How long should a meta description be?
There is no official character limit. Google truncates based on pixel width, not character count, and the cutoff changes with the device, the query, and whether Google decides to regenerate the snippet from the page content.
The practical range that consistently renders without truncation is 120–160 characters — about 680 pixels on mobile and 920 pixels on desktop. Longer descriptions are sometimes shown for long-tail queries, but should not be relied on.
Why pixels, not characters?
A description of 160 characters full of narrow letters like i, l, and t fits easily. The same count full of wide letters like m and w may be truncated. Checking pixel width is a closer approximation to how Google actually renders the snippet than a character count alone.
Does the meta description affect rankings?
No. The meta description is not a ranking factor. It affects click-through rate by influencing whether users click on your result in the SERP. A compelling description can lift CTR even when ranking position is unchanged — and CTR is itself a user-behaviour signal that indirectly affects how Google judges the result's relevance over time.
When Google ignores your meta description
Google rewrites snippets in roughly 60–70% of results (varying by study and niche). Common triggers:
- —The query matches content on the page that is more specific than your description
- —Your description duplicates across many pages (template leak)
- —The description is stuffed with keywords or doesn't describe the content
- —The page has no meta description at all — Google builds one from visible text
Related pages
For detection at scale across an entire site, see the meta description glossary entry · on-page SEO issue library · most common SEO issues.