Meta description too long
Quick winFound on 41% of audited stores.
Shorten your meta description to 150–160 characters so Google displays your full message in search results instead of cutting it off with "…".
What it is
A meta description is the short summary sentence (or two) that appears beneath your page title in Google search results. It lives in the HTML `<head>` of your page and is invisible on the page itself, but very visible to shoppers scanning results. Google typically displays around 150–160 characters of plain text; anything beyond that gets cut off with an ellipsis. Your current meta description exceeds that limit, meaning the end of your message — often the most compelling part — disappears before the shopper reads it.
Why it matters
A truncated meta description looks unfinished and unprofessional in search results, which reduces the click-through rate (CTR) to your store. Lower CTR means fewer visitors even if you rank well, directly hurting revenue. Google also uses the meta description as a signal when deciding what snippet to show; if yours is too long, Google may rewrite it entirely with text pulled from anywhere on the page — text you didn't choose and that may not be your best sales copy. Keeping it concise and punchy gives you control over your first impression at the exact moment a potential customer is deciding whether to visit your store.
How to fix it
- Audit every page that has a meta description longer than 160 characters — prioritise high-traffic pages like the homepage, category pages, and best-selling product pages.
- Write a new meta description of 150–160 characters (not words). Include your primary keyword naturally near the beginning, and end with a clear benefit or call-to-action ('Shop now', 'Free shipping', etc.).
- For non-Latin scripts (Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, etc.) aim for 70–80 characters, as each multi-byte character may display wider and be truncated sooner by Google's pixel-width limit (~920px).
- Ensure the description is unique — every important page should have its own distinct meta description, never duplicated from another page.
- Save the change and use Google Search Console's URL Inspection tool (or a meta-tag checker) to confirm the new description is under the limit and rendering correctly.
- Monitor Google Search Console's Search Results report over the following weeks to check whether CTR improves for updated pages.
<meta name="description" content="Award-winning Bang & Olufsen headphones, speakers & TVs. Visit our Ho Chi Minh City store at Union Square, 171 Dong Khoi St. Free shipping available.">Fix it on your platform
Pick your platform for the exact steps.
How to fix meta description too long on Shopify
- In your Shopify admin, go to the page you want to edit: Online Store → Pages (for content pages), Products → [product name] (for products), or Online Store → Navigation (for the homepage via Online Store → Preferences).
- For the Homepage: go to Online Store → Preferences, scroll to 'Homepage meta tags', and edit the 'Meta description' field directly. Keep it under 160 characters.
- For Products or Pages: scroll to the bottom of the edit screen and click 'Edit website SEO'. The 'Description' field there is the meta description. Edit and save.
- For Collections: go to Products → Collections → [collection name] → scroll to 'Edit website SEO' at the bottom.
- Use a character-counter browser extension or paste the text into a tool like Google's SERP Simulator to confirm length before saving.
- Click 'Save' on every page you edit.
How to fix meta description too long on WooCommerce
- Install or confirm you have an SEO plugin active — Yoast SEO, Rank Math, or All in One SEO are the most common.
- For Yoast SEO: open the product, page, or post in the WordPress block editor. Scroll to the 'Yoast SEO' panel at the bottom. Click the 'SEO' tab, then edit the 'Meta description' field. The snippet preview and character counter show when you're within the safe range (green bar).
- For Rank Math: open the post/page editor, click the Rank Math icon (top-right toolbar), go to the 'General' tab, and edit the 'Description' field. A live character counter is shown.
- For site-wide defaults (e.g. category archives): in Yoast go to Yoast SEO → Search Appearance → Taxonomies or Content Types and edit the default description template there.
- Click 'Update' or 'Publish' to save changes.
How to fix meta description too long on BigCommerce
- For Products: go to Products → View → click the product → scroll to the 'Search Engine Optimization' section on the product edit page. Edit the 'Meta Description' field and keep it under 160 characters. Click 'Save'.
- For Category pages: go to Products → Product Categories → click the category → scroll to the 'Search Engine Optimization' panel. Edit 'Meta Description' and save.
- For standard content pages: go to Storefront → Web Pages → click the page → locate the 'Search Engine Optimization' section at the bottom. Edit and save.
- For the Homepage: go to Storefront → Web Pages → find your home page (often listed as 'Home') and follow the same SEO section steps.
- BigCommerce does not enforce a character limit in the field, so manually count or paste into a character-counter tool before saving.
How to fix meta description too long on Wix
- Open the Wix Editor for your site. Click on the page you want to edit in the Pages & Menu panel (or select it from the top dropdown).
- Click the page name → Page Settings (gear icon) → SEO tab.
- In the 'What's this page about?' / 'Description' field, edit or rewrite the meta description to 150–160 characters.
- Wix shows a live preview of how the snippet will appear in search results — use it to verify the text is not truncated.
- For product pages in Wix Stores: go to the Wix dashboard → Wix Stores → Products → click the product → scroll to 'SEO' section on the right panel → edit 'Description'.
- Click 'Save' and then 'Publish' your site for changes to go live.
How to fix meta description too long on Wix Studio
- In Wix Studio, open the relevant page in the editor.
