Google Ads Character Limits for Headlines and Descriptions

Every word you write in a Google ad costs you nothing extra. But every character you waste costs you everything — a missed click, a lower Quality Score, or worse, a disapproved ad that never shows at all.

Google Ads character limits exist for a good reason: they ensure ads display correctly across devices, screen sizes, and placements. A headline that runs too long gets truncated mid-sentence — or rejected entirely by Google’s automated review system. A description that exceeds its limit may simply not appear, leaving your ad weaker and less competitive.

The challenge is that Google Ads is not one product — it is an ecosystem. Responsive Search Ads (RSAs), Performance Max campaigns, Display ads, Shopping ads, YouTube video ads, and a growing list of extensions each carry their own unique character limits. What works in a Search ad headline doesn’t necessarily fit a callout extension. What you can say in a Shopping product title is very different from what fits in a YouTube in-stream ad.

This guide gives you the complete, authoritative breakdown of every character limit across every Google Ads format in 2025. Whether you are a solo business owner writing your first ad or a PPC specialist managing hundreds of campaigns, you will find everything you need here — including practical tips for writing compelling copy within each constraint.

Google Ads Character Limits — Master Quick Reference

Before we go deep into each format, here is the master reference table you can bookmark and return to every time you write a new campaign. All limits are as of April 2025.

Ad Format	Field	Character Limit	Notes
Responsive Search Ad	Headline	30	Up to 15 headlines
Responsive Search Ad	Description	90	Up to 4 descriptions
Responsive Search Ad	Display URL path	15 per path field	2 path fields available
Performance Max	Short headline	30	Up to 5 short headlines
Performance Max	Long headline	90	Up to 5 long headlines
Performance Max	Short description	60	Up to 5 short descriptions
Performance Max	Long description	90	Up to 5 long descriptions
Performance Max	Business name	25	Required field
Responsive Display Ad	Short headline	30	—
Responsive Display Ad	Long headline	90	—
Responsive Display Ad	Description	90	—
Demand Gen Ad	Headline	40	Up to 5 headlines
Demand Gen Ad	Description	90	Up to 5 descriptions
Sitelink extension	Link text	25	Up to 8 sitelinks
Sitelink extension	Description line	35	2 description lines
Callout extension	Callout text	25	Up to 10 callouts
Structured snippet	Value	25	Up to 10 values
Lead form extension	Headline	30	—
Lead form extension	Description	200	—
Shopping — product title	Title	150	Displayed ~70 chars
Shopping — product desc.	Description	5,000	Feed field; ~500 shown
YouTube video action	Headline	15	—
YouTube video action	Description	70	—
YouTube video action	CTA button	10	—

Characters vs. Display Width

Google counts characters by Unicode code point — each letter, number, space, or punctuation mark is typically one character. However, double-width characters used in East Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) count as two characters in Google’s measurement system. This means a headline written in Japanese may hit the 30-character limit after only 15 visible characters.

Additionally, some characters render wider than others even in Latin scripts. The display URL path fields, for example, may visually truncate before the character limit if you use many wide letters like W or M. Always preview your ads across device types using Google’s built-in ad preview tool.

Responsive Search Ads (RSA) — Headlines & Descriptions in Depth

Responsive Search Ads are now the dominant format in Google Search campaigns. Google deprecated Expanded Text Ads (ETAs) in June 2022, and RSAs are the only standard Search ad type you can create today. Understanding the RSA character limits — and how to use them strategically — is the single highest-leverage skill in Google Ads copywriting.

Headline Character Limit: 30 Characters Each

Each RSA headline is capped at 30 characters, including spaces and punctuation. You can provide between 3 and 15 unique headlines per ad. Google’s machine learning then tests different combinations of your headlines to find which pairings perform best for each query, user, and context.

Google typically shows 2 to 3 headlines per ad, separated by vertical pipes (|). This means your headlines need to make sense when read in isolation, in any order, and next to any other headline in your list.

How to Write Powerful Headlines in 30 Characters

Thirty characters feels brutally short when you first encounter it. But some of the most effective ad copy in history has been equally terse. The constraint forces clarity.

