Add in a description tag

Hi Alice, the site description is hidden in Pictorico by default, but you can make it appear with the following CSS, if you want to.

.site-description {
    display: block;
}

You will have to add some styling declarations so that it looks the way you want it to (font size, line spacing, color, etc.).

If you have not yet done so, I would suggest creating a child theme so that any customizations you make will not be overwritten by a future theme update. Alternately you can use the Edit CSS function in the Jetpack plugin, or use one of the other Custom CSS plugins that will keep CSS changes from being overwritten.

Jetpack plugin
Child Themes
Child Theme creation plugins
Custom CSS plugins

As far as Google goes, the site description is still in your site for the search engines to see and use, it just isn’t displayed to the public.

Thanks for this advice, sadly it’s the google search results I’m having problems with – Google just doesn’t pick up the meta description I have entered, it’s pulling random words and headings from the site …

Any other suggestions gratefully received!

In my experience with meta descriptions, Google will only use them it seems, about 40% of the time, no matter how well crafter and placed. Also, keep in mind that at some point when Google reindexes, they may very well pick it up. How soon, and even if, it all under the control of the g00g. If you recently made changes, it can be a while before they pick up those changes. Months sometimes.

You can always request that they re-index your site through web master tools. Again, how quickly they will do that is all up to them.

I would recommend using an SEO plugin like one of these to have finer control over your site’s meta description:

https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/wordpress-seo/

https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/