- Click the Pages panel (top-left), hover over the page name, click the three-dot menu, and select 'SEO Basics'.
- Edit the 'Meta Description' field, keeping it under 160 characters. The live snippet preview updates as you type.
- For Wix Stores product pages, manage SEO from the Wix dashboard → Wix Stores → Products → select product → SEO panel on the right.
- Publish the site to apply changes.
How to fix meta description too long on Squarespace
- For regular pages: in your Squarespace editor, hover over the page in the Pages panel and click the gear icon (Page Settings) → SEO tab. Edit the 'SEO Description' field. Keep it under 160 characters.
- For Products (Squarespace Commerce): go to Commerce → Inventory → click the product → click the SEO tab → edit 'Description'.
- For Blog posts: open the post → click the gear/settings icon → SEO tab → edit the description.
- Squarespace does not enforce a limit in the field; count characters manually or use a browser extension.
- Click 'Save' to apply changes. No separate publishing step is required.
How to fix meta description too long on Squarespace Commerce
- Go to Commerce → Inventory in your Squarespace dashboard.
- Click the product to open its editor → navigate to the SEO tab.
- Edit the 'Description' field to 150–160 characters, ensuring your key benefit and a call-to-action are included.
- Click 'Save'.
How to fix meta description too long on Webflow
- Open your Webflow Designer. Click on the page you want to edit in the Pages panel (left sidebar).
- Click the Settings (gear) icon next to the page name → go to the 'SEO Settings' section.
- Edit the 'Meta Description' field. Webflow shows a live SERP preview; aim to keep the description text from being truncated in the preview.
- For CMS Collection pages (e.g. products or blog posts): go to the CMS Collections panel → open the Collection → open the Collection Settings → edit the Meta Description field, which can include dynamic field bindings (e.g. {{description}} pulled from a CMS field). Ensure the bound field's content is kept under 160 characters.
- Click 'Save' and then 'Publish' the site.
How to fix meta description too long on Adobe Commerce (Magento)
- Log in to the Admin panel. For product pages: go to Catalog → Products → select the product → expand the 'Search Engine Optimization' section → edit the 'Meta Description' field. Keep it under 160 characters. Click 'Save'.
- For Category pages: go to Catalog → Categories → select the category → expand 'Search Engine Optimization' → edit 'Meta Description' → Save.
- For CMS pages: go to Content → Pages → select the page → expand 'Search Engine Optimization' → edit 'Meta Description' → Save.
- To set a store-wide default template: go to Stores → Configuration → Catalog → Catalog → 'Product Fields Auto-generation' — note that individual page overrides always take precedence.
- Consider installing an SEO extension (e.g. Mageworx SEO Suite) if you need bulk editing or automated length enforcement across thousands of products.
How to fix meta description too long on Magento Open Source
- Follow the same steps as Adobe Commerce (Magento): Catalog → Products → select product → Search Engine Optimization section → edit Meta Description → Save.
- For CMS pages: Content → Pages → select page → Search Engine Optimization → Meta Description → Save.
- For bulk updates across many products, use the built-in CSV import (System → Data Transfer → Import) with updated meta_description values in the import file.
How to fix meta description too long on PrestaShop
- For Products: go to Catalog → Products → select the product → click the 'SEO' tab → edit the 'Meta description' field (keep under 160 characters) → Save.
- For Category pages: go to Catalog → Categories → select the category → SEO tab → edit Meta description → Save.
- For CMS pages: go to Design → Pages → select the page → edit Meta description → Save.
- PrestaShop displays the remaining character count in the meta description field — use that counter as your guide.
How to fix meta description too long on HubSpot CMS
- Open the page in HubSpot. Go to Marketing → Website → Website Pages (or Landing Pages / Blog) and click Edit on the relevant page.
- Click 'Settings' (top of the editor) → Scroll to 'Meta description' → Edit the field.
- HubSpot shows a live search-snippet preview. Keep the description within the preview's visible area (under 160 characters).
- Click 'Publish' or 'Update' to apply.
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Scan my site freeFrequently asked questions
What is Meta description too long?
A meta description is the short summary sentence (or two) that appears beneath your page title in Google search results. It lives in the HTML `<head>` of your page and is invisible on the page itself, but very visible to shoppers scanning results. Google typically displays around 150–160 characters of plain text; anything beyond that gets cut off with an ellipsis. Your current meta description exceeds that limit, meaning the end of your message — often the most compelling part — disappears before the shopper reads it.
Why does meta description too long matter?
A truncated meta description looks unfinished and unprofessional in search results, which reduces the click-through rate (CTR) to your store. Lower CTR means fewer visitors even if you rank well, directly hurting revenue. Google also uses the meta description as a signal when deciding what snippet to show; if yours is too long, Google may rewrite it entirely with text pulled from anywhere on the page — text you didn't choose and that may not be your best sales copy. Keeping it concise and punchy gives you control over your first impression at the exact moment a potential customer is deciding whether to visit your store.
How do I fix meta description too long?
Shorten your meta description to 150–160 characters so Google displays your full message in search results instead of cutting it off with "…".
Authoritative references
- Control your snippets & meta description — Google Search Central
- SEO Starter Guide — Google Search Central