Meta Description Checker
Check your meta description length and improve click-through rate.
0
Characters
70–160 recommended
0
Words
15–25 ideal
160
Remaining
before truncation
Meta description best practices
- Aim for 70–160 characters - Google truncates beyond ~160.
- Include your primary keyword naturally in the text.
- Write a compelling summary that encourages clicks.
- Each page should have a unique meta description.
- Use active language and include a call-to-action where appropriate.
What is a meta description?
A meta description is a short snippet of HTML that summarises what a page is about. It appears in search results below the title tag and URL, and gives searchers a preview of what they will find if they click through. It is set using <meta name="description" content="..."> in the page head.
Meta descriptions are not a direct ranking factor. Google does not use them to determine where a page ranks. But they directly affect click-through rate, which determines how much of your search visibility you actually convert into traffic.
Affects CTR, not rank
A strong description encourages searchers to click. A weak or missing one lets Google choose its own snippet, which may not represent your page accurately.
Google bolds keywords
When your description contains words from the search query, Google bolds them in the result. This draws the eye and signals relevance to the searcher.
Unique per page
Duplicate descriptions across multiple pages make it harder for searchers to tell pages apart. Each page should have a description written specifically for it.
When does Google rewrite meta descriptions?
Google rewrites meta descriptions in roughly 60 to 70 percent of cases. It pulls text from the page that it believes better matches the query. You cannot prevent this, but you can reduce how often it happens by writing descriptions that directly address what searchers want.
Description is missing
If no meta description is set, Google will always generate its own snippet by extracting text from the page. Providing one gives you at least some control over what appears.
Description does not match the query
Google shows whichever snippet it thinks best answers the searcher's question. If your description is generic, Google will go looking for something more specific in the page content.
Description is too long or too short
Very long descriptions get truncated. Very short ones leave room for Google to supplement with surrounding text. The 70 to 160 character range gives Google something complete to work with.
Find missing descriptions across your whole site
Crawly crawls your entire site and lists every page with a missing, duplicate, or over-length meta description. No page cap, no subscription required.
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