Title tags: ~60 characters
Google typically displays the first 50–60 characters of a title tag before truncating with an ellipsis. Keep titles under 60 characters and front-load the important words — the keyword and the hook should survive truncation even on narrow screens.
Shorter is not always better: a 30-character title wastes an opportunity to be descriptive and earn the click. The sweet spot is 45–58 characters: descriptive, keyword-inclusive, and truncation-proof.
Meta descriptions: ~155 characters
Meta descriptions get roughly 150–160 characters on desktop (slightly fewer on mobile) before Google cuts them off. They are not a ranking factor, but they are your ad copy in the search results — a truncated call-to-action converts worse.
Write 140–155 characters, include the primary keyword naturally (Google bolds matching terms), and end with a reason to click. Then verify with our word counter — watch the "characters" stat as you draft.
URLs, headings, and social
- URLs: keep slugs under ~60 characters, lowercase, hyphenated. Short URLs earn more clicks and are easier to share.
- H1 headings: 20–70 characters; one per page, matching search intent.
- Open Graph titles: ~60 characters before social previews truncate.
- Tweets/X posts: 280 characters; LinkedIn posts: 3,000 (but only ~210 show before "see more").
Our meta description length guide goes deeper on writing descriptions that earn clicks.
Why pixels beat characters
Here is the nuance: Google measures pixel width (about 580px for titles, 920px for descriptions on desktop), not characters. A title full of wide characters (W, M) truncates sooner than one full of narrow ones (i, l, t). ALL-CAPS titles burn through the budget fastest.
Character counts are therefore a heuristic, not a guarantee. Draft to the character limit, then sanity-check the widest-case rendering — or simply keep titles a few characters under 60 and descriptions under 155, and you will be safe in virtually every case.
A workflow for staying inside the limits
Checking counts after publishing is backwards. Build limits into drafting:
- Draft titles and descriptions in the word counter, not in your CMS. Our word counter shows live character counts — write the description, watch the number land between 140 and 155, done.
- Front-load ruthlessly. Write the full version, then move the keyword and hook to the front. If truncation happens on some device, the essential meaning survives.
- Preview before publishing. SERP preview tools render your title and description exactly as Google will show them, including pixel-width truncation and mobile views. A 30-second preview catches what character counts miss.
- Audit quarterly. Screaming Frog or Search Console exports reveal titles over 60 characters and missing descriptions across the whole site. Fix the worst offenders first — usually the highest-traffic pages.
For bulk work, a spreadsheet with =LEN() formulas beats checking pages one by one. And when titles need recapitalizing to fit house style, the case converter handles it in one click.
One final nuance: Google rewrites title tags more often than descriptions — studies suggest over half of titles get modified, usually to add branding or match the query. Keep your brand name at the end of titles so rewrites preserve the descriptive front, and make every title work standalone: it should make sense with or without the brand appended, truncated or whole, on any device, every time.
Pair this with title case rules for headline capitalization, and use the case converter to fix headings in one click.