Free tool
Meta Description Length Checker
Your title and description measured in pixels, the way Google cuts them, with a live result preview.
How it works
What is the Meta Description Length Checker?
The Meta Description Length Checker is a free tool that measures your title tag and meta description in pixels, the way Google decides where to cut them, as well as in characters. It shows a live preview of the search result on desktop or mobile, truncated where Google would truncate it, so you can fix the length before you publish.
How to use the Meta Description Length Checker
- Type or paste your title tag and meta description. Add the URL to see the breadcrumb.
- Switch between desktop and mobile. Mobile cuts descriptions sooner.
- Read the preview: an ellipsis means Google would cut the text there.
- Trim until both pixel bars stay violet, and keep the most important words at the start.
How long should a meta description be?
Keep a meta description to about 150 to 160 characters so it shows in full on desktop, and put the key point in the first 120 so it survives on mobile. Google measures the width rather than the characters, roughly 920 pixels on desktop and 680 on mobile, which is why this tool measures pixels.
There is no penalty for a longer description. Google simply cuts it, and the part people see may end mid-sentence.
What is the character limit for a title tag?
Google shows about 600 pixels of a title, which is usually 50 to 60 characters. A title full of wide capitals cuts sooner than one of lowercase letters. Lead with the words the searcher typed, and put the brand name at the end, where losing it to an ellipsis costs least. To see what your live page actually serves, use the On-Page SEO Checker.
Why does Google rewrite my title or meta description?
Google rewrites a title or description when it judges another text on the page matches the query better. For descriptions this happens most of the time on long-tail queries, and for titles when the tag is too long, stuffed with keywords or does not match the H1. A description that answers the page's main query directly, at the right length, is the one most likely to be kept.
How does this checker decide where Google cuts the text?
It draws your text in your browser in Arial, at the sizes Google uses for results: 20 pixels for the title and 14 pixels for the description. Then it compares the width with the limits most SERP simulators use, 600 pixels for a title and 920 pixels (desktop) or 680 pixels (mobile) for a description. When the text is too wide, the preview cuts it at the last whole word that fits and adds an ellipsis, which is what Google usually does.
The character bars beside the pixel bars, 60 for a title and 160 for a description, are rules of thumb. When the two disagree, trust the pixels.
How do I write a good meta description?
Write it as the answer to the query the page targets, in one or two plain sentences. Say what the page gives the searcher, such as a price, a checklist or a free tool, and use the words they typed, because Google often bolds the terms that match the query.
Put the deciding detail in the first 120 characters so it survives on mobile. Leave out the brand name unless people search for it, avoid raw double quote marks, which end the HTML content attribute early and cut the description short, and write each page's description for that page alone.
How do I find the meta description of a page?
Open the page, view its source (Ctrl+U on Windows, Cmd+Option+U on a Mac) and search for name="description". The text inside content="..." is the meta description. In WordPress it is usually set in the SEO plugin's field under the editor, and in Shopify in the search engine listing section of each page or product.
The On-Page SEO Audit reads the live title and description for you, with their lengths, so you can paste them here and test a rewrite.
Is the meta description the same as the Open Graph description?
No. The meta description is what search engines may show under your title. The og:description tag is what LinkedIn, Facebook, Slack and other apps show when someone shares the link. If a page has no og:description, many apps fall back to the meta description, so the two often match. They can differ: a share preview can be shorter and more conversational. Write both with the Open Graph Generator.
Questions
- Does the meta description affect rankings?
- No. Google has said the meta description is not a ranking factor. It affects whether people click, which is why it is worth writing well.
- Is the meta description length different on mobile?
- Yes. Mobile results have less width, so Google shows roughly 680 pixels of description, about 120 characters. Switch the preview to mobile to see where yours would cut.
- Should every page have a unique meta description?
- Yes. Duplicate descriptions across many pages make it harder for searchers to tell results apart, and Google is more likely to replace them. If you cannot write one per page, leave it empty rather than repeat one.
- Why measure pixels instead of characters?
- Because Google cuts by display width. Ten W's are almost three times as wide as ten i's, so the same character count can fit or overflow. The tool measures your text in Arial, the font Google uses for results.
- Is there a maximum length for a meta description?
- Not in the HTML. The tag accepts text of any length, and Google does not penalise a long one. It only shows as much as fits the result, so anything past roughly 920 pixels on desktop is never seen.
- Can a meta description be too short?
- Yes. A description of a few words gives searchers little reason to click, and Google is more likely to replace it with text from the page. Aim to use most of the mobile width, around 120 characters, at least.
- Should I put my keyword in the meta description?
- Yes, once, where it reads naturally. It does not help rankings, but Google often bolds words that match the search, which makes the result easier to spot. Repeating the keyword makes the snippet read like spam.
- How do I stop Google from showing a snippet?
- Add
<meta name="robots" content="nosnippet">to hide the snippet entirely, ormax-snippet:50to cap it at 50 characters. To keep one part of the page out of snippets, wrap it in an element with thedata-nosnippetattribute.
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