Length of search results snippets Decreased - Google Confirmed

Google has confirmed that only about five months after increasing the search results snippets, it has now decreased the length of these snippets. Danny Sullivan of Google wrote, “Our search snippets are now shorter on average than in recent weeks.” He added that they are now “… slightly longer than before a change we made last December.”

Google told Search Engine Land in December that writing meta descriptions doesn’t change with longer search snippets, telling webmasters back then that there is “no need for publishers to suddenly expand their meta description tags.”

Sullivan said, “There is no fixed length for snippets. Length varies based on what our systems deem to be most useful. He added, Google will not state a new maximum length for the snippets because the snippets are generated dynamically.

RankRanger’s tracker tool puts the new average length of the description snippet field on desktop at around 160 characters, down from around 300+ characters…

… while mobile characters for the search results snippets are now down to an average of 130 characters:

Here is Danny Sullivan’s confirmation:

Barry Schwartz

✔@rustybrick

14 May

@dannysullivan can you confirm google has changed the default for the number of characters shown as the search results Snippets?

Danny Sullivan

✔@dannysullivan

Our search snippets are now shorter on average than in recent weeks, though slightly longer than before a change we made last December. There is no fixed length for snippets. Length varies based on what our systems deem to be most useful.

10:00 PM - May 14, 2018

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Twitter Ads info and privacy

If you went ahead and already lengthened your meta descriptions, should you go back and shorten them now? Google’s advice is to not focus too much on these, as many of the snippets Google chooses are dynamic anyway and not pulled from your meta descriptions. In fact, a recent study conducted by Yoast showed most of the snippets Google shows are not from the meta description, but rather they are from the content on your web pages.

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War is on. Amazon vs Google

Brief Notes :
- Amazon stopped selling Google's chromecast
- Google dropped Youtube ads.
- Now Amazon is droppping all Shopping listing ads.

It has been reported that Amazon has stopped bidding on Google’s Product Listing Auctions as of April 28th. Google’s Product Listing Ads are ads with product images that appear at the top of certain search results. Amazon had been a top bidder in that auction for a year and a half. In the meantime, Amazon had been cultivating a competing product. What’s next and how this affects your business.
What is Google’s Shopping Ads Program?

Google’s Shopping Ads program is an enhanced version of standard AdWords advertising. It allows a merchant to upload a feed of their products, including photos. It results in an attractive product listing at the top of Google’s organic search results.

The benefit of a Shopping Ad is higher click through rate (CTR) that Google’s Support Page reports can be as high as 300% better than standard text ads. The leads are better because a user is able to view product information before clicking an ad, so they know what they are clicking to when they click the shopping ad. These ads tend to take up more space in a mobile device, crowding out the organic results.
Is the Competition Between Amazon and Google Intensifying?

I asked PPC expert Jim Stratton, PPC Director at Jason Hennessey Consultingabout Amazon’s possible next move and he said,


“This might be a battle between Amazon and Google where Amazon was trying to gain insights to further advance their own bidding systems and technology.”

Putting on my tin foil hat, I noted that Amazon’s participation may have helped drive the up the cost of Google’s Shopping program, possibly discouraging some advertisers from competing on Google Shopping Ads against Amazon. Jim expressed interest in the idea:


“…strategic bidding to pump up the cost of Google’s PLA and make Amazon’s more attractive is an interesting concept.”
Amazon is Google’s Competitor

Amazon is a formidable competitor for shopping advertising. As YouTube is a search engine for videos, Amazon is where consumers go directly to search for products.


Amazon is not just an online marketplace. Amazon is a shopping search engine. A shopping search engine is the most profitable slice of Google’s pie and that makes Amazon Google’s biggest threat because of Amazon’s PPC program.
Takeaway for PPC and Merchants

Jim Stratton believes this is a moment of opportunity for merchants.


“The opportunity for PPC bidders, with Amazon dropping out, this opens up the space for competitors. Those advertisers who have been historically competing with Amazon will see their ad positions increase, higher click through rate percentages, and increased click volume, which will lead to higher ad spends but proportionally higher sales and profits.

I believe that this will open up the space for new advertisers who have been sitting on the sidelines because they didn’t want to battle Amazons deep pockets for their respective products and categories.”

So it may be that the moment is now for merchants to give Google Shopping a try because now is as good as it’s going to get. Read the full story at Merkleinc.com, Amazon Abruptly Shuts Down Google Shopping Program

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