• Lead with the keyword: If your headline contains the primary search term, it appears bold in the ad when it matches what the user typed. Front-load your target keyword for maximum relevance and visual impact.
• Use numbers and specifics: ‘Save 40% Today’ (14 chars) beats ‘Big Savings Available’ (21 chars) — the number is more concrete and fits more comfortably.
• Include a CTA where appropriate: ‘Shop Now’, ‘Get a Free Quote’, or ‘Book Today’ signal what happens next and encourage clicks.
• Avoid filler words: Articles like ‘the’, ‘a’, and conjunctions like ‘and’ consume precious characters. ‘Award-Winning Service’ is tighter than ‘Our Award-Winning Service’.
• Write headlines that stand alone: Because Google can display any two or three in any order, each headline must make sense by itself. Avoid headlines that require context from another.

Real Examples: Good vs. Truncated Headlines

Headline Text	Char Count	Verdict
Expert Plumbing Services	24	Good — clear, specific, fits
24/7 Emergency Plumber	22	Good — urgency + availability
Free Same-Day Estimates	23	Good — two benefits in 23 chars
We Provide Plumbing Services in Your Area	41	Too long — truncated or rejected
No Call-Out Fees — Book Today!	30	Perfect — exactly at the limit
Highly Rated Local Professionals	32	Too long by 2 chars — rejected

Description Character Limit: 90 Characters Each

RSA descriptions allow up to 90 characters each, and you can provide between 2 and 4 descriptions. Google displays 1 or 2 descriptions beneath your headlines, and again uses machine learning to select the best-performing combination.

Ninety characters is more generous than 30, but still demands economy. A typical English sentence runs 15 to 20 words — you have room for roughly four to five words before the limit becomes a serious constraint.

Description Writing Strategy

• Use the first description for primary benefit: Lead with what makes you different — your offer, your proof point, or your USP. Example: ‘Rated #1 by 10,000+ customers. Free delivery on all orders over £50. Shop the full range online.’
• Use additional descriptions for supporting messages: If you have a guarantee, a promotion, or a secondary feature, put it in description 2 or 3. This gives Google material to test different value propositions against different audiences.
• Include a call to action: Descriptions that end with a directive (‘Order today’, ‘Get started free’, ‘See all deals’) consistently outperform those that merely describe.
• Avoid repeating headline content: Since Google pairs your descriptions with your headlines, writing the same information in both wastes space and creates redundant-sounding ads.

Ad Strength and Character Usage

Google’s Ad Strength indicator rates your RSA from ‘Poor’ to ‘Excellent’ based on the uniqueness, quantity, and diversity of your headlines and descriptions. Providing 15 distinct headlines and 4 descriptions — each with different messaging angles — is the strongest signal you can send. Ads rated ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ in Ad Strength consistently achieve higher impression share and lower cost-per-click in Google’s own data.

Filling all available slots is not just about volume — it is about giving Google’s algorithm enough variation to find what resonates. An advertiser who writes 5 nearly-identical headlines is not benefiting from RSAs. One who writes 15 distinct headlines covering different benefits, objections, and CTAs is using the format as intended.

Performance Max Ads — Character Limits & Asset Strategy

Performance Max (PMax) campaigns represent Google’s most automated ad format. A single campaign can serve across Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, and the Discover feed — all from one asset group. Because each channel has different creative requirements, PMax asks you to provide multiple asset types with different character constraints.

Performance Max Character Limits

Asset Field	Character Limit	Quantity Allowed
Short headline	30	Up to 5 (minimum 3)
Long headline	90	Up to 5 (minimum 1)
Short description	60	Up to 5 (minimum 1)
Long description	90	Up to 5 (minimum 1)
Business name	25	1 (required)
Final URL	No limit	1 per asset group

Short Headlines vs. Long Headlines in PMax

Short headlines (30 characters) behave similarly to RSA headlines — they are used in text-heavy placements where space is tight, including Search inventory. Long headlines (90 characters) serve Display and Discover placements, where Google has more room to show a longer sentence or phrase.

The practical implication: your short headlines must be punchy and standalone, while your long headlines can carry more context. A short headline of ‘Get a Free Trial Today’ pairs well with a long headline of ‘Start your 30-day free trial of our project management platform — no credit card required.’

Short Descriptions vs. Long Descriptions

Short descriptions (60 characters) are designed for placements where the ad unit is compact. Long descriptions (90 characters) match RSA description length and give you room for a more complete value statement. Write both as if they will appear independently — Google will not always show them together.

