You write a Google Ads headline you think is perfect, and the system rejects it: 34 characters, limit 30. Or you write great primary text for a Meta ad, and people only see the first line before “See more” — the offer in your third sentence reaches no one. Or you send an Arabic marketing SMS and get billed for three messages instead of one.
Character limits aren’t just a technical constraint; they’re part of the craft of ad writing. This guide gathers the key limits, explains why counting differs with Arabic and emoji, and shows how to write copy that says the most important thing first.
Quick reference: the key limits
| Where | Limit | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Google responsive search ad headline | 30 characters each | Hard |
| Google ad description | 90 characters each | Hard |
| Meta ad primary text | About 125 characters before “See more” | Recommended |
| Meta ad headline | About 40 characters | Recommended |
| X post | 280 (weighted count) | Hard for standard accounts |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 characters | Hard |
| Instagram bio | 150 characters | Hard |
| TikTok caption | 4,000 characters | Hard |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 characters | Hard |
| YouTube video title | 100 characters | Hard |
| SMS | 160 Latin or 70 Arabic characters per message | Technical |
Platforms change their limits from time to time, so check the help centre before big campaigns. Our character counter shows your text against all of these limits at once, with a bar that turns red when you go over.
Hard limits vs. visible limits
The key distinction in that table: some limits are hard (the system won’t accept longer text), others are visible — the text is accepted in full but only part shows before the user taps “more”. An Instagram caption accepts 2,200 characters, but the feed shows a line or two. That changes how you write: what everyone must see comes first.
Why counting differs with Arabic and emoji
X: weighted counting
X doesn’t count all characters equally. Basic Latin characters weigh 1, while characters from many other scripts and emoji weigh 2, and any link counts as 23 regardless of length. So an Arabic post hits the limit much sooner than an English one with the same number of characters. The counter shows X’s weighted count separately.
SMS: seventy, not one hundred and sixty
A message in basic Latin characters fits 160 characters. But as soon as it contains a single Arabic letter or emoji, it switches to Unicode encoding and fits only 70. Go over, and it’s split into parts of 67 characters each. A 150-character Arabic message is three messages on the bill. The counter works out the parts and encoding automatically.
Emoji: one character to the reader
Some emoji (flags, people with skin tones) are technically made of several code points. The counter counts them as a person sees them — one character — while some systems count more, so leave a small margin near the limit.
Spaces and line breaks count too. The counter’s “Remove extra spaces” button cleans up the duplicate spaces that creep in when copying from other files, saving characters without changing a word.
Writing inside 30 characters (Google Ads)
Thirty characters fit three or four Arabic words. Responsive ads combine your headlines in different ways, so write each to work on its own:
- A keyword headline: “Shopify Store Design”.
- A benefit headline: “Delivered in 3 Weeks”.
- An offer or trust headline: “Free First Consultation”.
- A call-to-action headline: “Request a Quote Today”.
Drop words that add no meaning, use numerals instead of words (“3” not “three”), and don’t repeat the brand name in every headline.
Writing the first 125 characters (Meta ads)
Meta primary text can run long, but what comes before “See more” is what most people read. Put in it:
- The hook: a question or problem your audience recognises.
- The offer or benefit: what they get, with numbers if possible.
- The call to action: what to do now.
Example: “Your abayas delivered within 48 hours in Riyadh 🚚 New winter collection 15% off until the weekend — order now.” Details (fabric, sizes, exchange policy) come after for those who want them. For Meta fundamentals, read our Meta ads guide.
Social posts: the first line is the ad
- Instagram and TikTok: the first line decides whether someone taps “more”. Lead with the idea, not a greeting.
- LinkedIn: the first two lines show before “more”; make the first a short, curiosity-building sentence.
- Hashtags count toward the limit: put them at the end in a number that suits the platform; our hashtag formatter cleans them, removes duplicates and shows their character count.
- Bio: 150 characters to say who you are, who it’s for, and what the visitor should do now (a WhatsApp or store link).
SEO title and description: a pixel limit
Page titles and descriptions on Google are truncated by pixel width, not character count — roughly 60 for the title and about 155 for the description. For precision use our Google SERP preview, and read the details in our SEO title and description guide.
Writing habits that shorten copy without weakening it
- Cut the preamble: “We at Store X are delighted to offer you” eats half the limit with no information.
- One strong verb instead of a long phrase: “Order” instead of “You can now go ahead and place an order”.
- A specific number instead of a vague adjective: “Delivery in 24 hours” beats “super-fast delivery”.
- Emoji with a job: one or two that guide the eye, not decoration eating characters.
- Write long, then trim: the first draft is for the idea, the second for the limit.
A practical exercise: cutting copy from 210 characters to 125
Original: “We at Elegance Store are delighted to announce to our valued customers the arrival of our new winter abaya collection with modern designs and premium fabrics, and you can now enjoy 15% off all pieces for a limited time.”
The problems: a long preamble that says nothing, the offer at the end of the sentence after “See more”, and vague adjectives (“modern”, “premium”).
Step one — cut the preamble: “The new winter abaya collection has arrived, with 15% off all pieces for a limited time.”
Step two — lead with what matters and make it specific: “15% off new winter abayas ❄️ Soft crepe and wool, sizes 52–62. Offer ends Thursday — order now.”
The result is much shorter, the offer is in the first words, the details are specific (fabric, sizes, deadline), and the call to action is clear. Paste each version into the character counter and compare its length against Meta’s primary-text limit.
Frequently asked questions
Does a space count as a character?
Yes on most platforms — as do line breaks and punctuation. The counter shows counts with and without spaces.
Why do character counts differ between apps?
Some count technical units of text and others count what a person sees, especially with emoji and combined characters. Rely on a tool that counts the way the platform does, and leave a small margin.
Is shorter copy always better?
Not always. Expensive products or complex services sometimes need more explanation. The rule: a short, strong first line, with details after for those who care.
Limits don’t restrict creativity; they force you to say what matters most. Test your copy against every platform at once with our free character counter — and if you want ad and content copy written and tested for the Saudi market, get in touch.
