Google responsive search ad
Meta (Facebook and Instagram) ad
Each box above counts as you type and tells you how many characters you have left, or how many you are over. The Google fields follow the layout of a responsive search ad; the Meta fields follow a standard Facebook or Instagram feed ad. The counting runs in your browser, and the copy you type is not saved or sent anywhere.
How to use the counter
- Write your three strongest headlines first. Google needs at least three before it will run the ad, so these are the ones that have to work hardest.
- Add two descriptions. Ninety characters is room for one clear benefit and one reason to act now, not a paragraph.
- Fill the two path fields if you want the shown web address to say something useful, such as /boiler-repair/croydon. They do not change where the click lands.
- For Meta, paste the primary text, headline and description you plan to use in Ads Manager.
- Read the note under the boxes. It flags missing headlines, duplicate headlines, fields over their limit and primary text that runs past the point where Meta cuts it short.
The limits, and what happens when you go over
Google and Meta treat length very differently. Google’s limits are hard: an over-length headline will not save. Meta’s figures are display guidance: longer text is accepted, then truncated depending on where the ad appears.
| Field | Limit used here | If you go over |
|---|---|---|
| Google headline | 30 characters (3 to 15 per ad) | Google Ads will not accept it |
| Google description | 90 characters (2 to 4 per ad) | Google Ads will not accept it |
| Google path 1 and path 2 | 15 characters each | Google Ads will not accept it |
| Meta primary text | About 125 characters visible | The rest hides behind “See more” |
| Meta headline | 40 characters | Cut short on many placements |
| Meta description | 30 characters | Cut short, or not shown at all |
Meta adjusts its recommended lengths by placement and changes them from time to time, so check the figures in Meta’s own Ads Guide for the placements you are buying. The visible length of primary text also varies by device.
Writing to the limits
Every Google headline must stand on its own
Google mixes your headlines and descriptions into different combinations, so any headline can sit next to any other. “Same-day boiler repair” and “Gas Safe registered engineers” work in either order; “And we also fit radiators” does not. You can fix a headline to position one with pinning, but every pin cuts the number of combinations Google can try, so I keep pins for things that must always show, such as a regulated disclaimer.
Spend the characters on the reason to click
The brand name, the town and the service are often already in the search, the display address or a callout asset. Use the headline for what makes you the better choice: a fixed price, a response time, a guarantee you actually offer. The £ sign counts as one character, and prices shown to consumers should include VAT under the CAP Code, so “£89 inc VAT” is a better use of eleven characters than a vague “great prices”.
Characters you can count but should not use
Google’s editorial rules reject some copy that fits comfortably: an exclamation mark in a headline, a word in capitals for emphasis such as FREE, repeated punctuation, or a phone number in the ad text (that belongs in a call asset). A clean count does not mean the ad will be approved.
Front-load Meta primary text
Most people see only the opening of the primary text before “See more”. Put the offer, the audience or the problem in that first line, and let the rest serve the people who were already interested enough to tap.
What the counter does not cover
- Emoji and some symbols. The tool counts as a browser does, so an emoji can count as two characters. Google counts double-width characters, such as Chinese or Japanese script, as two.
- Keyword insertion. With dynamic keyword insertion, the default text inside the code is what has to fit the limit. When a searched keyword would push the headline over, Google shows the default instead.
- Other ad formats and assets. Sitelink text and callouts are limited to 25 characters each, and Performance Max adds long headlines of up to 90. Those are not in this tool.
- Whether the ad will work. Length is a gate, not a measure of quality. Run two versions and check the outcome with the A/B test significance calculator, and make sure the page behind the ad keeps the promise the headline makes.
For organic results the limits are different and measured in pixels, so use the title tag and meta description checker for those instead.
When the copy fits but the ads still struggle
Ads that are approved but rarely clicked usually have a problem upstream of the wording: the wrong keywords, an audience that is too broad, or an offer that is no different from the three ads around it. That is the work I do when I take on Google search ads management or Facebook and Instagram ads management for UK businesses. If you would like a second opinion on an account, send me a note about your campaigns and I will tell you what I would look at first.