Write a meta description that fits. Paste it in to see its length, its pixel width and a live preview of how it looks in Google's results.
How to use the Meta description tester
- Paste or type your description.
- Watch the length and pixel width; stay under the cut-off.
- Check the snippet preview and tweak until the key point shows in full.
How long should it be?
Google cuts descriptions by pixel width, not characters: roughly 155–160 characters on desktop and less on mobile. Put the most important words first so they survive the cut.
What makes people click
Say who the page is for and what they get, match the words people searched, and add a concrete detail (free, a number, a time) rather than general claims.
Reading the meter and checks
The bar shows pixel width against a 920 px desktop limit. Green means 120 characters or more and inside the limit; amber means too short or too wide; red means empty. Wide letters like M and W use more space than i or l, so two descriptions of the same length can fit differently. Below the previews, five checks: length of 120–160 characters, fits on desktop, contains an action verb such as get, try or start, has no spammy repetition like "!!", and shares at least one word with the title. The mobile preview cuts sooner, so read it to see what phone users get.
Fixing a weak description
Too short: add who it is for and one concrete benefit. Cut off mid-sentence: move the key point to the first 120 characters. Repeats the title word for word: use the space for something the title doesn't say. Stuffed with keywords: write it as one or two plain sentences. Generic ("Welcome to our website"): say what someone can do on this exact page.