What it does
Your title and meta description are the first words most people read from your site, usually in a search result. If they run long, Google cuts them off with an ellipsis, and the part that got cut is often the part that explained why someone should click.
This checker counts the characters in both and flags each one as ok or long. Titles are marked long past 60 characters, descriptions past 160. Those are rough guides, but they catch most text that will get trimmed.
How to use it
- 1Paste your page title into the Title field.
- 2Paste your meta description into the Description field.
- 3Press Run. You get a character count for each, marked ok or long.
- 4If either is long, trim it and press Run again. For a pixel-accurate check, use the SERP snippet preview.
Why character counts are only a guide
Google doesn't truncate at a fixed number of characters. It cuts titles to fit a pixel width, so a title full of wide letters like W and M gets trimmed sooner than one full of i and l. Sixty characters is a fair average for English, which is why the checker uses it.
Descriptions work the same way, and the space also changes with the device. Treat 160 characters as a ceiling for the important part, and put the words that matter most near the start.
Google may rewrite them anyway
Google rewrites titles and descriptions it thinks don't describe the page well or don't match the search. It might use your H1, a heading, or a sentence from the page instead. You can't turn this off, but you can make it less likely.
- Write one clear title per page that matches what the page is actually about.
- Don't stuff the title with keywords or repeat the brand twice.
- Make the description a plain summary of what's on the page, not a list of phrases.
- Keep the title close to the page's H1 so the two agree.
Questions
How long should a title tag be?
Aim for about 50 to 60 characters. Google truncates by pixel width, not characters, so a short title made of wide letters can still get cut. Put the main topic first so the important part survives.
How long should a meta description be?
Around 120 to 160 characters fits most desktop results. Longer descriptions aren't penalised, they just get cut off. Say what's on the page in the first sentence.
Does the length of a title affect rankings?
Not directly. A long title is just more likely to be cut or rewritten. What it says matters far more than its length.
Why does Google show a different title than the one I wrote?
Google rewrites titles it considers too long, stuffed with keywords, vague, or out of step with the page. Writing a short, accurate title that matches your H1 is the best way to keep yours.
Do spaces count as characters?
Yes. This checker counts every character, including spaces and punctuation, because they all take up room in the result.