Google snippet length is a bit of a debate. Every expert claim they’ve had different experiences.
If your website snippet is not showing on Google search results like usual— you might be wondering why is this happening and why is it so relevant for your website to optimize snippet length?
Well, what if I told you the rabbit hole goes a little deeper?
Over the course of time, Google has changed its search algorithms easily over 500 times. Some times it will make voice-search-friendly changes, the other times, visual friendly algo tweaks.
Some of these updates may seem minor. But once in a while Google likes to roll out a “pivotal upgrade” that affects the way the search results are perceived.
And each year, Business Moghuls, SEO experts and everyone have to scramble their forces to make amends to get accommodated with the changes.
One such instance is Shorter Snippet Length.
To avoid disasters, Search engine experts have been recommending everyone to stick up with 155-160 meta description character limits for years.
And round about two months ago, Google maximized the characters displayed in the search results to 320 characters description.
But with the recent (alleged) update, the search engine has slashed the character limit to 160 characters meta description. If not less, this happened the past year.
While Google has promised to tell everyone when major changes are rolled out, you shouldn’t be sitting on your hands for the announcement.
I first started noticing these changes in search results, as the fewer details and characters in the snippets, but like everyone else, waited it out to see if it was another testing or trial.
Regardless,
If you’re unfamiliar with this update, you’re not alone.
This update is an underrated update but one that is familiar with the patterns of search result engine might be already acquainted with this particular change.
Also read: Google Micro Moments
Google snippet length and its basic data
After testing the longer search engine snippets for over two years, Google has decreased the mobile countdown to 130, if not less, depicted by RankRanger.
Following are the character limits based on devices:
RankRanger’s depicted character limit for desktop, the displayed limit is down to 160 or less characters:
RankRanger’s depicted character limit for mobile, the displayed limit is down to 130 or less characters:
And while we wait to hear more from Google on the matter…
You might need to go deeper to avoid setbacks.
Thankfully, Social media allows you acquire an insight.
Sure, the message from Screaming Frogs stands out a bit; check out his own say in this:
It also seems that Google UK snippets have relapsed from 320 to 155 characters (approximately).
Also read: eCommerce Google Shopping
Conclusion
Considering how underutilized this update is, you might want to consider it as your secret weapon for implementing a SEO strategy for your website’s performance and acquire the kind of acuity that competitors might be lacking out on.
Share your experience and insight on the matter with us, as you might be able to avoid some sleazy SEO tactics that may have harvested traffic in past but aren’t likely to remain viable strategies for long. Keep yourself updated with all the digital marketing trends and implement them to boost your eCommerce sales.
Finally, if you can’t keep up such updates— don’t forget to knock both local SEO and SEO services. They follow Google algos day and night so that you don’t compromise with the strategy.
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