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Meta description length checker

Write to about 155 characters. The meter turns red past it, though the real constraint is pixel width rather than any exact character count.

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Terms used

Numbers appear here once you add text.

The limit, honestly

Google truncates descriptions at roughly 920 pixels on desktop and 680 on mobile, which works out at about 155 and 120 characters respectively for average text. Wide characters such as W and M eat the budget faster than i and l, so two descriptions of identical length can truncate differently.

Write the essential message into the first 120 characters. Anything after that is a bonus that mobile searchers may never see.

Google rewrites most descriptions anyway

Studies have repeatedly found that Google replaces the supplied meta description for the majority of queries, generating a snippet from on-page text that better matches what was searched. This is not a failure on your part: a snippet tailored to the query usually serves the searcher better than a fixed description written months earlier.

It does change what the tag is for. Treat it as your preferred description for your primary query, not as a guaranteed billboard. And since it is not a ranking factor, the time it deserves is proportional to the click-through it might win, not to its SEO weight.

What earns the click

  • Answer the query in the first clause. The searcher is scanning, not reading.
  • Include the term they searched. Google bolds matching words, which draws the eye.
  • Be specific. “Compare 14 models across price and battery life” beats “everything you need to know”.
  • Say what is on the page. A description that oversells produces a click and an immediate bounce, which helps nobody.
  • Skip the brand name unless it is the draw: the domain already shows.
Never leave the tag empty on a commercial page hoping Google will do better. It often will, but on the queries where it does not, you get an arbitrary sentence from your page body.

Common questions

How long should a meta description be?

Around 155 characters, with the key message inside the first 120 so it survives mobile truncation. There is no penalty for going longer, but the excess simply will not display.

Is the meta description a ranking factor?

No. It has not been used for ranking for many years. It influences click-through rate, which is why it is still worth writing well.

Why is Google showing different text than my description?

Because Google generated a snippet it judged a better match for the specific query. This happens on most searches and is normal. A description that closely matches your primary query is more likely to be used as written.

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