The Google Ads description character limit is 90 characters per description field. This limit applies across Responsive Search Ads, Performance Max, Display, Call, App, and Dynamic Search Ad formats. Google deprecated Expanded Text Ads on June 30, 2022, making Responsive Search Ads the primary search format.
What Is the Google Ads Description Character Limit?
Google Help explains the official process in Set up conversion tracking for your website.
The Google Ads description character limit is 90 characters per field. This applies to all major ad formats. Expanded Text Ads were discontinued on June 30, 2022, and Responsive Search Ads are now the primary search ad format.
The 90-character limit covers letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation marks. Each counts as 1 character. Google counts characters by Unicode code point. Double-width characters used in East Asian languages such as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean count as 2 characters each. A headline written in Japanese may hit the 30-character limit after only 15 visible characters.
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How Does Google Count Characters in Ads?
Google counts each letter, number, space, and punctuation mark as 1 character. Special characters such as tildes, umlauts, and cedillas are supported and count as 1 character each. The display URL path fields may visually truncate before the character limit if many wide letters such as W or M are used. Always preview ads across device types using Google's built-in ad preview tool.
What Is the Character Limit for Responsive Search Ad Descriptions?
Responsive Search Ads allow descriptions of up to 90 characters, with a maximum of 4 descriptions per ad. URL paths can be up to 15 characters with a maximum of 2 paths.
In any given ad, a minimum of one headline and one description will be selected to show in different combinations and orders. Part of the ad text may automatically appear in bold when it matches or closely matches a user's search query. Over time, Google Ads tests the most promising ad combinations and learns which combinations are the most relevant for different queries.
How Many Descriptions Can a Responsive Search Ad Have?
Responsive Search Ads allow up to 15 headlines at 30 characters each and 4 descriptions at 90 characters each. Google selects which combination to display based on the user's search query and predicted performance. Not all 4 descriptions appear simultaneously. Google displays 2 descriptions at a time in most placements.
What Are the Character Limits for All 6 Google Ads Formats?
Google Ads is not one product. It is an ecosystem. Responsive Search Ads, Performance Max campaigns, Display ads, Shopping ads, YouTube video ads, and a growing list of extensions each carry their own unique character limits.
Ad Format | Headlines | Descriptions | Additional Fields Responsive Search Ads | 15 x 30 characters | 4 x 90 characters | 2 URL paths x 15 characters Performance Max | 5 x 30 characters | 5 x 90 characters | Long headline: 90 characters Responsive Display Ads | 5 x 30 characters (short) | 5 x 90 characters | Long headline: 90 characters Call Ads | 2 x 30 characters | 2 x 90 characters | Business name: 25 characters App Campaigns | 1 x 30 characters | 1 x 90 characters | None Dynamic Search Ads | Auto-generated | 1 x 90 characters | None
What Is the Performance Max Description Character Limit?
Performance Max campaigns use the following limits: headlines up to 5, each with a maximum of 30 characters; descriptions up to 5, each allowing up to 90 characters; long headlines up to 90 characters; and business name up to 25 characters. Performance Max campaigns require at least one headline of 15 characters or fewer for optimal ad combinations.
What Are the Character Limits for Google Ads Extensions and Assets?
Google Ads extensions provide additional text space beyond the core ad fields. Price extensions show a table of products or services with individual prices. Each item has a header of 25 characters and a description of 25 characters. Promotion extensions highlight specific offers. The promotional message field allows up to 20 characters and the item field allows 45 characters.
Common extension character limits:
- Callout extensions: 25 characters per callout, up to 10 callouts
- Sitelink extensions: 25 characters for the link text, 35 characters per description line
- Structured snippets: 25 characters per value
- Price extensions: 25 characters per header, 25 characters per description
- Promotion extensions: 20 characters for promotional message
What Is the Google Shopping Ad Title Character Limit?
Shopping ad titles can be up to 150 characters long, but only the first 70 characters reliably appear on most devices. Always place the most important product details, including the brand and main product features, in the first 70 characters. Shopping ads do not use traditional description fields. Product data is pulled from Google Merchant Center.
What Happens When a Google Ad Exceeds the Character Limit?
Ads that exceed the character limits are disapproved, which sets back the campaign. If the message is too long, critical information is left out and the message is diluted.
In some instances, Google Ads may need to shorten ad text, usually with an ellipsis. There are 3 outcomes when an ad exceeds its character limit:
- The ad is rejected during review and does not serve until corrected
- The text is truncated with an ellipsis on devices with limited display space
- Certain headlines or descriptions are excluded from rotation by Google's system
How Do You Write Effective Descriptions Within 90 Characters?
Writing effective Google Ads descriptions within 90 characters requires 5 practices:
- Place the primary keyword or value proposition in the first 40 characters
- Include a numeric value such as a price, percentage, or quantity to increase specificity
- Add a direct call to action such as "Get a Free Quote" or "Shop Now"
- Use the second description to support a different value proposition or offer
- Avoid punctuation at the end of descriptions, as Google may not display it in all placements
Headlines must work alone. Not all placements show descriptions, so headlines need to convey value independently. Write each description as a standalone statement that delivers value without relying on the headline for context.
How Many Unique Descriptions Should You Write for a Responsive Search Ad?
Write at least 8 to 10 unique headlines, aiming for 15 when possible. This gives Google more combinations to test. For descriptions, use all 4 available slots. Each description should cover a different benefit, offer, or call to action. This increases the number of combinations Google can test and improves ad performance over time.
How Do Google Ads Character Limits Affect Ad Quality Score?
Ad content that fits comfortably within the character limit enhances ad rank and quality score. Good ad placement and strong calls to action improve click-through rate and conversions.
Google's Quality Score is influenced by 3 factors:
- Expected click-through rate based on keyword and ad copy relevance
- Ad relevance to the search query
- Landing page experience after the click
Descriptions that directly address the user's search query and remain within the 90-character limit contribute to higher relevance scores. Higher relevance scores lower cost-per-click (CPC) and improve ad position across all 6 Google Ads formats.
Waleed Qamar holds a BSc in Computer Science from Purdue University and has spent the years since turning that technical foundation into something the curriculum never covered: figuring out why websites rank, why they fall, and why most businesses never find out until it is too late.
Pakistan-born and based between the United States and South Asia, he has managed search visibility for e-commerce stores, local service businesses, and SaaS startups across two continents. He started in SEO when guest posting still worked, survived the Penguin update, and has rebuilt client sites from scratch after algorithm hits more than once.
He has watched good businesses get sold packages that looked like progress and delivered nothing lasting. He has also seen the right approach quietly double a site’s traffic without a single press release about it.
His writing on SEO By Highsoftware99 covers Google algorithm updates, autocomplete optimization, semantic SEO structure, and the widening gap between what agencies promise and what Google actually rewards in 2026.
He knows what a traffic cliff looks like in Search Console on the morning you discover it.
