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Meta Description Length: The 2026 Guide

How long should a meta description be? The pixel and character limits Google uses on desktop and mobile, and how to avoid truncation.

Placeholder post. This is scaffolding to prove the blog collection renders. Replace the body with the real guide (see docs/CONTENT-PLAN.md, article #2).

Google truncates meta descriptions by pixel width, not character count, but characters are a useful proxy. As a rule of thumb, aim for roughly 150–160 characters on desktop and ~120 on mobile.

What to cover (outline)

  • Desktop vs mobile limits (pixels and the character equivalents)
  • Why Google sometimes rewrites your description
  • How spaces and wide characters affect truncation
  • Tools to check length before publishing

Check any description against the live limits with the SERP snippet preview tool.