A meta description should be about 150 to 160 characters. Google truncates descriptions by pixel width rather than an exact character count, but 155 characters is a safe target that almost always shows in full on desktop. On mobile the visible space is shorter, so the most important words belong at the front.
A meta description is the short summary that appears under your page title in search results. It does not directly affect ranking, but it heavily affects whether people click, which makes it one of the highest-leverage pieces of on-page text you write.
The length that fits
Google cuts descriptions at roughly 920 pixels on desktop and around 680 pixels on mobile. Because wide letters take more room than narrow ones, the same character count can fit or get cut depending on the letters. As a practical rule:
| Element | Recommended length |
|---|---|
| Title tag | 50 to 60 characters (about 580 px) |
| Meta description | 150 to 160 characters (about 920 px) |
Write to the lower end if your description has many wide characters, and never pad it to hit a number. A clear 130-character description beats a stuffed 160-character one.
Does it affect ranking?
No, not directly. Google has stated the meta description is not a ranking factor. What it affects is the click-through rate from the results page, and a higher click-through rate on a page that already ranks brings more traffic without moving the position. So the description earns clicks, not rank.
Note that Google often rewrites descriptions, pulling a snippet from the page when that better matches the query. A well-written description still wins more often than not, and it is the version you control.
How to write one that earns clicks
- Lead with the answer or benefit. The first words are the ones that survive truncation on mobile.
- Include the main keyword once. Google bolds query terms in the snippet, which draws the eye.
- Write in active voice and make a promise the page keeps. Misleading descriptions raise the bounce rate.
- Make every description unique. Duplicate descriptions across pages waste the signal.
Preview it before you publish
Our meta tag generator previews your title and description at real search-result length as you type, so you can see exactly where Google would cut. Pair it with the readability score to keep the page itself clear, and the slug generator for a clean URL.
For more on-page checks, browse all our SEO tools.