Check your title and description in seconds
A free, no-nonsense meta description checker. Type in your page title and meta description and you’ll see exactly how they’re likely to look in Google, on desktop and mobile, with a clear warning if anything’s too long. No sign-up, no email, no catch.
Widths are measured in pixels, the way Google does it, so they’re a close estimate rather than a promise. Google can still choose to show different text.
How to use the checker
- Paste in your page title. That’s the blue, clickable headline in Google’s results, also called the meta title or title tag.
- Paste in your meta description. That’s the short summary underneath. The preview updates as you type.
- Add your page address if you like, so the preview shows your own website.
- Switch between desktop and mobile. Mobile shows less text, so check both.
- Tweak until both bars are green, then copy your text into your website’s SEO settings.
What the colours mean
- Green, “Looks good”: it should fit without being cut off.
- Amber, “A bit short”: it fits, but you’ve got space to say more. A longer description gives people more reason to click.
- Red, “Too long”: Google will probably cut it off with “…”. Move the important bit to the start, or trim it down.
Why check by pixels, not characters?
Google doesn’t actually count characters. It cuts titles and descriptions off when they run out of space on the screen, so a title full of wide letters like “W” and “M” gets cut off sooner than one full of narrow letters like “i” and “l”. That’s why character counts are only ever a rough guide, and why this checker measures the actual width of your text instead.
Writing a good meta description
Fitting the space is only half the job. A good description says exactly what the page is about, gives people a reason to pick you, and ends with a nudge to click. Our plain English guide, what is a meta description?, covers how to write one step by step, with examples for local businesses.
And remember: meta descriptions aren’t a ranking factor, so they won’t move you up Google on their own. What they do is help more of the people who already see your result actually click on it.
Meta description checker FAQs
Yes, completely. There’s no sign-up, no email address needed and no limit on how many times you use it. Everything runs in your own browser, so nothing you type is sent to us or stored anywhere.
It’s a close estimate. Google cuts titles and descriptions off by pixel width rather than by character count, so the checker measures your text in pixels using the same kind of font Google uses. Google tweaks its layout from time to time, so treat the result as a very good guide rather than a guarantee.
Aim for roughly 120 to 155 characters. On desktop, Google usually shows around 155 to 160 characters before cutting a description off, and on mobile it’s closer to 120. Put the most important information first so it survives being shortened.
Around 50 to 60 characters usually fits. Google shows roughly 600 pixels of a title on desktop, so a title full of wide letters gets cut off sooner than one full of narrow ones. Put your main keyword and what the page is about near the start.
Google treats your meta description as a suggestion. If it thinks another sentence from your page better matches what someone searched for, it will show that instead. A clear, accurate description that matches the page gives yours the best chance of being used.
Most websites have a box for it. In WordPress it’s in your SEO plugin, such as Yoast SEO, Rank Math or All in One SEO. Wix, Squarespace and Shopify have an SEO section in each page’s settings. The “Copy the HTML tags” button gives you the raw code if your website needs it.
Want every page checked for you?
Missing, duplicated and cut-off titles and descriptions are some of the most common things we find. Our £150 No Nonsense Audit checks every page on your website and tells you, in plain English, exactly what to fix first. Get in touch and we’ll take a look.