How long should a meta description be?

Aim for roughly 120–155 characters, with the most important information first so it survives truncation on mobile.

Is meta description length a ranking factor?

No. Descriptions influence whether people click, not where the page ranks.

Search engines often generate their own snippet from page content when they judge it a better match for the query.

Type or paste a meta description to see its length in characters and pixels and where it would be cut off on desktop and mobile.

Meta description — one per line to check several

Start typing to see the measurement.

A 190-character description loses its call to action. Move the key benefit into the first 120 characters.

A 45-character description wastes the space and is likely to be replaced with page text.

Characters: Around 70–155 usually displays in full on desktop.
Pixels: Results are truncated by width, not character count. About 920px on desktop and 680px on mobile is a practical guide.
Preview: An approximation. Search engines may rewrite or shorten descriptions regardless of length.

How long should a meta description be?: Aim for roughly 120–155 characters, with the most important information first so it survives truncation on mobile.
Is meta description length a ranking factor?: No. Descriptions influence whether people click, not where the page ranks.
Why does Google show a different description?: Search engines often generate their own snippet from page content when they judge it a better match for the query.