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My meta description gets cut off

A description that ends mid-sentence reads broken and wastes your pitch. Check the real cut-off and rewrite to fit.

The quick answer

Google shows roughly 150–160 characters of a meta description on desktop (less on mobile) and truncates the rest by rendered width. Paste your title, URL and description into a pixel-accurate SERP preview to see exactly where the snippet is clipped, then tighten the copy until the full pitch fits. Everything runs in your browser.

How to fix it

Follow these steps and you'll have it sorted in a couple of minutes.

  1. 1

    Open the Google SERP Preview

    Type your title, URL and meta description. A faithful Google snippet renders live for desktop and mobile, measured by pixel width, the way Google actually truncates.

  2. 2

    Spot the cut-off

    The preview flags the exact point the ellipsis would appear on each surface, with a live length and pixel readout and green/amber/red guidance.

  3. 3

    Rewrite to fit

    Lead with the benefit and the keyword, keep it specific to the page, and trim until both previews show the full description.

  4. 4

    Copy the optimized meta block

    Copy the ready-to-paste meta tags into your page's <head>. Analyze an existing page first with the Meta Tag Analyzer if you're auditing.

Common mistakes to avoid
  • Writing one description for every page, duplicates get ignored or rewritten by Google. Each page needs its own.
  • Counting characters only: 160 characters of wide letters can still truncate. The pixel preview is the real test.
  • Front-loading fluff (“Welcome to our website…”) so the actual pitch is exactly what gets cut off.

Frequently asked questions

Ready? Start with Google SERP Preview

Free, private and instant: everything runs in your browser.