Business Name in PMax

The business name field (25 characters) appears prominently in Display and Discover placements, often as the primary identifier of who is advertising. This is not the place to be clever — use your actual brand name. If your brand name is long, consider an official shortened version that fits within 25 characters. Avoid filler like ‘Company’, ‘Ltd’, or ‘LLC’ unless legally necessary.

Asset Group Strategy

Google recommends creating multiple asset groups within a PMax campaign — each targeting a different audience signal, theme, or product line. Each asset group should have internally consistent copy: the headlines, descriptions, images, and videos should all feel like they belong to the same message. Using the maximum number of assets in each group (5 short headlines, 5 long headlines, etc.) gives Google the most material to test, which typically improves performance over time.

Display & Discovery (Demand Gen) Ads — Character Limits

Google’s Display Network reaches over 90% of internet users worldwide through banner ads, native placements, and interstitials across millions of websites, apps, and YouTube. Discovery ads — now rebranded as Demand Gen — appear in the Google Discover feed, Gmail, and YouTube home feed.

Responsive Display Ads

Responsive Display Ads (RDAs) automatically adjust their size, appearance, and format to fit available placements. You provide the building blocks; Google assembles the ad.

Field	Character Limit	Notes
Short headline	30	Appears in smaller ad slots
Long headline	90	Used as sole headline in some formats
Description	90	Displayed beneath headline or image
Business name	25	Required for brand attribution

A critical consideration for Display ads: Google will sometimes show your ad as text-only, without any images. Your copy must work as a standalone message. Write descriptions that are complete and compelling even without visual support.

Demand Gen (formerly Discovery) Ads

Demand Gen ads appear across YouTube home feed, Shorts feed, Google Discover, and Gmail. They are designed for upper- and mid-funnel audiences who are not actively searching but may be receptive to discovery.

Field	Character Limit	Notes
Headline	40	Up to 5 headlines
Description	90	Up to 5 descriptions
Business name	25	Required
CTA button text	Pre-set options	Google provides fixed CTA options

Demand Gen headlines are slightly longer than RSA headlines at 40 characters, giving you a little more room for nuance. Use this to your advantage — you can include a brand name plus a benefit (‘BrandName: The Smarter Way to Save’) in a way that would not fit in a 30-character search headline.

Ad Extensions & Assets — Complete Character Limits Breakdown

Ad extensions (now called ‘assets’ in Google’s interface) are additional pieces of information that appear with your ads. They expand the real estate of your ad in the search results page and consistently improve click-through rates. Each extension type has its own character limits, and getting these right is just as important as your headline and description copy.

Sitelink Extensions

Sitelinks are additional links that appear below your main ad, directing users to specific pages on your site. They are one of the highest-impact extensions available.

• Sitelink text (link label): 25 characters. This is the clickable text that users see.
• Description line 1: 35 characters. An optional line of context below the link text.
• Description line 2: 35 characters. A second optional description line.

You can add up to 8 sitelinks per campaign or ad group. When Google shows descriptions, it typically shows 4 sitelinks with two description lines each, significantly expanding your ad’s visual footprint.

Best practice: Write sitelink text that is specific to the destination page (‘Men’s Running Shoes’, ‘Returns Policy’, ‘Book a Demo’) rather than generic (‘Click Here’, ‘Learn More’). With 25 characters, you have enough room to be specific.

Callout Extensions

Callout extensions are short, non-clickable phrases that highlight features or benefits of your business. They appear as additional text beneath your ad.

• Character limit: 25 characters per callout.
• Quantity: Up to 10 callouts, though Google typically shows 2 to 6.

Callouts work best as punchy, standalone claims: ‘Free UK Delivery’, ‘No Setup Fees’, ‘Rated 5 Stars’, ’30-Day Returns’. Because they are short and non-clickable, they function as trust signals and differentiators rather than CTAs.

Structured Snippets

Structured snippets let you highlight specific aspects of your products or services under predefined headers (Brands, Services, Product types, Courses, etc.).

• Header: Pre-set by Google — you choose from a dropdown list.
• Value (each item in the list): 25 characters.
• Quantity: 3 to 10 values per snippet extension.

Example: Header = ‘Services’, Values = ‘Web Design’ / ‘SEO Audit’ / ‘PPC Management’ / ‘Social Media’. Structured snippets are particularly effective for businesses with multiple product categories or service lines.

Lead Form Extensions

Lead form extensions allow users to submit their contact information directly from the search results page, without visiting your website. They are powerful for lead generation campaigns.

