, multiple tags. The description does not directly affect rankings, but it does affect click-through rates — and that is traffic at the same rankings. An empty description leaves the choice of snippet to the algorithm.
Headings and Structure
- Missing H1 — the page has no main heading; search and readers lose orientation.
- Multiple H1 — dilutes the main idea of the page.
- H1 matches Title — not an error, but a missed opportunity: these are two different places where different formulations can be covered.
- Heading hierarchy violated — after H2 directly H4; the structure is harder to read, especially for screen reading programs.
Schema.org Microdata
Microdata in JSON-LD format helps Google display an enhanced snippet: rating stars, price, FAQ answers, breadcrumbs. The audit checks it at three levels:
| Finding | Level | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Broken JSON-LD microdata | Error | There is a syntax error in the markup block, and Google ignores it entirely. Common causes: extra commas, unescaped quotes, and line breaks in the text, HTML comments inside the block. Check JSON in validator.schema.org or Rich Results Test |
| Missing required fields in microdata | Warning | The markup exists, but without the fields that Google requires for an enhanced snippet. The specific missing fields are indicated in the problem details — add them and check the page in Rich Results Test |
| No Schema.org microdata | Note | No markup at all — losing the chance for an enhanced snippet |
Required fields are checked for types that provide enhanced results: product and offer (for the offer — price and currency), rating and review, article, FAQ and question with answer, breadcrumbs (each item has a position and name), organization and local business, event, recipe, video, job vacancy, HowTo instruction, and application. This is not a complete schema.org validator: the audit catches what causes Google to silently not show the snippet.
Order of Editing Meta Tags
- First, pages that already bring impressions: there, editing gives measurable results.
- Then template issues: identical Title for categories, empty description for cards.
- Then heading structure — it is fixed along with template editing.
- Broken microdata — immediately, as found: this is an error, Google does not read such a block. Incomplete markup and Open Graph — last, if time allows.
Other in the Category
Images without alt — see SEO for images. No Open Graph — the link in the messenger looks empty, see link card. lang attribute not specified — a small detail, important for accessibility and translators.