Meta description length matters primarily for user experience and click-through rate, not direct rankings. Google doesn't use meta descriptions as a ranking signal, but a well-crafted description that displays fully can significantly impact whether someone clicks your result over a competitor's. The practical sweet spot is 150–160 characters for desktop and 120–130 for mobile. Since Google shows the mobile snippet in most cases now, staying under 155 characters ensures your full message displays on both. Anything longer gets cut off with an ellipsis, which looks unfinished and can reduce clicks if it cuts mid-sentence or mid-value proposition. Google rewrites meta descriptions roughly 60–70% of the time anyway, pulling text from your page that better matches the user's query. This means even a perfect 155-character description might not show. But when your description does display, you want it complete and compelling. At Ottawa SEO, we write descriptions assuming they will show, because when they do, they're your sales pitch in the SERP. We focus on: - Including the primary keyword naturally (Google bolds matching terms) - Leading with the core benefit or answer - Adding a secondary hook or differentiator if space allows - Ending with a soft call-to-action when it fits For commercial pages, a tight 145–155 characters often works better than maxing out at 160, because it avoids awkward cuts on mobile. For informational content, we sometimes write slightly longer (165–175 characters) knowing Google may rewrite it anyway, but ensuring the first 155 characters stand alone if they get truncated. Length matters less than clarity and relevance. A 140-character description that directly addresses search intent will outperform a keyword-stuffed 160-character block every time. Test your descriptions on both desktop and mobile SERPs using browser dev tools or SERP preview tools before publishing, especially for high-traffic pages where CTR impacts revenue.