Title tag and meta description length: what actually gets cut

Every page has two short pieces of text written mostly for search results: the title tag and the meta description. They are often the first thing a reader sees from your site, and they decide whether the reader clicks. Length matters because text that runs too long gets cut off with an ellipsis. But the limit is not quite what most people think.

Truncation is by width, not characters

Google truncates titles and descriptions based on how much horizontal space they take up in the results, measured in pixels. On desktop, the title space is about 600 pixels wide.

Characters are not all the same width. A capital “W” is several times wider than a lowercase “i”. So a title made of narrow letters can fit more characters than one full of capitals and wide letters:

• “Fill in a simple little list” uses many narrow letters and takes less space than its length suggests.
• “WOMEN’S MOUNTAIN WEAR” uses wide capitals and takes far more.

This is why all-caps titles get cut early, and why no character limit is exact.

Practical character ranges

Because counting pixels is awkward, most people work with character ranges that usually fit:

Our character counter checks text against both ranges. Treat them as guides. A 62-character title made of narrow letters may display in full; a 55-character title in capitals may not. Mobile results also have different space from desktop.

Google may rewrite them anyway

Search engines treat your title tag and meta description as suggestions.

Titles. Google sometimes shows a different title from the one in your title tag. It may use your page’s main heading or other text from the page instead, especially when the title tag is very long, stuffed with keywords, vague, or the same across many pages.

Descriptions. Google often writes its own snippet from the page text, picking whatever part best matches the search. A description you wrote may appear for some searches and not others.

You can’t prevent this entirely. You can make it less likely by writing a title and description that accurately describe the page and match what people search for.

Write for the click, not the count

Hitting the right length is the easy part. A title that fits but says nothing will still be skipped. A few principles:

Lead with the subject. The start of the title is the part least likely to be cut and the part readers scan first. Put the main words there.

Before: Welcome to Our Blog: Everything You Need to Know About Choosing the Right Running Shoes

15 words · 1 sentence · grade 6.8

After: How to choose running shoes: fit, cushioning, and when to replace them

12 words · 1 sentence · grade 4.8

Make each title unique. Pages with near-identical titles compete with each other and are more likely to be rewritten.

Skip filler. “Welcome to”, “Home page”, and “Official website of” use valuable space and tell the reader nothing.

Put your brand at the end, if at all. A short brand name after a separator is fine when there is room. It is the first thing to drop when there isn’t.

Make the description a reason to click. Say what the page gives the reader: the answer, the steps, the comparison, the price. A specific description beats a list of keywords.

Before: Running shoes, best running shoes, running shoe guide, buy running shoes, running shoe reviews and more.

16 words · 1 sentence · grade 6.9

After: Learn how to measure your foot, test cushioning in the store, and tell when your old pair has worn out.

20 words · 1 sentence · grade 5.8

Match the page. If the title promises a list of ten tips, the page should open with ten tips. A misleading title may earn a click, but the reader leaves at once.

Tip: Write the title last. Once the page is finished, you know what it actually delivers, and the title can say so plainly.

The same skills apply to headlines, email subject lines, and social posts: put the point first and cut every word that does not help a reader decide. Our guide to words to cut is a good next step.