You can write a perfect title and still have Google cut it off mid-word. Titles are truncated by how wide they are on screen, not by a character count.
What the preview shows
Enter a title, description and URL in the SERP Preview. It shows how they might look as a search result, and tells you the title’s estimated width against 600 pixels and the description’s length against 155 characters. For example, “Free Online Word Counter – 99digest” measures about 275 of 600 pixels, and a 37-character description is well within 155.
The limits
- Title: about 600 pixels on desktop. That is roughly 50 to 60 characters, but narrow letters like “i” and “l” take less space than “W” or “M”.
- Description: about 155 characters is a safe length. Google may show up to a few more or fewer, and often rewrites it to match the search.
The pixel width in the tool is an estimate based on typical character widths, and the limits are widely quoted guidance, not fixed rules. Google can change how it truncates, and it sometimes picks a different title or description of its own.
Using the tool
- Type your title and meta description, and enter the page URL.
- Check the length indicators and the preview.
- Edit until both fit, with the key words near the start.
Writing better snippets
- Put the most important words first, in case the end is cut.
- Give each page its own title and description rather than repeating one across the site.
- Write the description for a person: say what they will find and why it helps.
- Avoid padding with keywords. Google tends to ignore it.
See also the glossary entries for meta description and SERP.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Google show a different title than mine?
If it judges your title does not describe the page well, it may rewrite it using the page’s headings or other text. A clear, accurate title makes that less likely.