Field	Character Limit
Extension headline	30
Business name	25
Description	200
Form headline	30
Privacy policy URL	Required

The description field in lead forms is unusually generous at 200 characters — use this to explain exactly what the person will receive by submitting their information (‘Get a free personalised quote within 24 hours. No obligation, no spam. Just expert advice tailored to your business.’).

Image, Price, and Promotion Extensions

Image extensions allow you to attach images to Search ads — the images themselves carry no character copy. Price extensions show a table of products or services with individual prices; each item has a header (25 characters) and a description (25 characters). Promotion extensions highlight specific offers; the promotional message field allows up to 20 characters, and the item field allows 45 characters.

Google Shopping and YouTube Ads — Character Limits

Google Shopping Ads

Shopping ads do not have traditional headline and description fields in the campaign interface — instead, the copy is pulled from your Google Merchant Center product feed. Google uses the data you upload to determine when and how to show your products.

Feed Field	Character Limit	Displayed Limit
Product title	150 characters	~70 characters on most placements
Product description	5,000 characters	~500 characters typically shown
Brand	70 characters	—
Product type	750 characters	Not displayed to users

Although the product title allows up to 150 characters, Google typically displays only the first 70 characters in standard Shopping placements. This makes the first 70 characters of your title critically important. A well-structured Shopping title follows this pattern: Brand + Product Type + Key Attributes. Example: ‘Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 40 Men’s Running Shoe — Size UK 10 — Blue/White’.

Front-load your most important keywords and differentiators. If your brand name is well-known, lead with it. If it is not, consider leading with the product type or the most specific keyword.

YouTube Video Action Ads

YouTube video action ads (formerly TrueView for Action) appear before or during YouTube videos. They combine video content with overlaid text elements.

Ad Element	Character Limit	Notes
Headline	15	Appears overlaid on video
Description	70	Shown below video on desktop
CTA button text	10	Pre-set or custom button copy
Companion banner headline	15	Appears in sidebar on desktop

YouTube headline copy at 15 characters is the most extreme constraint in Google Ads. You have roughly two to three short words. This demands absolute clarity: ‘Shop Now’, ‘Try for Free’, ‘Get Started’, or your brand name alone. The video itself carries the creative weight — the headline and CTA are just the close.

YouTube Bumper and Skippable In-Stream Ads

Bumper ads (6 seconds, non-skippable) and skippable in-stream ads (skippable after 5 seconds) rely entirely on the video content for their persuasion — there are no text overlay copy fields for these formats beyond the companion banner shown on desktop. For skippable ads, the companion banner follows the same 15-character headline rule as video action ads.

The practical implication: for YouTube formats, all of your creative effort should go into the video script and the first 5 seconds of content (to hook viewers before they skip), not into text copy. The character limits here are secondary to the audio-visual storytelling.

Best Practices for Writing Within Google Ads Character Limits

Knowing the limits is necessary. Writing compellingly within them is the real skill. Here are the techniques that experienced PPC copywriters use to make every character count.

Front-Load Keywords and Your Value Proposition

Google bolds words in your ad that match the searcher’s query. This makes keyword placement in your headline not just a relevance signal but a visual one. Put your primary keyword in the first headline wherever possible, and put your strongest value proposition in the first 25 characters of each headline — because truncation, when it does happen, typically cuts from the right.

Use Power Words That Pack Meaning

Some words carry more persuasive weight per character than others. In the context of Google Ads, tested high-performers include: Free, New, Now, Today, Guaranteed, Proven, Instant, Exclusive, Limited, Save, and Official. These words trigger emotional and cognitive responses that plain descriptive language does not. Used within your character budget, they reliably outperform more verbose alternatives.

Write for Mobile First

More than 60% of Google searches happen on mobile devices, where ad display space is narrower. Even within character limits, longer headlines can wrap or truncate more aggressively on small screens. Preview every ad on mobile in Google’s Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool before launching. A headline that looks fine on desktop may break awkwardly on a 375px screen.

Tools for Real-Time Character Counting

• Google Ads interface: The native editor shows a character counter beneath each field, turning red when you hit the limit.
• Google Ads Editor: The desktop bulk-editing tool also counts characters and flags over-limit fields.
• Optmyzr and WordStream: Third-party PPC tools include ad copy editors with character counting built in.
• Simple text editors: Any editor with a word/character count (even Google Docs or Notepad++) works for drafting before you enter the interface.

