Can too many keywords in titles/descriptions have a negative effect on SEO?> > How long should descriptions be?
Topic summary
The discussion addresses whether excessive keywords in titles and descriptions negatively impact SEO, and optimal description lengths.
Keyword Usage:
- Keyword stuffing can make content appear spammy and may result in search engine penalties
- Over-optimization can harm page performance, though no specific threshold exists
- Best practice: write naturally, then ensure the primary keyword appears in the title, heading, and introduction
- Review Google Search Console data to understand actual user search behavior
Description Length:
- Meta descriptions: 150-160 characters recommended—should be clear, engaging, and include keywords naturally
- Product descriptions: Should be comprehensive enough to provide customers all information needed for purchase decisions
- One participant notes they skip writing meta descriptions entirely, allowing Google to generate them from page content automatically
Yes, too many keywords in titles and descriptions can hurt SEO. Keyword stuffing makes content look spammy and can lead to penalties from search engines.
For meta descriptions, keep them 150-160 characters—clear, engaging, and with a natural keyword.
Are you optimizing your store’s SEO? What kind of products are you working on?
Yes, over-optimization can sometimes hurt a page’s performance. There’s no magic number for what that means, though. I’d just write the page naturally, then make sure the most important keyword is in the title, heading, and intro. Make sure to review your GSC data to see what users are actually searching for!
If you’re referring to product descriptions, the answer is: long enough to provide a customer with all of the information they need to decide whether they want to give you their hard-earned money or not.
If you’re referring to meta descriptions, 160 characters is fine. But honestly I don’t even write meta descriptions. I just let Google write them based on the page content. But that’s just me.