Quick Reference
Element Code: HT-012
Issue: Page lacks character encoding declaration
Impact: Potential rendering issues with special characters
Fix: Add charset meta tag to head section
Detection: HTML validators, Screaming Frog
What Is This Issue?
Without a charset declaration, browsers must guess the character encoding. This can cause special characters, accents, and international text to display incorrectly.
Why This Matters for Your Website
Incorrect character rendering creates poor user experience and can affect SEO for international content.
How to Fix This Issue
- Add charset meta:
- Place early in head: Should be within first 1024 bytes
- Use UTF-8: Standard for modern web
Tools for Detection
- HTML Validator: Reports missing charset
- View Source: Check for meta charset in head
TL;DR (The Simple Version)
Your page does not declare its character encoding. Add as one of the first elements in your head section.
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