{
  "schema_version": "1.1",
  "id": "meta-descriptions-must-be-under-160-characters",
  "slug": "meta-descriptions-must-be-under-160-characters",
  "url": "https://groundedkit.com/claims/meta-descriptions-must-be-under-160-characters/",
  "api_url": "https://groundedkit.com/api/claims/meta-descriptions-must-be-under-160-characters.json",
  "claim": "Meta descriptions must be under 155–160 characters",
  "commonly_cited_as": "\"Meta description max length is 160 characters\"",
  "verdict": "misquoted",
  "verdict_definition": "Primary source found, but the way it is quoted changes the subject, metric, population or precision.",
  "confidence": "high",
  "rating": {
    "value": 2,
    "best": 5,
    "worst": 1
  },
  "origin": {
    "publisher": "Google Search Central",
    "title": "Control your snippets in search results",
    "year": "Current documentation"
  },
  "quote": "There's no limit on how long a meta description can be, but the snippet is truncated in Google Search results as needed, typically to fit the device width.",
  "method": "Official Google Search documentation.",
  "drift": [
    "Type: a display-truncation rule of thumb presented as a limit"
  ],
  "interest": "Google operates Google Search.",
  "safe_rephrasing": "Google sets no length limit on meta descriptions; snippets are truncated to fit the device, so 155–160 characters is a display guideline only.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Google Search Central — Control your snippets in search results",
      "url": "https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/snippet",
      "primary": true
    }
  ],
  "kind": "stat_check",
  "as_of": "Documentation read on 2026-10-16",
  "last_checked": "2026-10-16",
  "stale": false,
  "date_reviewed": "2026-10-16",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "license_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}