Google listing description checker: what blocks, and what is missing
Paste your Google Business Profile description. The tool separates what could get it rejected from what merely makes it less effective, and shows you the part your customers actually read.
Your description
Paste it exactly as it appears on your listing, without tidying it up on the way. It is the real state we are after.
Description quality
—
The analysis appears here from the first keystroke, and updates on every word.
Everything is analysed in your browser. Your text is never sent to us.
What the description changes, and what it does not
The description is the only place on your Google listing where you write what you want. Everything else — category, hours, address, attributes — is constrained by closed lists. It is therefore your one chance to say what sets you apart from the competitor shown just below.
It does not lift your listing in the local pack. Google does not present it as a ranking factor, and a description stuffed with keywords has never won a position. Its effect plays out one step later: the listing is shown, the visitor hesitates between two businesses, and reads.
It is a piece of writing, not a form. It should read aloud, open with what matters, and stand on its own. Most descriptions you come across list keywords separated by commas — they serve neither the reader nor the listing.
The first 250 characters do all the work
Google shows the description folded. The visitor sees the opening lines, then a "more" they have to tap to read on. The threshold varies by surface — search, Maps, mobile — but it sits around 250 characters.
In other words: the next 500 characters are only read by people already convinced. A description that opens with "Founded in 1998, our family business has always cared deeply about…" spends its attention budget on filler, and announces the trade where nobody is looking any more.
Order therefore matters more than length. Trade, city, what sets you apart: those three fit in one sentence and must land before the fold. Company history, certifications and detail come afterwards, for the people who unfold.
The three rules that get a description rejected
The rest is a matter of quality. These three are terms of service, and they end in a refusal at review.
No more than 750 characters
The limit is strict and counted in characters, spaces included. A longer description is refused on save, or truncated without you being told.
No links, no web addresses
URLs are not allowed in this field. Your site has its own, clickable, at the top of the listing: repeating it here gains you nothing and exposes you to a refusal.
No commercial offers
Prices, promotions, discounts and calls to buy have no place here. Google reserves that use for posts, which exist precisely for it and appear elsewhere on the listing.
Four mistakes that make a description useless
None of them is penalised by Google. All of them waste the only free text on your listing.
- 1
Stacking keywords
"Plumber Rouen, cheap plumber Rouen, plumbing repairs Rouen" lifts no listing. The reader, meanwhile, works out in one second that they are reading a list written for a machine, and moves on to the competitor.
- 2
Opening with company history
"For three generations, a passion for the craft has driven us" burns a third of the visible portion without saying either what you do or where. History makes an excellent second paragraph.
- 3
Copying the website's About page
Text written for a web page arrives here without its headings, paragraphs and images, and ends up folded after two lines. A listing description is written for its own format.
- 4
Repeating information already there
Address, phone, hours and website are already on the listing, in dedicated fields Google displays better than you would. Saying them again burns characters you will not have for the rest.
Frequently asked questions
How many characters for a Google description?
750 at most, spaces included. But only around 250 show before the fold: that is the real budget to watch. A well-ordered 300-character description beats a 750-character one whose point arrives at the end.
Does the description affect local ranking?
Google does not present it as a ranking factor, and nothing suggests that repeating your trade in it wins you a position. Its effect is on what happens after the listing is shown: the visitor compares two listings and picks one.
Can I put my website in the description?
No. Links and web addresses are not allowed in this field, and their presence can get the update refused. The website has its own field on the listing, where it is clickable.
Why is my description not showing?
Three common causes: it is awaiting review, it was refused for a broken rule, or you are looking at a surface that does not display it. Check the blocking issues the tool flags first, then the listing's status in your Google account.
Should I put my city in the description?
Yes, once, written naturally. It confirms to the reader that they are in the right place. Repeating it five times produces no extra effect and makes the text tiring.
Does this tool send my text anywhere?
No. The analysis runs entirely in your browser, with no request to our servers. You can cut your connection after the page loads and the tool keeps working.
The other free tools
No sign-up, and nothing sent to our servers.
Writing the description takes an hour. Holding the whole listing takes more.
Pharelio watches your Google listing continuously, spots what is missing or drifting, and hands you the fix to approve.
14-day trial, no credit card