Meta description length should target 150–160 characters to display fully on both desktop and mobile search results. Google measures meta descriptions by pixel width rather than character count—around 920 pixels maximum on desktop—but 150–160 characters is the practical sweet spot that works across devices without truncation. Google cuts off longer descriptions with an ellipsis, which wastes your opportunity to control the message. Mobile results are more restrictive, often truncating around 120 characters, so front-load your most compelling copy and primary keyword in the first 120 characters if mobile traffic matters for that page. You don't get penalized for longer meta descriptions—Google simply won't show the excess. The real issue is that writing 200+ character descriptions means you're burying your call-to-action or value proposition where users won't see it. We've tested descriptions at 140, 155, and 180 characters across Ottawa SEO's portfolio, and the 150–160 range consistently performs best for click-through because the entire message is visible. A few practical points: Google rewrites roughly 60–70% of meta descriptions anyway, pulling content from the page it deems more relevant to the query. This doesn't mean skip writing them—a well-crafted meta description still controls the message for branded searches and many informational queries. Each page needs a unique description; duplicate meta descriptions across pages is a wasted opportunity and flags in Search Console. At Ottawa SEO, we write meta descriptions at 152–158 characters as standard. That leaves a small buffer for Google's rendering variations while ensuring the full message and CTA appear. For local service pages targeting Ottawa or Toronto, we include the city name within the first 100 characters since that's often what triggers the click. Track CTR in Search Console by page—if a description consistently underperforms despite good rankings, rewrite it shorter and test a clearer value proposition.