Meta description length in 2026, and why Google cuts by pixels, not characters

Keep a meta description to about 150–160 characters, with the point made in the first 120. Google has no length limit. It cuts the snippet to fit the screen, about 920 pixels wide on desktop and less on a phone, so what fits depends on the letters you use. Titles are cut the same way, at about 600 pixels, which is roughly 50–60 characters.

Why pixels, not characters?

Because Google's results are set in a proportional font: an "i" takes far less room than an "M" or a "W". Google's own guidance says there's no limit on a meta description's length, and that the snippet is truncated as needed, typically to fit the device's width (Google Search Central).

So "160 characters" is a rule of thumb, not a rule. A description full of capitals and wide letters can be cut at 140 characters; one with lots of narrow letters can run past 170. The only reliable check is to measure the width.

How long should a meta description be?

• Desktop: about 150–160 characters of ordinary prose fits.
• Mobile: expect it to be cut sooner, at roughly 120 characters.
• Too short: under about 70 characters, Google is more likely to replace it with text from the page, and you waste space in the result.

Write a complete thought in the first 120 characters, then let the rest add detail. If the end gets cut, nothing important is lost.

How long should a title tag be?

Google cuts titles at about 600 pixels on desktop, roughly 50–60 characters. Put the words people search for first, so they survive any cut, and the brand last: "Invoice software for freelancers | Acme", not "Acme | Invoice software for freelancers".

Does Google even use my meta description?

Often, but not always. Google writes the snippet from your page when it thinks another passage answers the search better, and it uses your meta description when that describes the page more accurately (Google Search Central). That means the same page can show different snippets for different searches.

You can't force your description to show, but you can make it the best answer:

• Be specific. "Send invoices in two clicks, get paid by card or bank transfer, free for 3 clients" beats "The best invoicing tool for your business".
• Match the page. A description that promises something the page doesn't say gets replaced.
• Write one per page. Duplicate descriptions across pages are a common reason Google ignores them.

Keyword stuffing doesn't help. The description doesn't affect ranking directly; it affects whether people click.

How do you check yours before you publish?

Run the page through our SERP snippet preview. It reads the page's title and description as Google would, measures each in pixels against Google's cut-off, and shows the result as it would appear, cut where it would be cut. It also checks that the page can be indexed at all: a stray noindex is a common reason a page never shows up.

For the rest of the page (one H1, a canonical URL, structured data, a language), run the SEO checker.

A quick checklist

1. Title: the search words first, under about 600 pixels.
2. Description: 120–160 characters, a complete thought in the first 120.
3. One unique title and description per page.
4. The page says what the description promises.
5. Check both with the SERP preview before you publish.

Every product listed on MakerRadar gets a page with a title and description fitted to Google's widths. List yours free.