Meta Description Tag Has Question counts how many questions RankGear’s parser finds in a page’s meta description. Despite the “Has” in its name it returns a raw count rather than a yes/no, and that count is not capped at 1 — so read it as an observation about how the snippet is phrased, not a target to inflate.
| Factor ID | RG-RDB-005 |
|---|---|
| Family | Readability & questions |
| Measurement | Question count |
| Measured zone | Parsed meta description |
What it measures
Despite the “Has” in its name, this factor returns the number of questions parsed from the meta description rather than a simple presence flag. It reflects whether the description that a page proposes for its search snippet is framed as one or more questions, which is a phrasing choice about how the page invites a click.
How RankGear measures it
RankGear parses the meta-description text, runs its question parser over that text, and returns the raw count of questions it recognizes. The count is not capped at 1, so a description that contains more than one question returns a value above 1 rather than a plain true/false.
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | No question recognized in the meta description |
| 1 | One question recognized |
| 2 or more | Multiple questions recognized — the count is not capped at 1 |
How to optimize it
Use a question in the meta description only when it makes the snippet more relevant to the query and the remaining copy clearly presents the page’s value. A question is a framing device, not a goal in itself: treat this count as an observation about how the description reads, not a number to push upward. If a plain statement communicates the page’s value more clearly, prefer the statement.
Important considerations
- The value can exceed 1, because the count is not capped — a description with several questions returns several.
- Search engines may rewrite the snippet, so the description RankGear parses is not guaranteed to be what searchers see.
- A clear statement may serve the snippet better than a question; more questions is not automatically better.
- The display name (“Has Question”) does not reveal the raw-count behavior, so read the value as a count.
- This is a correlation-based prioritization signal within a measured result set — it relates to position, it does not make a page rank or guarantee one.
Related factors
Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.