Test Multiple Variants Within Limits

One of the biggest benefits of RSAs is that Google tests your copy variants automatically. To take full advantage, write headlines that test different angles: one focused on price, one on quality, one on speed, one on guarantee, one on social proof. If all 15 headlines make the same basic claim in slightly different words, you are not learning anything. Variation across distinct value propositions is what gives Google’s algorithm real data to optimise against.

Avoid Excessive Capitalisation

Google’s advertising policies prohibit using all-caps for emphasis in headlines (e.g., ‘FREE DELIVERY TODAY’ is a policy violation). Beyond the policy issue, excessive capitalisation does not improve click-through rates — research consistently shows that sentence case and title case outperform all-caps for readability and trustworthiness. Stick to conventional capitalisation. This also matters because capitalising every letter does not give you fewer characters — it just makes the ad look shouted and unprofessional.

Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Character Limit Errors

Ad Disapproval Due to Exceeding Limits

Google’s automated review system rejects ads that exceed character limits before they ever go live. If an ad is disapproved for this reason, you will see a ‘Disapproved’ status in your campaign dashboard with a reason code indicating the issue. The fix is straightforward — edit the offending field to fall within the limit — but disapprovals add delay to your campaign launch and can interrupt live campaigns if Google catches a previously-running ad in a re-review.

To diagnose: go to your Ads & Assets tab, filter by Status = ‘Disapproved’, and look at the Policy column for the reason. Character limit violations typically show as ‘Text too long’.

Confusing Display URL Paths with Final URLs

The Display URL (the URL shown in the ad) has two optional path fields, each limited to 15 characters. These paths appear after your domain in the ad (e.g., yoursite.com/Running/Shoes) and help communicate relevance to the user. They are not the actual landing page URL — that is the Final URL, which can be any length. A common mistake is trying to put the full page slug (e.g., ‘/mens-running-shoes-size-10’) into a path field, which both exceeds the limit and defeats the purpose. Keep path fields short, descriptive, and keyword-relevant.

Special Characters and Their Character Counts

Punctuation marks each consume one character. Ellipses (…) count as three characters. Ampersands (&) count as one character and are fine to use. The registered trademark symbol (®) and trademark symbol (™) each count as one character but may trigger a policy review if you are not the brand owner. Google prohibits some special characters in certain positions — exclamation marks, for example, cannot appear in headlines (only in descriptions, and only once).

Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) and Character Limits

Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) automatically replaces a placeholder in your ad with the keyword that triggered it. The syntax {KeyWord:Default Text} tells Google to insert the matching keyword, and if it does not fit within the character limit, to use the ‘Default Text’ fallback instead. This means your DKI headlines effectively have two character limits to manage: the inserted keyword must fit within 30 characters, and your fallback default text must also fit within 30 characters. Failing to account for both can lead to either broken ads or missing defaults.

Emoji in Google Ads

Google Ads does not officially support emoji in ad copy, and attempting to include them typically results in ad disapproval. Some emoji may pass through the system in certain formats, but this is inconsistent and not recommended. Each emoji, when it does pass, counts as multiple characters (often 2) due to their Unicode encoding. Avoid emoji in Google Ads copy entirely — the risk of disapproval and inconsistent rendering is not worth the marginal novelty.

Final Words— Write Tight, Win More

Google Ads character limits are not arbitrary restrictions. They are the framework within which the world’s most competitive advertising marketplace operates. Every advertiser faces the same constraints — the ones who win are those who use every character with intention.

The most important takeaways from this guide:

• RSA headlines are 30 characters; use all 15 available slots with meaningfully different messages.
• RSA descriptions are 90 characters; use all 4 available slots to test different value propositions.
• Performance Max has multiple asset types with distinct limits — treat each as its own creative brief.
• Extensions and assets are character-limited too, and filling them strategically increases ad real estate and CTR.
• Shopping ads are driven by your Merchant Center feed — optimise the first 70 characters of your product title.
• YouTube video ad headlines are just 15 characters — let the video do the storytelling.
• Always preview on mobile, always test multiple variants, and never use emoji or excessive capitalisation.

The discipline of writing within constraints forces better thinking. When you cannot say everything, you are forced to say the most important thing. That clarity – distilled into 30 or 90 characters – is what turns a search result into a click.