Meta description length: what the limit really is
There is no official meta description limit; Google cuts snippets by width. The length to aim for, why Google rewrites them, and how to write one that holds.
The meta description is the grey text under your title in search results, when Google uses it. It does not affect ranking, by Google's own account. It does affect whether someone clicks, which makes it one of the few lines of copy seen by people who have never visited your site.
The length
Google has no character limit. It cuts snippets to fit a pixel width, which on desktop tends to land somewhere around 150 to 160 characters, and on mobile can show a little more. A practical rule that works: aim for 150 to 160 characters, and put the important words in the first 120 so a cut does not lose them.
Google often writes its own
Google rewrites descriptions frequently, pulling text from the page that better matches the search. You cannot stop that entirely, but a description that accurately summarises the page, and contains the words the searcher used, is chosen more often.
How to write one
- Say what the page answers, in the searcher's words.
- Add the detail that makes this result different: a method, a number you measured, a price.
- Write a full sentence or two. No keyword lists.
- Make every page's description unique.
Check them in bulk
A build-time check is easier than remembering. This site's SEO sweep fails a build when two pages share a description or when one falls far outside the range. The title has the same problem and a different limit, covered in title tag length.
SEO Blog Writer checks each post's title and description length with its linter before you see the post, and makes sure the target search appears in both.
Questions
How long should a meta description be?
Roughly 150 to 160 characters is a practical target. Google truncates snippets by pixel width rather than characters, and that length usually shows in full on desktop without being too short to be useful.
Is the meta description a ranking factor?
Google has said it does not use the meta description for ranking. It affects whether people click, which is why it is still worth writing.
Why does Google show different text than my description?
Google writes its own snippet when it thinks another part of the page answers the search better. A description that summarises the page accurately is used more often.