Writing title tags and meta descriptions that do not get cut off

The title and description shown in a search result are often a searcher's first contact with your page. They do not guarantee rankings, but they strongly affect whether people click. Two things decide how they look: what you write, and whether Google decides to use it.

Length is measured in pixels

Google truncates titles and descriptions by rendered width, not character count, and adds "…" where it cuts. Wide letters such as W and M use up space faster than narrow ones such as i and l, and capital letters are wider than lower case. From observation of current results:

• Titles: about 600 px on desktop, which is usually 50–60 characters
• Descriptions: about 920 px on desktop (roughly 150–160 characters); mobile often shows less

Google does not publish these limits, and they change, so treat them as targets rather than rules. The title and description preview measures your text in the same font and shows where it is likely to be cut.

A simple title formula

Primary topic, specific detail | Brand

• Lead with the words a searcher would use: "Compress images online", not "Welcome to our image page".
• Add the detail that makes your page the better result, such as "without uploading", "2026 prices" or "for small offices".
• Put the brand last, separated by a pipe or dash, unless your brand is what people search for.
• Write a different title for every page. Duplicate titles make it hard for Google, and searchers, to tell pages apart.

Descriptions that earn the click

Google has said the meta description is not a ranking factor, but it is often used as the snippet. A good description:

• Summarises what the page gives the reader, in one or two plain sentences
• Includes the main search phrase naturally (Google highlights matching words)
• States something concrete: a number, a feature, who it is for
• Avoids repeating the title word for word

Why Google rewrites titles

Google may show different text when it thinks the page title is too long, stuffed with keywords, the same as other pages on the site, or does not match the visible heading. To reduce rewrites, keep the <title> close to the page's main heading (<h1>), avoid boilerplate, and describe the page honestly.

Checklist

1. Title fits in about 600 px and starts with the main topic.
2. Every page has a unique title and description.
3. The description is about 120–155 characters and reads like a sentence, not a keyword list.
4. The page is not blocked from crawling. Check with the robots.txt tester if a page will not appear.
5. After publishing, use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console to request indexing and see the title Google chose.

Written by the Toolkeel team at Sole Digital Media

Fact-checked against the sources above. We test every tool we mention. Editorial policy.