Meta title and description length checker
Paste your title and description below. You get the character count, the pixel width Google actually measures, and a live preview of the result — including whether it gets cut off mid-sentence.
Checks character count and approximate pixel width, the way Google’s desktop results actually truncate.
Pixel width is estimated using Arial at 20px. Google truncates by pixels, and the exact point varies by device and query.
How long should a meta title and description be?
Google does not count characters — it measures pixel width. That is why two titles of identical length can behave differently: one full of capitals and wide letters truncates sooner than one full of narrow ones.
- Meta titleAround 580 pixels on desktop, roughly 50–60 characters. Past that, Google replaces the end with an ellipsis, so the last few words are wasted.
- Meta descriptionAround 155–160 characters on desktop. Mobile truncates earlier, at roughly 120.
- Pixel width beats character count“WILLIAM” and “illiiii” are both seven characters and nowhere near the same width. The checker above measures both.
- Google rewrites them anywayRoughly a third of the time it ignores what you wrote and generates its own from the page. A good one makes that less likely; nothing prevents it.
- Truncation is not always a problemIf the reason to click is at the front, a cut-off ending costs little. If it is at the end, it costs you the click.
What a bad snippet costs you
Your title and description are usually the first thing a potential customer sees. They decide whether someone clicks through or scrolls past to a competitor — from a position you have already earned.
- TruncationGoogle cuts titles around 50–60 characters and descriptions around 155–160. The tool above shows exactly where the cut lands.
- Pixel overflowCharacter count is not the whole story. Wide letters take more space, so a “safe” 58-character title can still be clipped.
- Missing keywordsIf the term you are targeting is not in the title, you are working against yourself.
- No reason to clickDescriptions without a clear benefit get fewer clicks even from good positions. This is the one most sites get wrong.
A few minutes on your meta tags can move click-through rate measurably. If you would rather not write them, our copywriting service handles it.
Descriptions that actually earn the click
You have roughly 155 characters. Treat it as a sales line, not a summary.
- 1 · Be specific about what the page offers“We help UK small businesses rank higher in Google” beats “Welcome to our website” — and both are the same length.
- 2 · Tell them what to do next“Get your free quote today”, “See our pricing”, “Book a consultation”. A description with no next step is a dead end.
- 3 · Match the search, not the pageSomeone searching “meta title checker” wants a tool. Give them the tool, not an explanation of what meta titles are. More on that in how SEO works for small businesses.
Once the snippet is right
A good snippet earns clicks from a position you already hold. It will not move you up the page — that is a different problem, and these tools find it.
- SEO Health Score CheckerAn overall grade, so you know whether snippets are actually your problem.
- Competitor ComparisonYour page against whoever is currently outranking it.
- Word Counter & ReadabilityWhether the page behind the snippet is worth landing on.
- All eight free toolsNo email, no signup, no trial that becomes a subscription.
Want a person to look at the whole site?
The free audit covers titles and descriptions sitewide rather than one page at a time — and tells you which ones are genuinely costing you clicks.