Google Increases Meta-Description Character Count

Have you noticed that Google recently made yet another update to their search engine result page? This time the big G has increased the meta-description character count on their listing snippets from 160 to 320 characters. Here is the before and after...

As you can see, new meta-descriptions are four entire lines. Traditionally, meta-descriptions have only had the capability to have one to two lines worth of text. This update allows for businesses to take up more real estate within search results, which can push competitors even further down from the top.

In a nutshell, meta descriptions are found on search engine result pages under the page title and give both Google and visitors a little more information about the context of your page. This can easily be updated through your websites content management system.

Should I update my meta descriptions?

No one can definitively say that this update will stick. Google is always testing and tweaking their search results pages. If you feel that adding more text to your meta descriptions would help visitors better understand your page or increase conversions then go for it!

With that said, we wouldn't suggest going back and updating hundreds or thousands of existing pages. You could implement the new meta description character count to future pages as well as pages that you find important.

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